Paris-born but Swiss-made, Bell & Ross is known for their squared-off cockpit gauge watches, but this round-cased tool watch is a thing of beauty. It comes on either an elastic canvas band or a satin steel band for $300 more. The movement is automatic with a 38-hour power reserve that is on the lower side but shouldn’t be an issue if it’s part of your daily carry. At 41mm in diameter, it’s big enough to be legible immediately, but not bulky on the wrist. The green dial has a date, and Super-LumiNova numerals and indices. There’s a bi-directional 60-minute bezel, a sapphire crystal, and it’s water-resistant to 100 meters.

BOLDR is a Singapore-based company launched in 2015 that specializes in modern interpretations of classic field watches, dive watches, and chronographs at affordable prices. The Venture GMT is housed in an all-titanium case for light weight and toughness. The hands and dial are lighted with Japanese Superlume, and the sapphire crystal is flat rather than domed, making it less likely to be scratched during your urban adventures. At 38mm, it’s an elegant size that is slightly larger than vintage but not by much, so it’s suitable for any demographic or gender. It adds GMT functionality to a classic field watch, so you can keep track of another time zone. It’s water-resistant to 200 meters or 660 feet and is powered by a Swiss Ronda quartz movement.

AnOrdain’s team of 18 designers and craftspeople in Glasgow, Scotland, make 40 watches per month. Each one is designed and made entirely in-house. Their latest model, the “Model 2 Large,” was just released. And at 39.5mm, it’s the perfect size for a more modern field watch. The racing green vitreous enamel dials are painstakingly handmade by master enamellers, each one taking days to complete. Enamel is hand-applied to a thin copper disk, which is then kiln fired at nearly 1500F. After it cools, it is sanded smooth and the process is repeated up to eight times, leading to a color depth on par with a Rothko painting. The downside to this meticulous process is that there’s currently a two-plus-year waiting list to buy one. But given the labor involved, this is still an affordable watch. The Sellita SW-210-1 movement is manual wind and paired with an Incabloc shock protection system, so you can take it on the kinds of adventures it was made for. The custom heat-treated hands have Super-LumiNova tips, and the case is waterproof to 50 meters.

There’s a reason why the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical makes it onto nearly every “Best Field Watches” list. It’s an affordable, mechanical classic that any watch collector would be proud to own. Originally known for making the pocket watches that kept American trains running on time in the early 20th century, Hamilton shifted heavily into military watches during World War II. Elvis Presley wore a Hamilton watch, and Ernest Hemingway was gifted a Hamilton by actor Ava Gardner for his 55th birthday. Hamilton created custom watches for Stanley Kubrick for his film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and this watch is the same model worn by both Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett in Pearl Harbor. But Michael Bay aside, you’re buying horological history for less than $500, the 38mm size splits the difference between vintage and modern, and the 80-hour power reserve will let you go three days between windings.

Sinn’s Hunter Chronograph 3006 is named for the thirty-ought-six rifle round, which is a hell of a way to start the conversation. The complex hunter green dial displays the day of the week, the date, and the month. There’s also a 24-hour subdial, and a moon phase subdial designed to help hunters know when they’ll have the best visibility for stalking animals in the woods at night. It’s anti-magnetic and water-resistant to 200 meters, 44mm in diameter, and has a sapphire crystal window on the back so you can watch the automatic movement ticking away. Sinn Watches are known for their cutting-edge technology, like their proprietary ‘Tegiment’ steel-hardening process that will make this extremely resistant to scratching.

There’s a decidedly tactical look and feel to the Marathon Navigator, which was designed in Canada but is made in Switzerland. Marathon has been around since 1939, so there’s no question of whether the company will be around if something goes wrong with your watch years from now. While designed for “pilots, parachutists, and law enforcement,” the pure tool aesthetic also feels great on the wrist of an avid daydreamer. The case is made from a sweat-resistant fiber composite and houses an ETA F06 quartz movement. It’s water-resistant to 60 meters, the battery will keep it running for five years, and the tritium tubes will keep the hands glowing for up to 25 years, so this is a watch you only really must think about twice a year when you fall back or spring forward.

The Broadsword is billed as a contemporary take on the classic ‘Dirty Dozen’ military watches of World War II — 12 watches that were made by different companies according to the British Army’s desired specs for their ideal military field watch. On this watch, multiple layers of luminous paint on the hands and dial were created according to the original specification for the British Army. Bremont watches are designed, manufactured, and assembled in England, and they’re the only luxury watchmaker that has a deal with the British Ministry of Defence allowing them to use HMAF (Her Majesty’s Armed Forces) on the dial. Inside the 40mm hardened steel case is an automatic chronometer-rated movement with a 38-hour power reserve. The khaki green sailcloth strap is true to the spirit of the original military watches, but unlike those, this one is water-resistant to 100 meters.

Luminox has been around since 1989 and is the creator of the original Navy SEAL watch. Luminox watches can also be found on the wrists of the US Coast Guard and NYPD cops. This Atacama Field watch is a burly 44mm piece of hardware that houses a Swiss automatic moment in its 316L stainless steel case. The Tritium hands and indices glow both green and orange for easy legibility at night. The dial displays both the day and the date, so you’ll never miss a critical mission or a merely semi-important staff meeting. It has a fixed bezel, a tough sapphire crystal, and is water-resistant to 200 meters.

Longines is the only watch company on this list that manufactured one of the original Dirty Dozen military watches for British Soldiers during WWII. And visually, it certainly embodies the 1940’s look of the originals. Longines was founded in 1832, and its first product was a timer for sporting events. By 1889, they had figured out how to measure 1/5th of a second — a critical development for the horse races they were used for. Years later, Amelia Earhart had a Longines chronograph. This Swiss Made vintage-inspired watch has blued steel hands on a vintage-flecked silver dial. It’s a svelte 38mm, a quite thin 11.7mm thick, it has an automatic movement, and is water-resistant to 30 meters.

A relatively new watch company launched in 2016, the founders of VAER said they started the company because, “We couldn’t afford the watches we liked.” And you can feel the spirit of more costly iconic watches in some of the details they include. With this C3 Tradition, the numerals at 9, 6, and 3 evoke the Rolex Explorer, while the green dial adds a more military aesthetic. It has a USA quartz movement, it’s water-resistant to 100 meters, and at 36mm its size is true to the older watches that inspired it. The domed sapphire crystal combines a vintage look with modern durability, and the hands are Super-LumiNova treated for easy reading at night. It comes with two straps — one in silicone and your choice of a second in silicone or nylon. Or you can bundle a Horween leather strap for $20 extra. All VAER watches are assembled and tested in the USA.