Referring to high quality watches that resist scratching, flaking, etc., Dan writes:
I personally don't like stainless steel watches coated with anything. Why not consider the Sinn U1. Tegmented steel is about 5 times harder than regular stainless and it is not a coating. And the styling is incredible in a Bauhaus kind of way - no nostalgic froufrou like on a Breitling, no grandpa styling like on a Rolex. An added benefit is that there aren't any U1 replicas out there. A real "watch guy" can spot a U1 from a mile away.
Check out this video (the patterns made by the second hand passing over the hour and minute hands is fantastic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnBomDTXIVE
You can read more about the U1 here:
http://www.watchbuys.com/store/pc/Sinn-U1-T-Fully-Tegimented-on-Strap-6p1496.htm
For a less expensive alternative, Doug writes:
I am a big fan of Casio watches -- in particular the G-Shock series -- which are largely indestructible.
In terms of extras: DLC isn't perfect, but I haven't been able to scratch my DLC band despite more than five years of rather rough wear -- during which I took the watch everywhere and went hiking, glacier walking, kayaking, mountain climbing etc. Actually day-to-day stuff usually has done my previous watches in (gardening and cooking, for example), but my DLC/Sapphire Crystal watch looks as good as new.
For me, an absolute must is atomic timesetting and solar charging. Replacing batteries always results in loss of water-resistance, so solar charging is the way to go. I like the MRG-7100, MRG-7500, MRG-8000 series. But some of these are getting expensive. (I own the MRG-7100DJ-1AJF, which is I bought for a few hundred dollars.)
But in fact, the entire G-SHOCK series are super-robust military quality timepieces. For example, here is a Solar atomic analogue G-Shock for $80:http://www.amazon.com/Casio-AWG100-1A-G-Shock-Multi-Band-Atomic/dp/B001A5HWH8
I simply do not know of any brand of watches that are more robust than G-Shocks.
And there is also the less expensive Timex Camper. As Tom writes:
I like Timex Camper watches. These watches have been used by our American soldiers overseas for many years > http://www.amazon.com/Timex-T41711-Expedition-Analog-Camper/dp/B000B55AFE/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2KUYXYI2U9PEC&colid=24ZEBE8SUASXY
And if the camper watch breaks, get another one, they're cheap!
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