I scoured Amazon and the internet for simple and easy-to-read watches, looking for certain features and reading reviews, which takes more time than one would like to calculate. If you want watches with bells and whistles there are millions. If you want a watch that someone with low vision and/or memory problems/dementia can read, not so many. It’s sad when you get right down to it, but I expect it’s because those not needing exotic interfaces just use their cell phone to check the time.
Dad’s watch broke, so I needed to replace it. He’s 87 with diminishing eyesight, memory problems, ad encroaching dementia. Dad has 4 or 5 clocks in his room, but can’t handle not having a watch on top of all the clocks and an over-sized timer that can break your eardrums. (When we moved him out of his house, he had so many clocks it wasn’t funny, often more than one on a surface.)
All I wanted was a clearly readable time, plus the date and day of the week in a hopefully reliable watch. I narrowed my search down to three watches that varied in cost from $13 to $70. We leaned toward digital because I read that as their memory got worse, people often become unable to understand the analog clock face and benefit from just having the actual time in digits.
Of these three watches, two are outstanding, and one is good if the person’s vision is still good enough. I expect that all will require us to set the time if it should need changing for any reason. I’m giving Dad all three, although the first two in the list were immediate hits.
Here are the watches and why I chose them:
Reizen Low-Vision Ana-Digit Atomic Watch - Leather Band
Pros – Very easy to read analog face, atomic so it will keep itself set, digital day and date that will adjust itself correctly, battery-operated so doesn’t need winding. Dad thought it was absolutely beautiful.
Cons – leather band that someone with impaired coordination can’t put on. We replaced the band with a silver and gold stainless steel twist-a-flex/expansion band. The day/date display could be larger. The directions are absolutely horrid. We’ll have to do any adjustments, as it takes us a bit to get some of it figured out. And trying to get the second hand to stop precisely on the 12, as required by some steps. Yeah, good luck with that!
Men's Digital Sports Watch LED Screen Large Face Military Watches and Waterproof Casual Luminous Stopwatch Alarm Simple Army Watch - Black
Pros – The first thing Dad said about this watch was that he could read it without squinting. And he’s right, just a beautiful clear bright display. Easy enough to set. Cheap; if this watch breaks easily, I could get one a month for Dad without stressing. Surprisingly enough, Dad – who’s rather conservative – may actually like this watch more than the Reizen, even though the Reizen is more attractive. I think it’s that the time is just so incredibly easy to read.
Cons – Plastic band that someone with impaired coordination can’t put on and that will make some folks’ arms sweat. We replaced the band with a black stainless steel twist-a-flex/expansion band. That changed the looks of the watch immensely. It went from a plain huge hunk of plastic to a cool military type watch. So win/win for another $8 or so.
Timex Men's T78587 Classic Digital Silver-Tone Stainless Steel Expansion Band Watch
Pros – exactly the type of interface we wanted. Simple display with date, day, and time. All digital. So far so good. The bright display background makes digits more visible, plus there’s a light. It came with a twist-a-flex/expandable metal band making it easy to put on, unlike the others which came with latched bands.
Cons – the display/digits are smaller than optimum. This watch can’t be read easily by a person with low vision. That said, Dad can read it with a bit of squinting. It’s sad, because otherwise this would be the perfect watch for Dad, but the smaller display makes this the lesser of the three watches. So far, Dad likes it the least.
We bought twist-a-flex/expandable metal bands at Walmart and also ordered
Gilden Gents Expansion 17-22mm Black Stainless Steel Watch Band 552-B-3
on Amazon. A slip-on watch is a must for those with diminished coordination.
Overall, we like all three watches and would buy them all again with the caveats above. We’re leaving all three with Dad so he can rotate through them to see which one he likes the best or just to change what he’s wearing, since he’s always loved watches.
Should any watch not perform up to expectations, I will amend this review.
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Product Description
Men's Digital Sports Watch
LED Screen Large Face Waterproof Military Watch
- LED digital military watch designed for men.
- Equipped with luminous, alarm clock, week, calendar and stopwatch function.
