Year in Review: Best Tool Watches of 2022

Here we take a look at the best tool watch releases of 2022, the overall winner, digital and budget categories, as well as some honourable mentions.

In retrospect, 2022 truly has been the year of the tool watch. People want action, adventure and the outdoors more than ever post-pandemic. Some commentators have claimed that the tool watch is ‘tired’, that pretty much all watches can withstand adventure nowadays. I’m here to claim that there has been real innovation for tool watches in 2022, with titanium cases, higher quality at cheaper price points, and even digital interfaces.

OVERALL WINNER: Tudor Pelagos 39

The overall winner for this year has got to be the Pelagos 39. Several unsuccessful attempts to find this watch in the wild goes to show that it’s a highly coveted piece. But why wouldn’t it be, since Tudor quality is almost that of Rolex, at less than half the price?. The watch has a remarkably wearable titanium case and bracelet, fantastic clasp and a goes-with-anything look.

This is the tool watch enthusiast’s watch: everyday beater aesthetic, under the radar, time-only and with real horological history (being the modern iteration of the French Navy’s dive watches and the sister band of Rolex).

DIGITAL: Apple Watch Ultra

It was only a matter of time before Apple beat-off the smart-tool watch brands like Garmin and Coros to take the top spot. It would be easier to list what this watch can’t do, since it can do an awful lot - GPS, altitude, pace, heart rate, blood-oxygen, emergency alarm… it’s the one-piece gadget for all things adventure. Read our hands-on review here.

BUDGET PICK: Seiko 5 GMT

The bang-for-your-buck watch of 2022 has to be the Seiko 5 GMT. With it’s callback to the much missed SKX case and bracelet, but now featuring a legit GMT complication for under £500, the 5 Sport GMT has got to be the go-to budget tool watch. And by being modeled on the SKX, it is already a tried and tested recipe for water-resistance (100m). The 5 GMT comes in three colours: orange, black and, my favorite, the ‘Blueberry’.

SMALL BRAND: Kartel Munro 282

Kartel Munro 282 in black and green - Kartel

Readers will likely never have seen this watch or heard of the brand, and that’s the point of this category. Kartel is an independent watch company out of Dundee, Scotland. Their designs are minimalist, industrial and in dark colourways, giving the watches a smokey Dundonian vibe. The Munro 282, named after the Scottish mountains exceeding 3000ft, is a flieger style watch, quartz, with a day-date function and knurled crown, the perfect choice for both usability and legibility.

honourable mentions

First to mention is the Swatch X Omega MoonSwatch, who’s introduction literally took the world by storm. The Moonswatch is becoming increasingly more available and makes for a great entry into the wonderful world of tool watches (being modeled on the watch worn during the Apollo missions, including the moon landings).

Another honorable mention is the Hamilton Khaki Field LE For Hodinkee, who’s clean Arabic numerals and simple time-only aesthetic make it the perfect choice for enthusiasts. The orange second hand provides a pop of colour while at the same time staying true to the utilitarian look (note the use of orange on the Rolex Explorer 2’s 24hr hand and on the recent Apple Watch Ultra).

It seems clear that simple designs (designs excluding over-complication or dial-busyness) were sought after in 2022, as well as the use of titanium. These two qualities make for the ultra-wearable everyday watch - the watch that goes with everything and whose lightness disappears on the wrist. In 2023, I’d like to see a smaller iteration of the Apple Watch Ultra, more mechanical options from the Kartel brand, and finally a widely available tool watch from Rolex in titanium (perhaps even a titanium Sub, though that might be a lot to ask).