South America Trip

[uziuzi]

Hi everyone,

I am planning a two months trip through South America. Starting in Ecuador the rough plan is to work my way

South to Argentina passing through Peru, Bolivia and Chile on the way (maybe doing a detour to Brazil as well).

Its been a long dream of me to do this

and I am really looking forward to it.

Doing my planning I realised I need a watch as part of my travelling equipment and given that I have

become a fan of this whole rep community (you guys are awesome ) I want to ask for your

opinion which watch you guys think would be the optimal rep. watch for such as trip.

To be honest, before I found out about this board I was about to get a gen Omega PO (sucking up a large part of my

savings and i was even considering

taking it with me on that trip (although I am not sure it would have been a good idea,

bc of loosing it and there is a realistic chance I get robbed somewhere on the way).

Here are a couple of requirements it should fulfill:

- Very reliable movement (I will be mostly travelling alone and I have missed flights before so I need the accurate time)

- Bracelet should be either steel or rubber or nato (I dont think a leather strap is appropriate as I am planning some dirty,

sweaty hikes and possibly some jungle trips (guided tours !) )

- Should be something that I can wear at night if I should go out (though this is a minor requirement)

- Good Lume (i might spend some nights in tents)

Also, considering I will be passing through dfferent timezones, do you guys think a Gmt would be helpful and if yes how

reliable are these movements ???

So what do you guys think is the best rep expedition watch for me and why. Please also point out certain

features of the model you propose and point out why they would be very helpful for my trip (such as weight, bracelet,

water resistance, optimal color to match the machu pichu, lume and so on... Pics are more than welcome !

[rqthrottle]

If you are going to do some "real turism" through South America, taking a valuable watch is a sure recipe for trouble.

Off the top of my head, the watch that meets all your requirements is a Seiko black monster. I usually take a quartz POS.

Have fun on your trip!

[bigmouth]

Why buy a rep? Buy a gen. Do not take the risk to be robbed or handchopped because of your (fake) watch.

For around 100 Euro on the bay you have the monster. Great watch and it is genuine.

I bought a black one, put it on a NATO strap and felt like Indiana Jones in the jungles, mountains, seas, cities, islands of Thailand and Laos.

Best lume you will ever see, waterproof 200 Meter, very reliable automatic movement, all you need on your trip and above all it looks great and very "i'm the new indiana Jones". During one month 4 people spoke to me because of the watch, they all liked it very much.

Pics? Here are a few from Pugwash: http://www.rwg.cc/members/index.php?showtopic=17083

[kanerich]

I would recommend something tough, cheap and useful, like this watch which I use for hiking, camping and rafting. Obviously Casio, Citizen, Seiko etc. make lots of watches like this also, but I happen to own this one so I can recommend it.

http://www.jomashop.com/nike-wa0018-001.html

Take a rep along as well if that's something you want to do, but a trusty multifunction digital watch with times zones, thermometer, altimeter, barometer, alarms etc. is well worth having on one's person.

[Dutchy]

Awesome! I have been to Argentina, Brazil and have lived 4 years in Chile and now 2 years in Venezuela.

You will love south america but DO NOT bring reps. Customs love reps (to keep/steal). Confiscation of reps does not happen in Venezuela for example, but stealing is not a problem for customs not to mention street gangs, etc.

In Chile, reps are illegal. They are confiscated easily by customs as the people who work at the airports are specifically instructed at training courses to watch out for: drugs, plant products, meat products, dairy products, ammunition, explosives and valuables (they like the one rolex per person law).

Anyway, just get a cheap watch, during your sight seeings I'm sure you'll want a beater.

Enjoy

Edited January 3, 2007 by Dutchy

[section8]

I agree with everyone else, get a good rugged quartz watch beater for this trip. You won't have to worry about it being confiscated at customs, and more than likely you won't have to worry about it being stolen either.

[fotoman]

yup - get yourself a nice citizen quartz ecodrive watch - SS band

Tuff waterproof no one will try to cut your hand off

In some countries nice watch - guerillas will take you hostage and demand ransom

this is my ruff riding/ traveling/ knock around watch - i like it cause it has 2 timezone settings - its not gmt but you can switch back and forth easy

[Dani]

My advise is do not use a watch that gangs like MS13 or others like

enjoy the trip and be safe

[Pugwash]

I would take one of these two. The Black Monster on the NATO makes me want to climb stuff, do something adventurous. or be extreme. Don't wear it if you're a passive tourist.