Best Watch for High School/Youth Football Officiating

[sirfirblu]

I know this topic has been brought up in the past but most of the discussions are pre 2015. I'm an instructor for our associations first year officials and trying to get them equipped for lower level high school and Pop Warner officiating. In the past, I've always recommended the Casio Phys Timers 11 Watch RFT-100-1JF . I have 2 of these watches and it really is the perfect football officials watch. It will keep track of the game clock, the time of day and do a 25 second countdown all at the same time, plus it vibrates rather than beeps if you want it to so that you can give the offense a few extra seconds before a delay of game foul. Unfortunately the source for these watches has dried up. Some have claimed that the Casio Men's W756-1AVCR Sport Watch is it's replacement but it does not appear to have the same features (please if I'm wrong tell me, I'd love to be wrong)
Anyway, if you have any watch suggestions for a 1st year official who might end up as referee, timer and scorekeeper at some point in his/her young officiating career, please let me know.


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[zoom]

I prefer the Timex brand watches, either Expedition or Ironman.  The Expedition even has a vibration alarm setting.

You can get it for about $36 on Amazon


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[bossman72]

The thing I don't like about Timex watches is that the start and stop button are not the same button.  That gets annoying and confusing.

Here is an Armitron that has the start/stop button on the same button.  Count-down buttons are really easy to reset.  Big font.  If you don't like the orange border, you can color it in with a marker, but I don't think it's a big deal.

https://www.amazon.com/Armitron-Sport-40-8254ORG-Chronograph/dp/B006ZTJEOI/ref=pd_srecs_cs_241_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZZH3C3J8MT7NSDTRNXR2

[ncwingman]

I have one like the Timex (I'm not sure if it's the exact same model, but really close if not). I like the countdown timer and vibration alarm features on it a lot, but like bossman said, the buttons aren't laid out in a logical manner.

I have (regretably) on more than one occasion reset my timer instead of starting it because I hit the stop button a second time, or just hit the "split" time by hitting start instead of stop (and it keeps counting in the background, but it looks like it stopped).

Overall, the fact that I have set a 20 second countdown timer that vibrates when it expires and that I can reset quickly overshadows the button issues for me.

ETA -- I also paid about $20 for it at Walmart. I don't think I would have splurged at paying almost $40 for it.

[sirfirblu]

Zoom, bossman72 and ncwingman...thanks so much for the info, this is exactly the kind of input I was hoping for. A big group of rookie officials from Orange County says THANK YOU!

[Kalle]

I took a look at the Casio W756 manual and it does look like an exact replacement for the RFT-100.

[refbuz]

Anything with a TIMER function will work.  Doesn't have to be anything fancy or expensive, as long as it can get to 0:00 it's a good watch. 

Here is what I use.

Timex Ironman T5E901

I like it because the start button is on the face, not the side, which helps prevent the previously mentioned accidental reset.

[sirfirblu]

Kalle, you are correct, that watch does seem to have all of the features that the RFT-100 except it does not appear to vibrate (again, if anyone knows different, please tell me). The beeping is not something you want the players to hear necessarily, particularly the 25 second countdown, but if that watch is all that's out there with those features, then we'll live with it. It's also very reasonably priced. I see it on Walmart and Amazon for under $30. That's a great deal!

[JasonTX]

I have a Casio W-735H and it has a countdown with Vibrating alarm.  It works great.  I just wished it had the ability to do both 40 and 25.

[Kalle]

I have a Casio W-735H and it has a countdown with Vibrating alarm.  It works great.  I just wished it had the ability to do both 40 and 25.

Set the interval timer with 15+10+15s, that's how I do it.

[sirfirblu]

Jason, Kalle,
Does the Casio W-735H have the ability to keep the game clock as well as the 25/40 second clock?