Nicolas Lenze 07.18.22
These days, our phones do everything for us, with the exception of improving our lives. They have a calculator, games, pictures, and perhaps the most used feature, the time. They’ve become the digital multi-tool that we all carry. If anyone reading this has ever used a multi-tool to assemble Ikea furniture, one thing is painfully clear. As you rub those weird callouses on your knuckles, remember how badly you wanted to use a dedicated tool like a screwdriver. There is always a place for tools that are made for one purpose because they often do a better job. This extends to watches. Pulling my phone out of my pocket is fine, but looking down at the 5.11 Tactical Division Digital Watch on my wrist is primo. This is my review.
The 5.11 Tactical Division Digital Watch: Specifications
- Display: Digital
- Color: Tac OD
- Body: Stainless Steel
- Band: 22mm webbing
- MSRP: $105.00
Time Will Tell
I tend to wear slimmer profile watches, so after opening the box, my attention went immediately to the weight. The Division Digital Watch is made from stainless steel, which means adding some heft. However, the opposite side of that coin is the durability gained over a lighter watch. The finish on the watch is outstanding and makes you want to double-check your receipt. Was this on sale? I also think I might have a guardian angel at 5.11 because the beep you hear when pushing buttons defaults to silence. I hate beeps.
The Tac OD color scheme is cool and is bolstered by the deep olive drab color. Even with this depth of color, it doesn’t look dreary like some military surplus pants. The band is made of 22mm webbing and is simple to adjust. You simply slide the band back and forth until it’s the correct length for you. There are plenty of holes for plenty of sizes.
The face is customizable and shows the time in hours, minutes, and seconds, as well as the date and day of the week. The knurling on the edge of the body is also an attractive touch.
Testing in the Great Divide
The use of tools has been used as a mark of intelligence. At least, that’s what we want to believe, since the human ego tells us that anything we do must be the most intelligent. All of my grumpies aside, I tend to agree. Tools are meant to make our lives easier, and this watch did that for me. I didn’t put the Division Digital through a punishing array of beatings and harsh words. What I did was wear it all day, every day, for the better part of a month. During that time, I took note of all of the times that the watch helped me.
The 5.11 website says that the watch is water-resistant. I can confirm this. Halfway through my shower, panic set in as I realized that I was still wearing a watch. I thought for sure that it was ruined. I was relieved to see the Division on my wrist, and that it was still functioning (even after I did it again).
My family recently welcomed a new baby girl into our lives. I would be so excited to pick her up that by the time I realized my phone was in my pocket, little Lea would be asleep. This resulted in some form of ancient tribal dance as I attempted to get it out to check the time. That is until I wised up and started wearing this watch. I avoided wearing my other, more delicate watches because, as I’m sure many of you know, fatherhood is not a gentle journey. This particular watch has been thrown, stepped on, banged against my car door, scraped on glass, doused in spit-up formula, and attacked by a house cat.
To my amazement, the Division still looks brand new. Every photo in this review was taken after the testing period. See if you can count the number of scratches or ripped webbing.
The Greatest of All Time?
Probably not, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t great. I’m not here to tell you that this watch is going to change your life. However, all of the abuse it can take over a month of dumb, sleep-deprived mistakes makes it a steal for $100. It looks cool, functions the way it’s supposed to, and I’m not going to hurl if it hits a rock and sustains some damage. The glass is clear, though it is a bit of a smudge-magnet, and the color of the webbing has an interesting brilliance to it, for a color with “drab” in its name.
I usually wear watches with metal or leather bands, so the webbing was a bit itchy when I first put it on, but I got over it very quickly. The webbing also isn’t stiff, which is something you might see on a band that uses cheap webbing that’s thicker to support the weight of the body. The whole thing looks and feels strong.
If you’d like to know more about the Division Digital Watch, you can see the specs on the 5.11 Tactical website. Be sure to follow along on social media. 5.11 Tactical can be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube. Go outside!
