What watch do you bring overseas?
Context: I’m going to SE Asia country next week and was vexing over whether to wear my Aqua Terra, Speedmaster or Cartier Santos, when I chanced about this video talking about how one should be wary of their destinations and should wear less conspicuous watches to be safe; now I’m thinking to wear my lower profile (and relatively cheaper) Solargraph instead.
What do you guys wear when you go overseas to “less safe” destinations?
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Steven
Father, husband, accountant, and watch enthusiast.
Singapore
Member since
Last active: 2 days ago
Less conspicuous watches to be safer...😎
Casio AW-80. World time, alarm, and memory for 30 telememo notes. You can store numbers and addresses in case your phone gets lost or stolen. 50m of water resistance and a 10 year battery life so you shouldn't have to worry about a battery change.
Wear what is appropriate for the activities IMHO. Don't worry about "less safe".
What do you consider less safe? North Korea I wouldn’t go even withou a watch and here in the Philippines not many will care about an omega… I travel a lot in SEA and never felt more at risk compared to Paris or Amsterdam.
Wear what is appropriate for the activities IMHO. Don't worry about "less safe".
I would worry a little bit if the OP is going to Southeast Asia. Speaking as a Filipino there are cities in the Philippines where in I wouldn’t wear an Omega.
I've pretty much worn everything from my most expensive to cheapos across the world.
My most well traveled watch is a Cartier Roadster Chronograph XL which has been everywhere from a temple market in Chiang Mai to a safari in Botswana to a 7 day hike in the Andes to Machu Pichu.
As for the safety thing....there are hyper safe and less safe places in every city in the world. When I was last in Mexico City (reportedly a pretty dangerous city with a lot of theft), I saw a Nautilus, an FP Journe, an AP Tourbillion, and an Everose GMT on people's wrists inside of 8 hours of being there.
I always follow the rule of thumb, if I feel I'm going to be an questionable spot in the city, I stash a pricier watch in the hotel safe. It's never really proven to be a problem.
Just enjoy the watches you have! Life's short.
G Shock Square. 5600 or 5610.
General advice: stay alert and walk with confidence. The less you look like a mark the less likely something unfortunate happens.
I would worry a little bit if the OP is going to Southeast Asia. Speaking as a Filipino there are cities in the Philippines where in I wouldn’t wear an Omega.
But would you walk alone through tondo in the middle of the night alone? I don’t think the watch you are wearing would change the situation much 🤔 and honestly foreigners are actually more safe compared to pinoys with fancy watches in the Philippines. I’d say to everyone who wants to visit you will be pleasantly surprised except for the noise 😅
Are you... Spiderman??
Thats a nice looking Tag 👌
Don’t want to highlight any particular country as unsafe; and my interest is in seeing how other Crunchers approach this issue.
My max value watch to travel with is about $500.00. I would take any of my general wear pieces that fit that criteria.
A combo of the above. I wear a watch that I enjoy, fits with the purpose and destination of the trip and I won’t be too bummed out if it gets damaged, lost or stolen.
I recently did two separate trips to SEA destinations: wore a Seiko SNJ025 Arnie to Hanoi, Vietnam; and a G Shock DW5600 to Mae Sot, Thailand.
In both instances, I wore what I was comfortable with, but mainly something I could bash about without a care.
I agree. It really depends on the country you’re visiting. If you go to Singapore or Hong Kong, you’ll find a lot of people openly wearing Rolexes and other high-end luxury watches on the subway. If you’re visiting other countries in SE Asia such as Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos, you won’t see as much bling being worn so openly (although it’s still there).
In general, though, you run very little risk of having your watch stolen in SE Asia. I’d probably be more concerned for my watch in London or Barcelona.
G-Shock... 😑