Hand Watches at USMMA

KPbuddy

KPbuddy

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Nov 29, 2024
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Hey everyone! I have recently been PFQ’d for USMMA and I will be reporting in for the class of 2029. On my visit, I noticed lots of people had watches, and I know that most officers at sea have them too. Kind of an odd question- Should I buy a watch before I report? And if so, is there any specific brand that would be beneficial to buy?
 
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Two features that would be desirable (among many others) would be the obvious that it should be waterproof but the other would be the ability to readily change time in one hour increments. In your sea experience your ship may be changing time zones almost every day. Perhaps this Timex watch
 
I lost my watch during sea year (in the late 70s). Cheap Timex. I never replaced it until way after graduation, once I came ashore. I found that most places had clocks handy. Easy to know the time at sea. Once I was home and on my time off, it really didn't matter. . . . at least until it was time to head back to the airport and back to sea. If I needed one, I would say get a cheap water resistant one. Even now, I only wear a Fitbit, but never use it to tell time. That is what my cell phone is for. . . . .
 
Unless you're explicitly told to bring a watch before reporting, then there's no need to. In fact, once at USMMA, you can get input on the best watch to buy. Surely there'll be "cult favorites" that fulfill the need and can withstand the rigors of sea life. If it's anything like other SAs, there'll likely be an emphasis on inexpensive, basic and durable. Brands like Timex and Casio usually fit the bill.
 
“MidCakePa” brings up a good point and perhaps you should take a look at a document titled Logging In. This document will pretty much outline what you need, don’t need, and even items which are prohibited. Even though the link I’ll provide is for version that is a few years old, the content rarely changes year to year in any major way. I suggest you download the document, perhaps even print it, and get prepared for many action items that will be in your future should you attend KP. You will probably get the 2029 version around March/April 2025 but don’t wait until the last minute to get started. 2026 Logging In
 
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I can’t edit my previous post about Logging In but as I recall there is one major change and that is the Academy now issues a PC. That of course is subject to change.
 
KPbuddy said:
Hey everyone! I have recently been PFQ’d for USMMA and I will be reporting in for the class of 2029. On my visit, I noticed lots of people had watches, and I know that most officers at sea have them too. Kind of an odd question- Should I buy a watch before I report? And if so, is there any specific brand that would be beneficial to buy?
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Don't worry about watches kid. Kings Point is the meatgrinder of meatgrinders of all the 5 academies academically. Just get by indoc and Plebe yr and enjoy sea year. Licence exams will be the well deserved present if you're an engineer. Get ready to be rich$$$$. Unless you go active duty ofcourse. 😁
 
My son is class of 2028. You can have a watch, and I would highly recommend bringing one. I would buy one now and start wearing it so you get to know it without having to watch a YouTube video every time you have to change a setting. You’ll need it while standing watch, because their will be times as a Plebe that you wont have your phone. You won’t have it in the first 2 weeks, but then you will get it back.



He has a couple. This is the one I sent him with in July

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093THFRXG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1



He now wears this one that he got for his birthday in October. It’s the one that most of them wear. Kinda spendy, but links with your phone but is like a semi-smart/dumb watch. I wouldn’t buy/bring a full on smart(Apple/Samsung)watch right away. You need something tough.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NMKGRMZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1



I like this one because it’s a tough solar and links up with the atomic clock. It’s the one I wear to work every day. It will never die.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007RWZHXO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Good Luck!
 
JohnPAKP65 said:
I can’t edit my previous post about Logging In but as I recall there is one major change and that is the Academy now issues a PC. That of course is subject to change.
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They are all issued Microsoft Surface Pro's starting with the class of 2028. It’s mostly for conformity and really online security.
 
JohnPAKP65 said:
I can’t edit my previous post about Logging In but as I recall there is one major change and that is the Academy now issues a PC. That of course is subject to change.
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heard they gave out Surface Pro Tablets to the recent Plebe class
 
My DS is also a current plebe. He never wore a watch before. He got a G-Shock after indoc and hasn't taken it off. It has been waterproof for swim class and the big jump. They also did get a Surface Pro.
 
Bduett said:
My DS is also a current plebe. He never wore a watch before. He got a G-Shock after indoc and hasn't taken it off. It has been waterproof for swim class and the big jump. They also did get a Surface Pro.
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Surface pro has been the device for a couple of years. The difference is, now you must buy it as part of the indoc package. You were able to as a member of the class of 26 to bring your own and then have it configured. There is a real emphasis at KP now NOT to get hacked, to the point that mids lose access to school email during sea year and are instructed to create a gmail account with similar naming convention to the school email for use during sea year.
 
I'm a big watch enthusiast, and you can't go wrong with CASIO or Timex. I would get a quartz or solar powered watch as these are the most reliable from a timekeeping perspective. You almost never have to reset the time, unless the battery dies. At that point you should probably just buy a new watch.

Automatic/mechanical watches are reliable and do not require a battery but are not as accurate and need to be matched up with a clock every few weeks as they gain/lose seconds. They are also much more expensive.

You can also go with a Garmin that gives you a plethora of health benefits (heartrate, running pace, etc), but I prefer something I don't need to charge. Overall I'd recommend the Timex Expedition Metal Field, it comes in a variety of sizes and is robust with a long life. I have one and it's been through a lot and still works perfectly.
 
KPbuddy said:
Hey everyone! I have recently been PFQ’d for USMMA and I will be reporting in for the class of 2029. On my visit, I noticed lots of people had watches, and I know that most officers at sea have them too. Kind of an odd question- Should I buy a watch before I report? And if so, is there any specific brand that would be beneficial to buy?
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Hi. Just so you know, you can’t wear a watch that connects to internet, like Apple Watch, during indoc, but you should have a waterproof one during that time. You won’t have a cell phone to rely on telling time for indoc & some of plebe year.
 
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