The Best Budget Solar Field Watch

Casio v. Citizen v. Timex

So you’re getting into watches. Or you’ve been into watches for a long time and you’re getting back to basics. As accurate as quartz (duh) and as “perpetual” as an automatic (if the sun stops shining you have other things to worry about): there is perhaps nothing purer than a solar field watch. You don’t need to worry about scratches, servicing, or swapping batteries. So which one should you go for?

My criteria for a Budget Solar Field Watch are:

• Analogue.
• Around £100.
• Solar powered.
• 100m of water resistance.
• Field-style (see: army-ish).

Pop all that into amazon.co.uk and you’ll get today’s lineup: a Casio, a Citizen, and a Timex. The holy trinity of bang for buck brands.

The Casio

The Casio MTP-S120 is the cheapest of the bunch, so that’s a big plus. I don’t love the bezel that looks like it should rotate but doesn’t. I do love the sunburst effect on the dial. Sadly, it is huge at 42mm — it doesn’t have traditional field watch proportions. Apparently the power reserve will last 8 months without a charge, which is very impressive (may explain the size!), though I haven’t tested it.

The Citizen

The Citizen BM8188 (a.k.a. Garrison, Chandler Military, or BM8180 in the US of A) is the middle of the road pick. It’s solid in every category. Citizen has the strongest heritage and pedigree in solar watches: they released the first ever analogue solar watch in 1976, and the most accurate light-powered watch ever, the Calibre 0100 (±1 second A YEAR), in 2019.

I love the crown and crown guards, the aviator’s triangle at 12, and the red seconds-hand. It even has Spanish days on the day-date wheel if you want a bit of latin flair. I don’t think there’s anything I don’t like about this watch. Maybe the strap? It has these big eyelet holes that feel robust but mean if you are between sizes it just won’t fit right.

The Timex

The Timex Expedition Field Post Solar (TW2V00200) is the most “classic” field watch of this bunch. It has a sapphire crystal. The others don’t. Should you care? Maybe.

Sapphire is both harder and more scratch resistant than mineral crystals… but some may want their field watch to take a licking and have something to show for it. That being said, the cut of the crystal as it meets the bezel catches light wonderfully (kind of like a crystal, huh!).

Lacking a day-date window, it is perhaps slightly less practical than the other two (though the 41mm version does have a date). It is indeed reminiscent of a certain Hamilton, but it has no shame about it and neither should you. I love the screw-down crown, I wish it had indiglo, and the 3-month power reserve might leave you wanting more (but if you’re going to wear it a lot… who cares?). Also, it’s the most expensive at £110.

Conclusion

I like the Citizen the most overall, I even went out and bought one after writing this review. The Timex is the best looking, the most “classic” field watch. The Casio is the cheapest, and the best for big wrists. You can’t really go wrong for ~£100!