Timepieces for nurses make their job easier. Although it seems like a niche, there are quite a few watches for them. To help you find the best watches for nurses, we ran through 5 excellent choices.
We summarized some of our most notable picks in the table below.
Our Pick
The timepiece is small. Its case stretches 1.33 inches (34 mm) across. For a nurse, small watches are ideal as they aren’t distracting. They also help you move easier as you don’t have a chunky watch getting in your way. That being said, if you’re a nurse with larger wrists, the ironman would look awkward on you.
Not only is its case small, but its strap is too. It is 0.47 inches (12 mm) and is made from resin. If you didn’t know, resin is a great material for medical workers. It is super waterproof. The fact that it repels water is great, but being waterproof means that it will keep bodily liquids off it too. That’s why you don’t see nurses and doctors wearing leather watches – the material soaks up fluids.
Having a small strap is appreciated. Because you won’t collect a lot of sweat. Although resin is waterproof, a lot of it isn’t comfortable to wear for long periods.
As a nurse, you have to clock in your shifts in 24-hour time. The ironman has you covered. With the click of a switch, you also get a 24-hour timer, a customizable alarm, and the time in 2 different time zones.
The cherry on top is its 100-hour chronograph – the feature is a stopwatch.
It is very water-resistant. This is superb for when you have to scrub in. It can handle 330 feet (100 meters) of water, which is a lot. But you’re better safe than sorry.
Timex says that it’s so water-resistant that it can handle recreational swimming and snorkeling.
Hospitals are fans of keeping the lighting dim. You don’t have to worry about reading the T5K606 in the dark – it has a powerful indigo backlight.
The glass on it isn’t that strong. You’re getting an acrylic lens. It can handle a beating, but it’s not as resistant as its counterparts.
Did we mention how light it is? It comes in at 0.79 ounces (22.6 grams) - it’s a feather.
We think it looks the best in white. But you can pick it up in countless other colours.
What makes it special:
It comes with a 100-hour chronograph.
You’re not looking at a small watch. The VAVC timepiece has a case that’s 1.57 inches (40 mm). It is not large, though – 1.57 inches (40 mm) is still on the smaller side of the size spectrum. We love that its dial is wide. It makes the watch very easy to read. Something that also helps is its large Arabic numerals - its display is white while its markers are a sharp black.
If you look closely, you’ll see an inner and outer ring. The inner one reads the hours in a day, in a 24-hour format. When clocking your shifts in, it makes things easier. The outer ring displays the minutes in an hour.
There is a leather strap on it. Before you get confused, the leather on it was treated to make it water-proof – it’s super easy to clean. Depending on what design you get the VAVC JE8272 in, its strap will differ – it comes in a multitude of colours.
You won’t be reading the time through an acrylic window. You’ll be utilizing hardlex which is a crystal Seiko came up with. It’s mineral but tougher. It’s much stronger than acrylic.
The device is water-resistant but not as much as the entry above. It can only handle 165 feet (50 meters). Thankfully, its leather was treated. Otherwise, it’d be like wearing a sponge on your wrist. Did we mention that the material in its case is surgical grade stainless steel? It’s very durable. It’s also very water-proof.
When it’s dark in the ER, you might have trouble reading it. It does not come with any lume. If it’s any consolation, it has a sharp-red hand which makes reading it from across the room easy, when it’s bright out at least.
It is a Japanese quartz device. We, unfortunately, don’t know the name of its specific movement. Japanese quartz is known to tell reliable time as they’re made through automated processes.
What makes it special:
It has a leather strap.
The timepiece is one of the smallest in our collection. Its case is only 1.29 inches (33 mm). The device was not made to be worn by male nurses. However, it looks good. We’re fans of its porcelain white exterior and colourful dial – it can get gloomy in a hospital, so the pop of colour will cheer you up. The colours on its markers are pastel, so they won’t be too distracting.
The LRW200H might be hard to read. Although its Arabic numerals are large, its dial isn’t the widest. This is as it hosts a very thick resin case. This is good, though – the abundance of resin makes the 7BVCF shock-resistant. Casio owns the G-shock line, so they know what they’re doing.
There is a calendar on it. The thing is, it’s way too small to read. It’s in the 3 o'clock position – at least it’s not in an awkward angle. But it also only reads the date – the inclusion of the day would’ve made it handier.
You’re looking at a water-resistant device. It can handle 330 feet (100 meters) underwater. It’s made fully from resin – it’s super water-proof.
This casio nurse watch has mineral on its window. It’s not the strongest, but it can handle a beating better than acrylic. As a nurse, you’re in a rush, so you’ll probably bang your timepiece into many things – you want a durable crystal.
If you look closely, you’ll see an inner ring. You’ll have to look close – it’s small. It reads the time in a 24-hour format. There is an outer ring too. It reads the minutes in an hour, but you’ll have to squint at it.
Its strap is resin. What’s great about it is that it’s grooved. This makes it comfortable. It’s also not thick.