- Dial width: 47mm
- Dial thickness: 14mm
- Total length of watch: 253mm
Features
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Water Resistant to 50 Meters
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Super Luminous Design
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Multifunction
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Customer Questions & Answers
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2018
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2018
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2016
FEATURES:
Hourly chime(optional). One alarm. Chronograph(stopwatch) with split times(no lap memory). 12 and 24 hour time modes, and features the date, month, and day of the week(no year). It DOES NOT have any countdown timer.
PROS:
The watch fits very well. It's very comfortable to wear.
The light function is very bright, and provides excellent visibility. This watch lights up brighter than my new Timex with the indiglo.
It's waterproof. I've only had it for a couple days so far, but I've showered, washed my hands, and washed dishes with it on and haven't had an issue.
CONS:
The only con is that it doesn't track the year, so no leap years.
NOTES ON OTHER REVIEWERS' COMPLAINTS:
Some complain that the face is hard to read, because at an angle, the full [number print?] of the display comes in to view, and the screen "turns to gibberish". It's true that if you hold it at a weird angle, it becomes unreadable, but all LCD displays of this type do that; calculators, watches, and anything else. I've included a picture to show what I'm talking about.(Note the weird angle at which I'm holding the watch in the photo, nobody checks their watch this way.) This claim is ridiculous and unreasonable, as long as you have the watch pointed at you when you're looking at it, like normal, then it's not a problem at all. Maybe, these people are trying to perform some kind of acrobatic feat, or check the time during a yoga pose, but when you're actually LOOKING AT the watch, the display is perfect.
Also, for those people who complain that every time you cycle the modes, it gives you the option to set the time, press the reset button while on the chronograph, or otherwise changing any setting, that eliminates this problem. Though, I don't know why they're pressing buttons to change mode if they're not using the stopwatch or alarm.
A few people here will give you the impression that it's a huge watch, but that's not the case. The fit is surprisingly comfortable.
Unlike some will tell you, the watch DOES NOT beep when you press the light button, that is absolutely untrue.
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
SKMEI 1068. Delivers perfectly what is promised.
By Alex H. on September 28, 2016
It's a great watch. I decided to get the watch after watching some amazing review videos on YouTube some time ago.By Alex H. on September 28, 2016
FEATURES:
Hourly chime(optional). One alarm. Chronograph(stopwatch) with split times(no lap memory). 12 and 24 hour time modes, and features the date, month, and day of the week(no year). It DOES NOT have any countdown timer.
PROS:
The watch fits very well. It's very comfortable to wear.
The light function is very bright, and provides excellent visibility. This watch lights up brighter than my new Timex with the indiglo.
It's waterproof. I've only had it for a couple days so far, but I've showered, washed my hands, and washed dishes with it on and haven't had an issue.
CONS:
The only con is that it doesn't track the year, so no leap years.
NOTES ON OTHER REVIEWERS' COMPLAINTS:
Some complain that the face is hard to read, because at an angle, the full [number print?] of the display comes in to view, and the screen "turns to gibberish". It's true that if you hold it at a weird angle, it becomes unreadable, but all LCD displays of this type do that; calculators, watches, and anything else. I've included a picture to show what I'm talking about.(Note the weird angle at which I'm holding the watch in the photo, nobody checks their watch this way.) This claim is ridiculous and unreasonable, as long as you have the watch pointed at you when you're looking at it, like normal, then it's not a problem at all. Maybe, these people are trying to perform some kind of acrobatic feat, or check the time during a yoga pose, but when you're actually LOOKING AT the watch, the display is perfect.
Also, for those people who complain that every time you cycle the modes, it gives you the option to set the time, press the reset button while on the chronograph, or otherwise changing any setting, that eliminates this problem. Though, I don't know why they're pressing buttons to change mode if they're not using the stopwatch or alarm.
A few people here will give you the impression that it's a huge watch, but that's not the case. The fit is surprisingly comfortable.
Unlike some will tell you, the watch DOES NOT beep when you press the light button, that is absolutely untrue.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Twm
Amazing customer satisfaction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2020Color: BlackVerified Purchase
M.R
Great watch, super value
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2019Color: BlackVerified Purchase
Stinky Cheese
Simple & functional
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2018Color: BlackVerified Purchase
Kindle Customer
Very good value for an excellent watch
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2019Color: BlackVerified Purchase
R. Hendy
Disappointing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2019Color: BlackVerified Purchase
