Top 7 Best Watches for Police Officers
For those men and women in blue, the law enforcement career can be rewarding, exciting, and even fun. However, it does come with a few licks. It’s a job that comes with its fair share of hard hits and violent encounters.
With all these knocks and blows, you need a watch that would not fall apart quickly. In this guide, we review the best watches for police and law enforcement officers.
The Casio G-Shock is pre-eminence to this regard, but there are some alternative watches for police officers too. Below we review their features, pros and cons, and also what to look out for in the best police watch. Without wasting time, let’s get to it.
For more on our job-specific watch recommendations, check out our popular guides on watches for construction workers, watches for firefighters, and best nurse watches.
In A Hurry? Our Quick Suggestions
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Top 7 Durable watches for Police Officers
Timex Men’s Expedition Classic (T48042)
Timex Men’s Expedition Classic Specifications
| Case Diameter | 39mm |
| Case Thickness | 10.5mm |
| Case Material | Resin |
| Movement | Quartz |
| Display | Acrylic Crystal |
| Water Resistance | 100 Meters |
The T496619J Expedition Classic is a durable, comfortable timepiece with leather straps. It comes with a case back made of stainless steel and a dial window made from an acrylic crystal that takes scratches easily. However, you can easily polish the crystal too.
In case you love Nato straps, you can replace its resin straps with Nato straps. While this watch is no match for the G-Shock Rangeman with all its features, it is definitely one of the cheap police watches to go for.
This timepiece comes with a 100-hour chronograph with lap & split times. Other features include a stopwatch, countdown timer, 3 independent alarms, and an Indiglo light-up watch dial. It is shock-resistant to I.S.O. standards and has a 100-meter water-resistant rating.
One important feature of this watch is the month, day & date calendar display on the dial, which is very useful for officers filling their forms or tickets. Also, to help navigate its settings with ease, this timepiece displays what each button does on the dial.
While this timepiece might not have all the bells and whistles that other best watches for police officers have, it is still a rugged timepiece for the job and an affordable one too.
Pros
- Unique design
- Can be used with nato straps
- Comes with Indiglo backlight
- Month, day & date calendar display on the dial
- Rugged outdoor watch
Cons
- Dial scratches easily
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Timex Expedition Grid Shock
Timex Expedition Grid Shock Specifications
| Case Diameter | 50mm |
| Case Thickness | 15mm |
| Case Material | Resin |
| Movement | Quartz |
| Display | Acrylic Crystal |
| Water Resistance | 100 Meters |
With a 35mm wide digital display, the Timex Expedition Grid Shock is one of the best watches for police officers. The keeper of this timepiece locks the strap from moving once you buckle it. This holds the watch tightly and comfortably on the wrist.
Considering its wide display, time is very visible with the first glance. This is useful as a police officer’s shift may be a busy one and taking a glance at their watch should be enough.
Just like the Timex Expedition Classic above, this best police watch from Timex has a day, date and month display on the dial.
There’s also a 100-hour chronograph, a 24-hour countdown timer, and 3 vibrating & audible alarms. Besides these features, there is a hydration alarm whose main purpose is to remind you to drink. This is useful is you are out for sports or other outdoor activities.
For police officers with swing or night shifts, there is an Indiglo backlight feature that you can activate with a press of a button.
This timepiece is sturdy and built to last for all outdoor activities. This is a cool police watch for those shopping for affordable alternatives.
Pros
- Wide digital display
- Features a hydration alarm
- Very audible alarms
- Indiglo backlight feature
Cons
- Lacks a sapphire crystal display
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Casio G-Shock Unisex Watch (GMAS130-1A): Top Pick for Female Police
Casio G-Shock Unisex Watch Specifications
| Case Diameter | 40mm |
| Case Thickness | 15mm |
| Case Material | Silicone |
| Movement | Quartz |
| Display | Mineral Crystal |
| Water Resistance | 200 Meters |
The G-Shock GMAS130 series is a three-hand analog-digital combination model. For female officers, this is the best G-Shock to go for. This timepiece has a distinctive G-Shock design with a prominent digital screen at the 6 o’clock position.
With a black base color and white accents on the watch face, this timepiece is very legible. Its readability is further increased with a digital screen at the 6 o’clock mark, big multi-dimensional hour markers, and an independently driven second hand. The G-Shock GA-800 is a similar design for men.
