True confession. I’m a mainlander living in a mountain state, and I’m reviewing a tide tracking watch. But I’m also an Oregonian expat who makes a yearly pilgrimage home, introducing the coast of my youth to my own child. Brackish water pumps deep in the veins.

　　Being an inlander unplugs you from coastal time. It’s a gap of intuition, a broken circadian clock that fails to grasp the basics of when high or low tide rolls in or out. Locals have it. I no longer do. And I’ve spent time (and money) on beaches in Oregon, Washington, and far corners of Alaska without Wi-Fi, where I’ve paid the price without the knowledge.

　　While not the same as visiting the sea, the VERO X-Realtree Tide Tracker does quench a bit of my thirst for the ebb and flow of the ocean.

　　In short: Handsome, durable, and functional, VERO just released its X-Realtree Tide Tracker ($550). It’s a capable tool watch with unique tide tracking functionality you won’t commonly find in the analog watch market, especially at this price.

　　Compare the VERO X-Realtree Tide Tracker with the best field watches.

　　VERO X-Realtree Tide Tracker Check Price at VERO

　　7.3 How we rate products Specifications Case size: 39.5 mm Lug size: 20 mm Case material: Stainless steel Movement: Seiko NH38A Strap color: Various (Compass blue tested) Water resistance: 120 m Pros Gorgeous color and design Unique tide tracking complication has two bezels that can be independently used as time trackers Multiple strap options Cons Applied day markers are small Strap keeper showed early signs of fraying Steve Graepel VERO X-Realtree Tide Tracker Review Tide tracking is niche. Only a handful of watches have the complication, and it’s usually relegated to digital watches or the giants of mechanical horology, like IWC and Vacheron Constantin (which will likely be the first and last time we reference one of the holy trinity watches on GearJunkie).

　　At $550, the VERO X-Realtree Tide Tracker provides a solid Seiko movement protected under an AR-coated sapphire crystal, giving you waterproof protection down to 120m. This is about $22,000 cheaper than the IWC if youre counting.

　　Gently tapered lugs initiate the turn of bead-blasted 39.5mm case around the wrist. Its slender 11mm case height slips unassumingly under a dress shirt.

　　Available in two colors, black and compass blue (tested), the contrasting face is encircled by two rotating bezels that work in concert to align with the lunar tide, tracking the high and low tide for up to 14 days.

　　Time is tracked on railroad minute markers encircling the inner bezel, with the noon, 3, 6, and 9 marked with batons. Indices are dotted at the intermediate 5-minute marks. Broad sword hands sweep past the hours and minutes. For added accuracy, a red needle extends from the blunt hour hand to just under the minute markers.

　　When glancing at the watch, it’s hard to distinguish the red from the deep blue, but it’s a nice touch and visible under the glare of the sun, actually increases the visibility. Under close inspection, it matches the thin red border encasing the lumed indices.

　　The hands and indices are in a complementary creamy white and illuminated with a green Super LumiNova. In testing, it held its lume into the early hours of the morning.

　　VERO Watch Company is a Portland-based micro brand with 10 years in the market. In my opinion, some of the most inspiring watch designs on the market are forged out of the micro brand segment. Unlike historically rich big brand companies, a micro brand is freed from the shackles of heritage designs. Plus, it offers the buyer real bang for the buck.

　　While its watches are made in Japan, VERO pays the tariffs instead of passing them on to the buyer through higher prices.

　　(Photo/Steve Graepel) Straps and Partnership With Realtree VERO is mostly known for its field watches, and Realtree is a kingpin in hunting apparel that’s ubiquitous with outdoor culture and fashion. It does a lot of collaborations, so it makes sense that the two paired up. The watch is shipped with either Realtree’s “outpost black” or “compass blue” straps. The outpost black is paired with a black dial and white inner bezel, while the compass blue is strapped to a watch face washed entirely in cerulean blue.

　　Out of the box, the canvas straps are rigid and tough to tuck under the pair of strap keepers. The rigidity relaxed a bit after wearing my watch daily for a month. But expect it to take a while to break in.

　　Each strap adjustment hole is bar tacked for reinforcement. The strap end tucks under a pair of single-ply canvas keepers. The first of the pair is fixed, tacked just behind the buckle, and has taken some hits after repeated strapping. The underside of my watchs fixed keeper has started to fray. The floating keeper shows no signs of wear.

　　The company leans hard into the watch and strap combination, which wears equally well at the office as it does outside. Given the popularity of Realtree making its way into streetwear, it makes a lot of sense. Unless I had a Carhartt tuxedo, the Realtree straps definitely dress down better than up. My opinion only. Of the two, the blue resonates more with my personality. The rich aqua hue feels more summery and playful.

　　(Photo/Steve Graepel) If you like to mix it up, 20mm is a universal strap size that unlocks abundant aftermarket options. You just need to confirm that any third-party straps are equipped with a quick-release tab or be prepared to buy spring bars. VERO offers plug-and-play straps in blue, khaki, and gold for $35 each.

　　(Photo/VERO) Tracking the Tides Arabic numerals are printed on the inner bezel, but they don’t track the time. Give the watch a closer look — you quickly realize they can’t. Numbered 1 to 14, the inner and outer bezels work together to set and track the tide.

　　To set the watch to high tide, unscrew the top crown to engage the inner bezel. Then simply turn the crown until day 1 matches the hour of the last high tide. For example, if the last high tide was 9 a.m., you turn the inner bezel until day 1 aligns with 9.

