In preparation for my “Fan Dance” challenge in June, along with five days of exercise a week, and obsessively researching everything from electrolyte tablets to backpack options, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of mental energy thinking about which watch should be on my wrist when I’m standing by the red phone box at the Storey Arms in the Brecon Beacons. Yes, folks, this is what we watch enthusiasts do. Kindred watch nerds, you can relate. So far I’ve got a short list going, with some predictable suspects and perhaps a surprise or two.
First of all, it makes sense to establish some criteria that any timepiece needs to meet before it makes the cut. A 14-mile, 4,500 vertical feet, timed march up and over (and back across) the highest peak in the southern Welsh mountains isn’t exactly like an alpine-style summit attempt on a Himalayan peak, or a human-powered crossing of Antarctica, where every gram is measured, and excess weight trimmed to the point of sawing off one’s toothbrush handle. In fact, in some respects, it’s the exact opposite.
The Fan Dance is traditionally a weighted march where the entire point of the challenge is to do it while hauling a load. The candidates vying for selection to the Special Forces are required to carry no less than 45 pounds in their backpacks, and that’s before adding consumables; i.e., food and water. So packs are weighed at the beginning and again at the end, and if you’re under that weight, you’re disqualified. The civilian version has various categories, from one that follows the military one, to a completely “open” division, and that’s the one I initially signed up for. But now I’m thinking of upping the ante and loading up a pack, maybe for the “Masters” class where 25 pounds is the minimum weight for us old farts. Long story short, weight is not really a concern when it comes to what’s on my wrist. Bring on the leviathan steel divers!
What is a concern, and a non-negotiable criterion, is durability. Thousands of arm swings, possible tumbles or scrapes on rocks and gravel, sweat and dust, and possibly rain (it is the UK, after all) are all possible elements conspiring to bash, scratch, or fog a small precision wrist-worn instrument. Now, the less horologically inclined might say, “leave the good china in the cupboard,” “wear a beater.” But you know that’s not me. In fact, quite the opposite. As I’ve written before, the more you pay for something, the more you should expect from it, and I have a number of what I’d consider “high end” rugged watches that should be more than up to the task.
As I’ve also written before (ad nauseam, some might say), the most important functions of any watch worn as a companion for adventure are as an inspiration, and as a memento. I’ve been wearing a number of watches in my training thus far, which has consisted of ever-longer runs (OK, “jogs”), some rucks (hikes with a weighted pack), swimming, rowing, and bike rides, as weather permits. Looking at my wrist four miles into a six-mile run when my energy starts to flag gives me that small, intangible boost, just as seeing the seconds hand sweep while deep underwater on a challenging dive can calm me. Assuming any watch I choose can survive the physical beating it might take, I want to wear one that will remind me of my hard work and then, later, act as a more personal “participant’s medal” I will have for years to come.
With this background, here are my candidates thus far, in no particular order. The first choice is one I didn’t even consider until recently: my Garmin Descent. OK, OK, put away your pitchforks. I know it’s a wholly unromantic option, one that flies in the face of what I’ve spent the past 15 years preaching. And since last year, when I started ramping up my physical training, I was wearing mostly analog, mechanical watches (more on those below), eschewing the fitness nerd’s predictable smartwatch choice. I even wrote about it, saying that I knew what a certain heart rate zone felt like intuitively, or what my three-mile run route was. But as I’ve taken a more focused, systematic approach to my training, my Garmin has played an increasingly useful role.
Since it syncs with my phone, I have a record of all my weekly workouts and distances. Since I’m on a sort of program whereby my mileage increases steadily, I use the watch to track my progress in real time. I wanted to do a six-mile run last weekend so as I was going I simply watched the distance add up until I was where I needed to be, circling the block until I had it, ending up at our back gate. When spring comes and I start doing longer hikes, it will be even more useful. I also like to see what sort of heart rate I can sustain, and for how long, since much of the Fan Dance will be uphill, with a pack, and my heart will be thumping in what the endurance types call Zone 3 or 4 much of the time. It’s a good idea to sustain that in my training so I know what it feels like. During the event itself in June, keeping an eye on distance and elevation will be helpful to know where I am along the course, as well as maintain a controlled heart rate in order to pace myself accordingly. And of course, the final download will, in itself, be something of a memento.