Being a G-Shock, this timepiece is shock-resistant and has a 200-meter water resistance rating. This makes it perfect for police patrols, walking pass: metal cages, concrete walls, and nail walkways between buildings.
These are very prominent in police jobs. The watch has an LED backlight for the digital display and a lumed analog watch face. This is useful for officers doing swing or night shifts.
Other features include the hand shift function, which provides an unobstructed view of the digital display, dual time mode for other time zones, a 1/100 seconds stopwatch, and a countdown timer.
Also, with this timepiece, you get a 5 independent alarms, top of the hour time signal, and a step count feature with a step count display range of 0 to 999,999.
Pros
- Selectable illumination duration of 1.5 or 3.0 seconds
- Super illuminator feature for visibility
- Step count feature
- Analog and digital display
- Durable watch
Cons
- It is battery dependent
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Casio Men’s G-Shock (GWM5610-1): Top Pick for Officers with Small Wrists
Casio Men’s G-Shock (GWM5610-1) Specifications
| Case Diameter | 46.5mm |
| Case Thickness | 12.6mm |
| Case Material | Resin |
| Movement | Quartz |
| Display | Mineral Crystal |
| Water Resistance | 200 Meters |
This 52g lightweight G-Shock watch is a direct descendant of the first g-shock model (DW-5000) made in 1983. This timepiece is perfect for police officers with wrists as small as 6 inches.
If you are looking for a G-Shock watch that is very light, comfortable on the wrist, and perfect for small wrists, here you have it.
This timepiece syncs to the atomic clock, ensuring that you have the correct time all the time. It is a solar-powered watch with the solar panels visible all around the dial. This means you don’t have to bother changing the battery.
This timepiece displays the day of the week on the dial. This is a useful feature for officers who take overnight shifts or swing shifts. Sometimes those who take overnight shifts get confused on what day it is when writing a ticket or filling a form.
Other cool features of the watch include a backlight that you can activate by a push of a button. This is super useful for officers that work at night.
There’s also an auto backlight feature. Besides the backlight, it also has a world time feature, 5 independent alarms, a countdown timer, and a very classy stopwatch function.
This watch is water resistant up to 200 meters. Just like all other G-Shock models, it has a rugged feel and is built to last. It can withstand the outdoor “beatings”.
Pros
- It is solar powered
- Accurate time with radio syncing
- Perfect for small wrists
- Very legible dial
- Has a unique design
Cons
- Has a fixed backlight illumination time of 1.5 seconds
- You can’t use Nato straps with this watch
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Garmin Tactix Bravo: Best Smartwatch for Police Officers
The Garmin Tactix Bravo is an ABC (Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass) smartwatch. It comes with two band types; the silicone band and the nylon band.
The sapphire crystal ensures that the watch is scratch resistant. This prevents the dial from scratching in situations where the police officer needs to walk through narrow gangways or fight with people to bring them under control.
Other features include a temperature sensor that is very accurate when the watch is not worn. This best tactical smartwatch also has a Military Grade Reference System (MGRS) capability, an awesome feature you won’t find on the Suunto Core for example. The military uses the MGRS to track pinpoint locations on pretty much everything.
There is also a TracBack feature that lets you save your location and track to another location with the possibility of tracking back to your previously saved location.
This best tactical watch has tonnes of features we can’t exhaust in this review. However, it connects seamlessly with your smartphone and with the Find Phone feature you can easily locate your smartphone.
One downside of this smartwatch is it has less memory and lacks a heart rate sensor. The Garmin Tactix Charlie solves this problem. It comes with more memory for your maps plus other things related and has a heart rate sensor.
Pros
- It’s GPS compatible
- Offers tactical features
- It is multi-sport capable
- Comes with a sapphire crystal display
- Smart notifications
Cons
- Not a good fit for small wrists
- Feels heavy
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Casio G-Shock Mudmaster Men’s Watch (GWG-1000-1AJF)
Casio G-Shock Mudmaster Specifications
| Case Diameter | 56mm |
| Case Thickness | 18mm |
| Case Material | Resin |
| Movement | Japanese Quartz |
| Display | Mineral Crystal |
| Water Resistance | 200 Meters |
This G-Shock Mudmaster triple sensor is one of the best watches for police officers you can get on the market. In their quest to create a watch that is vibration-resistant, mud-resistant with sensors, the Mudmaster series was born.
