The Best ABC Watch of 2022
An ABC watch is, long story short, an outdoors watch with sensors like an Altimeter, a Barometer and a Compass from which the abbreviation was created. There are a lot of companies which manufactured various ABC watches and perfected them over time, although some companies slowly took over the market. For example, the ProTrek line from Casio is one of the most popular outdoors watch collections ever invented, coming with both a good price and plenty of features. The main aim of this article is to help you find the best ABC watch for your needs.
In order to make a fair selection, we looked at certain aspects which are the most important on an ABC watch in particular and requirements which every watch should fulfill no matter of its category.
Things to look for in ABC Watches
1. Price
While price isn’t always the best way of choosing one watch over the other, but if we were to be truly honest, the price is a determining factor when making any kind of purchase. If the item is overpriced you won’t afford it and if it is too cheap you will have doubts about the quality of the item. That is why we chose the best overall picks when it comes to ABC watches and by that, I mean the best quality available for the least amount of money (best buy).
2. Quality
Quality is, as stated previously, a key factor in determining whether a watch is worth it. Some might tend to go for the cheapest option but this might prove to be more expensive over time because bad quality products break faster and you have to frequently buy another one and another one and so on when you could simply buy a quality product in the beginning. That is why we concentrated a lot on this aspect and only high-quality watches have made it to our list. Without quality, we cannot consider a watch to be the best ABC watch because it might not withstand the harshness of an active life.
3. Experience/Reliability
A watch must offer above all, a great everyday experience, otherwise, you will not wear it, and eventually it will gain dust in your drawer. That is why the overall experience of a watch was a key factor in determining whether the watch gets to our selection or not. With this in mind, below you will only find watches that are to some extent addictive, meaning that you will want to wear them all the time and miss them whenever they are not on your wrist mainly due to the indispensable features they come with.
With these points in mind let’s proceed to the watches which in our opinion are the best ABC watches on the market at the moment.
Best ABC Watch for the Money
1. Casio ProTrek PAG-240 Pathfinder with Triple Sensor
First and foremost the PAG-240 ProTrek from Casio is in our opinion one of the best choices you can make when it comes to an ABC watch and you will see why in a second.
The ProTrek PAG-240 is the perfect example of a high-quality ABC watch with the famous triple sensor which incorporates an altimeter, a barometer, a compass and a thermometer. While I do not recommend to anyone to use these sensors as professional measurement tools mainly due to their imprecision, there is no doubt that they will offer, at least, estimative values. That is not to say that this ProTrek, in particular, uses unprecise sensors, but in general, you need to know that ABC watches are not professional measurement tools due to the size and positioning of the sensors. For example like in the case of the thermometer, after a period of continuous wearing, the watch will heat up from your wrist and the thermometer will be inaccurate.
However when it comes to design the PAG-240 is great and there are little to no flaws here. While the materials used for the band and case are not the best out there the overall structure of the watch is very resistant to all sorts of shocks and scratches. The mineral crystal window will also take a good beating until it will gain a scratch and that can take a while. Some customers have worn this ProTrek from the day it was released and it still looks like new. It is ergonomic and it fits well on the wrist.
It is not exaggerated to say that this is the best ABC watch for the money.
This was only a short description. Check our full review of the PAG-240 ProTrek by clicking here.
Best ABC Watch (overall)
2. G-Shock GW-9400 “Master Of G/Rangeman”
The G-Shock Gravity Master GW-9400 or simply Rangeman should be your top choice if you are looking for one of the best ABC watches when it comes to toughness and value for the money. It comes with a very tough casing made of the now famous resin from Casio that is being used in most budget-middle end G-Shocks. It will basically be a great companion if you know that your watch will suffer daily abuse like shocks, scratches, and even magnetic exposure.
The quality materials used in this watch are basically unbeatable when we talk about similar G-Shocks. That is why so many people are still buying this watch despite its relatively old release date. It may definitely represent a great investment for your money. Consider it the overall winner in the competition of the best ABC watches.
