The Best Hunting Watch of 2022
There are few watches which get the title of the best hunting watch in our selection because we tried to only include the best of the best in terms of experience, value for the money, quality, and reliability. You will find affordable watches that offer a lot for the price you are paying and hopefully find the perfect match as your next hunting watch.
Casio wins this contest in our opinion because they get most things right like the triple sensor, the reliability, and the very well planned design. Of course, you will see a variety of other brands here, only that Casio with the ProTrek line seems to be the best option at the moment. While we like GPS watches a lot, we do not like however the battery life this type of watches has to offer and that is why we consider a watch with a compass should be enough for most hunters. You will still find two of the best GPS hunting watches on the market at the end of the article.
The camouflage or the color of the hunting watch is also very important because you do not want to shine like a Christmas tree when a deer or a pheasant comes anywhere near you.
Without further ado find the best hunting watch now!
Best Buy Hunting Watch
1. Casio ProTrek PRG-270
The title of the best buy hunting watch goes to the ProTrek PRG-270. For less money than other hunting watches in this category, you get a large variety of features including the triple sensor, the solar charging feature and much more.
The design is sleek and good looking, featuring a positive display with full auto backlight protected by a mineral crystal window. A reason why this ProTrek is great for hunting is the resistance and reliability it offers. As a hunter, you will concentrate more on the hunt and less on the state of the watch meaning that you most certainly need a tough one. Thankfully the PRG-270 is just that. A hunting watch packed with features in a quality resistant casing.
The triple sensor is composed of an altimeter, a barometer, and a compass. With these three you can check the altitude, make weather predictions and guide yourself through unknown environments. The triple sensor is already famous worldwide and plenty of customers love it, from fishers to hunters and sailors.
Overall the PRG-270 from Casio is a great way to get the most out of your money. If I were to include it in a category then that would be the best hunting watch for the money.
See the full review of the ProTrek PRG-270.
Best Affordable Hunting Watch
2. G-Shock GD-120 Camo
If you do not want something too fancy you could give the G-Shock GD-120 a shot. It is made of a lightweight resin material (basically plastic) which feels good on the wrist and blends in with the rest of your equipment.
It is true that it lacks some features like the triple sensor or the solar charging but otherwise it is a very capable watch. The fully digital display is readable during most lighting situations, however, if the night catches you unprepared the watch has a LED backlight.
Some other nice features are the 200-meter water resistance, the world time feature that lets you set the time on more than 30 time zones and the stopwatch and countdown timer.
The construction is extra tough, like on any other G-Shock. This way you won’t have to worry about breaking it.
In conclusion, as a price aware hunting watch, the G-Shock GD-120 Camo is a great option. The GD-120 might be the best hunting watch with camo on the market right now.
Best Hunting Watch from Suunto
3. Suunto Core
The Suunto Core is a famous watch and it comes in a lot of colors and various builds. Since it was such a success, Suunto has rolled out a lot of other versions like the Suunto Core Alu Deep Black / Pure White, the same version but with a positive display and much more. The popularity of this watch is easy to understand since Suunto got so many things right with the Core.
First and foremost it comes with its own version of the triple sensor incorporating the altimeter, barometer, and compass. Some say that the implementation is better than the one from Casio. This is an ongoing debate and there is no winner yet. All I say is that the compass is very reliable and can guide you with accuracy but the altimeter and barometer should not be considered professional measuring tools because they do not come anywhere close to dedicated altimeters / barometers. You should only consider the values as pure estimates.
The temperature and storm alarm are useful for hunters because you can prepare yourself for bad weather. As other watches in this category, it has all the basic features from a backlight to a calendar, a stopwatch or even a sunset/sunrise indicator.
The only thing people seem to complain about is the negative display been a little hard to read in dim lighting conditions. If this might be an inconvenience for you, there is a positive display version.
The Suunto Core is worth giving a try as your next best hunting watch. It has a solid build, it looks awesome, and comes at a pretty affordable price.
Best Hunting Watch (Overall)
4. G-Shock GW-9400 Rangeman
If you ask me, the Rangeman is currently not just one of the best hunting watches on the market but also one of the best G-Shocks of all times. The number of things done right with this watch is incredible, making it not perfect but closer to perfection than most other watches. You can easily see this in the majority of people’s ratings / reviews.
It comes with the famous triple sensor, it is solar powered so you do not have to worry about changing batteries anytime soon and it has a legible display protected by a resistant mineral crystal window.
Speaking of construction and design it comes in an all black case along with a comfortable black strap with buckle closure. The crown has multiple functionalities and it is easy to operate. The multitude of buttons might seem intimidating if you never had a G-Shock before but I assure you that once you get the hang of it, you couldn’t imagine an easier way to set your watch the way you want.
The price is just right for what it offers and I highly recommend the Rangeman to anyone looking to make a great investment. I consider it the best hunting watch overall.
Since this watch is such a maverick we made a full review of the Rangeman GW-9400.
Best GPS Hunting Watches
1. Suunto Traverse Alpha
While you will have to pay a much higher price for a GPS watch like the Suunto Traverse Alpha, the watch should, in general, be worth it.
But the main reason why this GPS watch from Suunto is more expensive is not the GPS function alone but also the build quality. The stainless steel case is top quality as well as the sapphire crystal window which is pretty rare and also of better quality than the cheaper mineral crystal.
The display is all digital and is pretty easy to read during all lighting conditions. Besides the regular specifications, the watch features a diary function for easy tracking of your hunting schedule. Another good feature is the sunset/sunrise data, perfect if you do not want to get caught by the dark whenever you are too concentrated on the hunt.
Of course, there are a lot more to tell about this fantastic GPS watch from Suunto. You can see more on Amazon’s page. We consider it to be the best hunting watch from Suunto to have a GPS system.
This watch is manufactured in Finland so you can expect some serious attention to the details and quality.
Check out our full review on the Suunto Traverse.
2. Garmin Fenix 3
The Garmin Fenix 3 is already increasingly popular thanks to the great build quality There is a version of the Garmin Fenix 3 with a heartbeat sensor, although I do not consider the price difference worth it.
The most impressive part of the Fenix 3 is the display. The 1.2 inch Chroma Display is a high-resolution optically-bonded display for added readability in direct sunlight.
If you want a stunning display you might want to choose the Garmin Fenix 3. If you want better battery life the Suunto Traverse Alpha might be a better choice. But considering the balance between the good and the bad the Garmin Fenix is a great deal if you want the best hunting watch with a GPS system.
See our full review of the Garmin Fenix 3 with more photos and detailed information.
Check out our articles covering these topics: best field watch, best survival watch, best hiking watch, best tactical watch, best solar watches.