This is a triple sensor ABC watch that allows you to use it in all kinds of harsh environments.
Besides being a triple sensor watch, this G-Shock watch has a multi-band 6 capability and has tough solar panels all around the dial.
Since it is a multi-band 6 model, it has automatic time correction right within its core. The watch face is very legible with big Arabic numerals and a negative digital display at the 6 o’clock position.
The face is illuminated by a high-brightness auto LED light to ensure high visibility under virtually any conditions imaginable while the hands and markers are Neo-Brite Luminous.
Also, you get full metal buttons and a screw crown guard. The metal buttons have checkered textures for better grip. The Japanese model of this watch comes with an anti-reflective sapphire crystal. If you are after replacing your G-Shock watch, we recommend this best military police watch for you. It’s a great police watch.
Pros
- Withstands very high vibrations
- Solar powered
- Triple sensor watch
- Some versions have sapphire crystal
Cons
- With a 56mm diameter, not suitable for small wrists
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Casio G-Shock Rangeman (GPR-B1000-1JR)
Casio G-SHOCK RANGEMAN Specifications
| Case Diameter | 58mm |
| Case Thickness | 20.2mm |
| Movement | Quartz |
| Water Resistance | 200 Meters |
The Casio G-Shock Rangeman is the last on our list but the most recommended. It’s a great ABC outdoor watch built also for police officers who want a watch that can keep up with their job without falling apart.
Its design and looks tells you that it’s a watch that will last with you throughout your career. It’s rugged and its straps last longer despite the continuous beatings.
This best police duty watch has key GPS navigation functions such as navigate and log, backtracks, and point memory.
Charging the watch is a breeze as it has solar and wireless charging. This means your watch will be up 99% of the time. No disappointment of limited or no power.
This awesome timepiece comes with a 200-meter water resistance rating and given that it’s a G-Shock, it is shock-resistant and mud-resistant.
Using Bluetooth, it pairs with a smartphone to connect with the G-Shock Connected app. It has a Phone Finder feature, a sunrise and sunset display, a timer feature, 4 daily alarms, a stopwatch feature, and the list goes on and on.
Pros
- It is GPS compatible
- Capability to save track and point data
- Dust and mud-resistant
- Dual charging systems
Cons
- Has a large face
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Things to Lookout for When Buying a Police Watch
Below is our list of things to look out for when buying the best police watch.
Durability
Durability should be the first thing you should consider when you are out shopping for police watches. Without a durable watch, every other feature the watch has won’t last long. During their shifts at work, police officers walk pass nail walkways between buildings, metal cages, concrete walls, etc. All of these activities demand a rugged watch destined for outdoors.
A police watch with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal is a good feature to start with. Also, you need a watch band that dries quickly. Leather bands after constant wet and drying out will eventually crack and fall apart. Go for police watches that are built to last like the G-Shock models.
Luminescence
For swing shifts and night shifts, police officers need a watch that has good illumination. They do not need to use their touch to read the time. So lookout for a watch that features self-illuminating hands and digits or that you can illuminate with a push of a button.
Power
The last thing you need is your watch dying when you need it most. Here, solar-powered watches are preferable compared to battery-powered counterparts. Also, there are some watches that have dual power systems like the Casio G-Shock Rangeman we reviewed earlier.
Water Resistance
Anyone working out like construction workers, firefighters, first responders, police officers, and more need a watch that won’t go silent when submerged in water. Our police watches reviewed above are water-resistant down to at least 100 meters. We also have a dedicated guide for dive watches if that’s what you are after.
Day, Month and Date Display
This feature is very useful for police officers as a portion of their job is dedicated to filling forms or writing tickets. Filling the correct day and date on these forms can prove impossible sometimes. A watch with a day, month and date display on the dial makes it easy to read the current day of the week without even thinking.
Additional Features
Other features for police watches are a matter of preference. Additional features may include an altimeter, a barometer, a digital compass, a thermometer, and a GPS for obvious reasons.[the_ad id=”1446″]
In Conclusion
Without mixing words, these police officer watches are the best you can wear in this year 2020. They have all the features you need for the job. Overall, it’s evident that the Casio G-Shock is the obvious winner for police watches but for the sake of variety, there are other options to choose from.
Which of these watches do you use during your shift as police officers? Tell us about your experiences in the comment section below.
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