It is the first watch on our list that it is luminous – without a backlight. The pigment is on its hands. It’s incredibly bright.
If you touch its bezel, you’ll realize that it turns. It acts as a timer. You’ll be using the markers on it to time the minutes passed. You generally see rotating bezels in dive watches, but they can also be useful in the ER.
What makes it special:
Its bidirectional rotating bezel.
The Best Looking
The watch is probably the best looking one on our list. It comes with a gold and silver body, making it look pristine – you can now save lives in style. The device is small. Unfortunately, Dakota didn’t tell us its exact measurements. It’s dainty - make note if you have smaller wrists. Its dial isn’t hard to read, though. There are large Arabic numerals – they take up most of the space. There is an outer ring with the minutes in an hour.
Like the others we’ve reviewed, it comes with ample water resistance. Sadly, it’s the least resistant entry. It can only handle 100 feet (30 meters). You won’t be able to swim or snorkel with it, but it’s resistant enough to handle a thorough scrubbing.
You’re looking at our first watch that has a stainless-steel bracelet. It’s surgical-grade – good luck trying to scratch it. We met surgical grade stainless steel in our VACV watch review. You know that it’s quite waterproof.
Similar to resin, having a lot of stainless steel on your wrist is not fun. The material would collect a lot of sweat. Thankfully for you, the 8541784 has a thin band.
Unfortunately, there is no luminous pigment on it. Before you get disappointed, know that it has a backlight. Its backlight is bright.
Nurses work long hours. Dakota wants you to be comfortable – they placed an expansion clasp on the Nurse watch. It fits all wrists of all sizes and works like an elastic. It’s a breeze to take on and off.
In terms of what its window is, you’re getting a hold of mineral. You already know how we feel about it.
It is Japanese quartz –all the entries we reviewed come with the movement.
What makes it special:
It has a gold and silver-toned body
The Best For Small Wrists
The Armitron has a peculiar shaped case. It’s oval which is not seen in many watches. The timepiece is the smallest one on our list. Its case is 0.98 inches (25 mm). It definitely won’t get in your way. As its dial is so small, we’re glad that the time is read digitally. The time takes up most of the dial, so you won’t find it hard to read. It chimes every hour, so you’ll always be on top of your schedule.
Like its counterparts, it is made from resin. The material is super waterproof and resistant. There isn’t much of it on its strap, which means you won’t be wet from sweat.
Being a digital watch, it comes with a range of features. This includes a chronograph, alarm, dual-time reader, and strong backlight.
It comes in a cool colourway too – it is pink and rose-gold and a bit girly. What makes its design extra exciting is the fact that its rose-gold is shiny while its pink is matte – they contrast nicely.
Yes, it is water-resistant. It can withstand 330 feet (100 meters) like its sisters. As you know, such ratings mean it can handle snorkeling and swimming.
Its window isn’t the best. You’re met with acrylic. If you remember, the glass will be dented if you get too rough.
You can pick it up in a multitude of colours. No doubt about it, we’re fans of the pink variant.
If you guessed that its mechanism is Japanese quartz, you were right. No, we don’t know the name of its specific movement. We do know that you shouldn’t get its battery pack wet, though. Armitron strongly advises against this.
What makes it special:
It’s the smallest watch on our list.
Now that you know what the best nurse watches are, let’s answer some burning questions you may have.
Whether you’re thinking of picking the watches on our list or not, there are some features that make up a good nurse piece. Here they are:
The timepiece needs to be small. You’ll be moving a lot, so having a chunky watch get in your way won’t be fun. Large watches tend to be heavy too, so you won’t be able to tend to patients swiftly.
The device needs to be durable. Nurses are constantly on the move, so their watches need to have stainless steel, resin, or even silicone bodies. Resin and silicone watches for nurses are preferred. The materials can handle a beating.
The materials mentioned above not only are durable, but they can handle a lot of water. As you saw from our review, waterproof means that all kinds of liquid and muck would be repelled. As a nurse, you’ll be dealing with a lot of bodily fluids – you don’t want them staining your device.
You need to be clean as a nurse. There’s no way you can wear a watch that can’t handle regular, thorough hand-washing. Most of our entries came with 330 feet (100 meters) of resistance. You don’t need a watch that can handle that much water. Ones that are resistant up to 100 feet (30 meters) are fine.
Absolutely! There are many benefits to purchasing a nurse’s watch as a gift for a loved one.
To begin with, they are light-weight. A lot of the watches on the market are chunky. They are super durable too, as you know. This will help if your loved one is clumsy. The devices also can handle swimming and snorkeling – the fact that they’re excellently waterproof makes them great for the outdoors.
Check out our other top watches
Nurses don’t have the easiest jobs. Watches make their shifts easier, which is superb as more lives can be saved. That being said, not all timepieces can be worn by nurses. In our review, we look at very specific things you need to check for. It’s clear why the Timex Ironman snagged our number 1 spot. All the devices on our list came neck-in-neck with each other.