More on the GW-9400 Gravity Master here.
Best ABC Watch from Suunto
3. Suunto Elementum Terra
The Suunto Elementum Terra is a great choice for those looking for a premium ABC watch with some of the best features on the market. It comes in a stylish case with an all digital display and a sapphire crystal window on top. A thing which makes Suunto a very appreciated company worldwide is the attention to the details on every aspect of their watches, be it 50 or 500 dollars. As you can easily see in the photos in our extended review, the design is top of the line with great attention to things like ergonomics, everyday experience when worn and beautiful looks.
While I highly recommend this watch for all of its features and design, I would not recommend it for brutal outdoor sports or any other activity that implies persistent shocks because you may be surprised that the window will gain scratches quite rapidly and the case will start to rattle. If you want a tougher ABC watch you can check the PRW2500 from Casio below. Definitely the best ABC watch from Suunto in this price range if you are willing to invest a little more money.
As stated previously if you want to learn more about the Suunto Elementum Terra check out our review by clicking on its name.
Best ABC Watch from Casio
4. Casio ProTrek Pathfinder PRW2500
The ProTrek PRW2500 is a great option for those who want a clear display incorporated in a tough casing along with plenty features and of course the famous triple sensor. What makes this ProTrek one of the best choices as an ABC watch is not only one feature (triple sensor) rather a combination of great features and a very well designed case and strap.
The triple sensor with the altimeter/barometer, thermometer and compass is already famous for its relative reliability. While I won’t describe every part of it in detail you can read more about it on our review by clicking here. Other than that there are plenty of other features which make the overall experience so much better in the long run, like the solar charging feature, the Sunrise/Sunset data, the 200-meter water resistance or the world time feature because they eliminate certain worries.
Overall we consider the PRW2500 to be one of the best choices you can make when it comes to an ABC watch for lots of reasons besides the ones enumerated. If you are not yet convinced and want to read more about this ProTrek click the link below.
Check out our full review on the PRW2500 here.
Best Lightweight ABC Watch
5. Casio ProTrek PRW6000Y
The Casio PRW6000Y is pretty much a middle to high-end model of the ProTrek line. It comes in a carbon fiber inserted case which makes it incredibly lightweight. But lightweight doesn’t mean fragile. It actually is one of the toughest ProTreks I have ever seen. And on top of that, the watch is also beautiful. It offers a genuine feel of an outdoors watch with its multiple configuration buttons and the analog digital display.
The triple sensor is obviously present in this watch along with other premium features like the smart access electronic crown, the multi-band radio calibration system for accurate time in any situations or the great illumination system with double LED lights for both the analog and the digital screen along with the Lumibrite hour markers.
I would consider the PRW6000Y from Casio the best ABC watch that features a case with carbon insertions.
Read our full review on the PRW6000Y here.
6. ProTrek PRX-8000 Manaslu
Named after a mountain in the Himalayas, the ProTrek PRX-8000 or “Manaslu” is a masterpiece of design which brings to the table a completely new approach. This is what some watch specialists already agree that a semi-luxury outdoors watch should look like. It comes in a titanium case for added resistance and a great feel on the wrist. It offers some of the most advanced features available at this moment in the outdoors watch market. That is why you should consider this watch if you want some of the best features.
If you read the first descriptions of the previously mentioned PAG-240 you might remember that I pointed out the inaccuracy of the triple sensor. Well, when it comes to the improved triple sensor incorporated in the brand new Manaslu ProTrek things work differently. The new generation triple sensor seems to offer more accurate readings of the barometric pressure, the altitude, and even coordinates when it comes to the compass. While still not perfect, these improvements are welcome since we are talking about a new generation ProTrek coming at a pretty high price.
This is the best ABC watch if you plan on conquering the highest mountain tops. 😉
There are more to know about the newly released ProTrek PRX-8000; just click on its name.
You might also want to check these out: best altimeter watch, best compass watch, best atomic watch, best solar watches