　　The unidirectional outer bezel tracks the high tide for 14 days. After you set high tide, simply rotate the outer bezel until the high tide indices align with the day 1 marker on the inner bezel.

　　With both the time and date set, you can begin to accurately track high and low tide. Since the watch is set to the progression of the moon cycle, you will need to advance the outer bezels high tide indices one day each day. The watch will accurately track the time for up to 14 days, after which you will need to recalibrate the tide cycle for accuracy.

　　The second crown at 3 o’clock winds the mainspring and sets the time. Unscrew and pull out the crown one click to wind the watch. Pull two clicks to change the time. The watch has an automatic movement, powered by Seiko’s NH38A with 21,600 BPH, holding a reasonable 41-hour power reserve (just enough to get you through a weekend). With a dedicated no-date movement, there is no ghost position, and the hacking feature pauses the seconds hand for precise time setting.

　　The watch has a waterproof rating of nearly 400 feet. Make sure to turn down the crowns to get the most out of it.

　　The top of the two crowns rotates the inner bezel to set the high tide time. The outer bezel tracks high tide with the lapsing of days; (photo/Steve Graepel) Don’t We All Have Smartphones That Already Do This? That is, hasn’t technology evolved to do this better, more quickly? My day gig is illustrating surgical procedures for textbooks and journals — most of it by hand, using Photoshop. So I get asked a similar question all the time: “Can’t they use photographs …?” Hasn’t technology made this all antiquated?

　　Without a doubt, treasure chests of coin and NASA technology has been poured into developing apps that can track tides more accurately. But phones can get wet, and digital technology can fail. A mechanical automatic watch, on the other hand, is durable and capable. When worn on the wrist, it will keep chugging along (within ±10 seconds a day). It’s a reliable backup or a lightweight tool that will do the job just fine.

　　So what’s the benefit of a 14-day tide tracking watch? Besides the obvious (tracking when you can safely cross the tidal land bridge to the mainland in the apocalyptic 28 Years Later), hunting and fishing are the most common uses. In coastal waters, incoming tides stir up nutrients, and high tide can bring baitfish closer to shore, luring larger predatory fish behind them.

　　High tides can also push waterfowl off the mudflats into open water, making them easier to hunt. Predictability and concentration are the name of the game.

　　Watching the tide can benefit boaters, surfers, and photographers, and I’ll add one more: cyclists. I’m not a hunter, but I am a cyclist and I own a fat bike. A few years ago, I was inspired to cycle along the Oregon coast tidal zone on my fat bike. While it’s easy to assume wet sand is stable sand, not all wet sand is the same.

　　Riding at high tide between the swash zone and sandy wrack takes both a physical and emotional toll. It didn’t take long for us to figure out we could double our speed at low tide, cruising on the firm tidal flats. After pushing bikes most of the first high tide, we adjusted our time in the saddle to align with low tide. A tide tracker would have been clutch on that trip.

　　Niggles While the diameter is a generous 39.5mm — generally considered the sweet spot for most wrists — the dual-bezel tide tracker closes the watch face down to about 25mm. The wrist presence and legibility aren’t impeded by this. The time face feels more crowded than a 36mm field watch, but in reality, it’s not difficult to read the time.

　　The red hour syringe marker is nearly the same shade as the blue face and gets lost under a quick glance inside. Outside, under sunlight, I did find that the hour hand needle contrasted exceptionally well against glare off the watch face. Given that the watch is a sports watch, this is a win for those who use their tools.

　　The 14-day intervals are printed on a beveled, concave bezel. Outside, the beveled bezel will catch a glare from most any angle. Given that the crystal is flat, it can also reflect a strong, mirror-like glare. The AR coating does help here. I appreciate that the crystal is glass and flat. It feels robust, cleaner by design, and a step up in class.

　　These 14-day numbers are small. In my opinion, this isn’t critical. Tracking tides isn’t an immediate need for data like, say, how much time my tank has in reserve.

　　My last comment is personal preference. I’m not a fan of camo. It’s not my style, and I wouldn’t personally select the black (which has a more traditional camo pattern). But I do like the compass blue strap. It feels tropical and more fun.

　　The watch has three aftermarket strap options available for $35. Given there is very little gap between the strap and lugs, I’d be more inclined to buy the straps from VERO versus a third party.

　　Early fraying on the strap keeper; (photo/Steve Graepel) Parting Thoughts Like a dive watch, the VERO X-Realtree Tide Tracker has a rotating bezel. Two of them, in fact, allowing you to set two independent timers. They come in handy for tracking any activity where overestimating time could be risky. You can set the high tide marker as a timer (I rotate mine to track how long my French press should brew) and could set the inner bezel timer for, say, eggs. I’ve also set the bezel to track parking meters downtown.

　　The watch could be used as a dive watch in a pinch. But I’ve never found myself in a pinch with a tank of oxygen and a regulator, and the markers are too small and difficult to make out for divers. I’d personally want a watch with a clearer visual display.

　　But that’s not why you buy this watch. And frankly, that’s not why most dive watch enthusiasts buy a dive watch either. You buy it because you like the design and it pulls at the heart. Then you use it and build a relationship through a life well lived that makes it undeniably your watch. And I can see myself doing so with VERO’s tool watch.

　　Regardless of whether you spend time on the coast, the VERO X-Realtree is a handsome timepiece with practical usability beyond a traditional field watch or most modern tool watches. And if you do find yourself hunting, fishing, or trekking in the tidal zones, it’s a practical tool on the wrist that will get used.

　　The compass blue dial dazzles in the sunlight; (photo/Steve Graepel)

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