According to some purists, all digital watches should be encased in polished steel, should be sleek, and must withstand the test of time. The problem with ideals is the fact that they tend to crowd out a more situational, and dare I say, practical take on why people use watches. Let’s face it, one of the most ‘democratic’ niches in the huge watch market are sports watches. In particular, digital watches offer a wide range of diverging needs and, naturally, ideals. Keep this in mind when considering the Armitron Sport 408209BLK Digital Watch.
Sports-watch Design
Let’s get one thing out of the way, the 408209BLK is a digital watch aimed at the mass or even disposable watch market. I need to get that out of the way so we can position the conversation about this watch’s value properly. Otherwise, it’s too easy to beat up on this watch due to its Chinese movement and its seeming ‘disposable’ appeal. Well, that criticism is definitely warranted if this 
watch costs north of $200 and it was intended to be an activewear watch.
Given the fact that this unit costs less than $20 and is intended for heavy outdoor usage, then it makes sense to review and view this watch as disposable. Let’s put it this way: you’re probably not going to buy this watch with the idea that you’ll be passing it on to one of your grand kids. Viewed solely from its intended use, this watch is not just a performer, it is an overachiever. No joke.
Let’s face it, sports watches have to take a lot of outdoor beating. There’s a lot of opportunities for punishment to come in the form of splashing water, shocks, scratches, and other threats. Given its hard resin casing, its plastic strap, and very generous water resistance (100 meters), this watch doesn’t just deliver solid performance, it also provides solid value. After all, the list of features above are quite a bit to expect for something that costs less than $20. And that’s exactly what you get with the 408209BLK.
408209BLK Chinese Digital
This gunmetal and black frame watch comes with a chronograph, military time, dual time, and even a lap timer. That’s quite a bit of features to pack in a sub-$20 form factor. Something’s got to give, right? Well, all those great features were squeezed into the 408209BLK thanks to its Chinese movement.
While a lot of purists might scoff at this, there’s a lot to be said for Armitron and other Chinese brands. They have gone quite a long way and, given their rate of development and improvement, it’s probably only a matter of time until they give the Swiss and Japanese a run for their money. If you’re about to laugh out loud, just chew on this fact: when Korean brands Hyundai and LG got out of the starting gate, they were the butts of ‘bad quality’ jokes. Well, given the fact that these Korean brands are now ‘premium’ brands in their respective product categories, who’s laughing now? The bottom line is that it’s probably a bad idea to sleep on the quality gains of Chinese brands like Armitron.
Basic Water Resistance
Given its ‘disposable’ nature and feature-packed design, the 408209BLK actually packs quite a bit of value because it is very much water resistant. If you’re in the great outdoors, moisture-related threats are ever present. Well, you only need to strap this timepiece to gain quite a bit of assurance and peace of mind. At the very least, the different readouts and measurement this black resin encased unit delivers has some level of protection.
Entry level sports watch
If you’re looking for a watch you can beat up without feeling too bad about, give the Armitron Sport 408209BLK Digital Watch a look. You get a sub-$20 watch packed with lots of outdoor activity-related features. Best of all, its quality continues to grow over time. It might not be at the peak of its game currently but it would be a bad idea to over-look this brand for long.
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