But the Garmin is boring. It is a watch I remove from my wrist when I step in the door and it does not inspire me in the way my other watches do. I know what many will advise: wear two watches, with the Garmin on one wrist, and something more sentimental on the other. But I’ve never liked the double-wrist approach. It feels clunky and unwieldy. I only really do this when I’m diving, with a dive computer (this same Garmin as a matter of fact) on one wrist and [insert dive watch name] on the other. Aside from being useful, could the Garmin become the memento I want it to be by wearing it on this, and so many other adventures? Hmm.
Another surprising choice, and one I resurrected from a long dormancy in my desk drawer, is my beloved Suunto Vector. Again, perhaps not the most evocative choice, but it is a watch with which I developed something of a bond years ago. The Vector was the watch I lusted after when I was a young, aspiring adventurer, working in an outdoor shop. All the cool mountaineers and guides wore them. Big, yellow, bristling with functions like an altimeter, barometer, and compass, as well as a stopwatch, on a long rubber strap, it was the watch I wore for years before I fell down the rabbit hole of traditional mechanical watches. It is now woefully outdated compared to something like the Garmin, since it lacks a GPS link, so cannot track distance, or a heart rate sensor. Still, this is the watch I wore when I climbed my first 14,000-foot peak and when I summited Mount Rainier back in 2013 (with a Rolex on the other wrist, mind you). Then its battery went flat and it has languished in a drawer ever since until I pulled it out and fired it up recently. It seems a somewhat fitting choice for a mountainous adventure, and some of its functions could be useful, but let’s be honest, it’s a long shot choice.
When I hiked up Pen y Fan in 2019, I was wearing a CWC Royal Navy dive watch, a re-edition of their 1983 watch that was issued to divers and Marines. I passed that one on to a friend a couple years ago, but I also have an older one. It’s actually a 1995-issued one that, for alI know, had been up Pen y Fan before, on the wrist of an aspiring Special Boat Service candidate. It has an obvious connection to the UK, and some history on my own wrist. I’ve worn it for other adventures, most notably to dive the wreck of HMS Hermes, the world’s first aircraft carrier, that was sunk in World War II off the coast of Ceylon. It is a rough and tumble, unassuming watch, built for purpose. Being a quartz watch, and a diver, it is well suited for the job. With its fixed strap bars, a NATO strap is its only option and would feel perhaps most appropriate for this adventure. It is indeed a frontrunner.
In a similar vein is my more recently acquired Tudor Pelagos FXD. Given to me by Tudor, with a personalized caseback engraving, it is a very special watch to me. It’s also as well suited for the job as the CWC—highly water resistant, with fixed strap bars and a lightweight titanium case, plus Tudor’s legendary toughness. Being almost 30 years newer than the CWC gives it a bit of an edge too, and it’s the watch I’ve worn almost nonstop since I got in last September, including for much of my training. If I were a betting man, this would be the watch on which I’d put my money.
I have a couple of other candidate watches, admittedly longer shots, in my collection. My venerable Rolex Submariner used to be the one I wore for life’s adventures. I got it for my 40th birthday and wore it up Rainier (opposite the Suunto), many dives all over the world, hiking in New Zealand, numerous trips to Sri Lanka, and for countless other shenanigans. But I don’t wear it much anymore, despite its heavy dose of sentimentality and nostalgia. I have a couple of Bremonts, an MB-II and a Supermarine, that have been on trips to the UK with me before. One of them seems a fitting a choice, with the additional incentive that there’s an outside chance I could visit Bremont’s headquarters while I’m across the pond.
The rest of the list… doesn’t exist yet. There’s always the chance I could acquire a watch befitting the event, and though I’m not actively looking, I wink at you fellow watch nerds out there—anything could happen. What do you think? You’ve by now seen, or know of, most of the watches I own. Am I missing a perfect choice? Should I swallow my distaste for double-wristing and wear the Garmin and something else? Should I buy a new watch with the aim to wear it for the event and engrave the back when I’m done? Drop your suggestions in the comments below. I’m also open to suggestions about electrolyte tablets. Now back to training.
Enjoying your Fan Dance updates. Why not go old school with the watch choice? Your anOrdain is more capable than anything Sir Hilary used, and it's from the UK. There's nothing more British than completing a rough and tumble venture, then walking into a pub for a pint, and casually checking the time on the "dress" watch you just used.
Good stuff Jason. You’re inspiring me to try to get back towards the fitness and lifestyle I had ten years ago.
As for watches, I would double wrist. Garmin plus either of your front runners, the CWC or the Tudor. And honestly, I’m not sure I can help on which one. That is a very personal choice, and you’re the person…
Thanks for sharing the adventure and Godspeed with the training.