S5 Tactical Field - 40mm Quartz

Sale price$ 199
The perfect introduction to Vaer durability. A rugged, ocean-ready field watch with sapphire crystal. Sized at 40mm, a great fit for most wrists.
Your Build: S5 | Quartz - $199
Sizing Guide

Need Help Choosing a Case Size?

Here at Vaer our goal is to build watches that can be worn everyday, in all conditions. A critical aspect of longterm wear is comfort and fit. Having a watch that is either too big, or too small can quickly disqualify it from a place in your daily rotation. If you're new to watch case sizing, below is a general overview of the sizes of our 5 core case designs.

If you'd like to read our comprehensive guide to case sizing click here.

Watches are measured by case diameter. This measurement does not include the crown or lugs.

1) 36mm - Smaller Wrists
2) 38mm - Small/Medium Wrists
3) 39mm - Medium Wrists
4) 40mm - Medium Wrists
5) 42mm - Medium/Large Wrists

With that in mind, we've created this case sizing guide to help you choose the watch that is ideal for your particular wrist shape and style preference.

Notes: All Vaer watches are shown on the same 7 inch (177mm) diameter wrist. This is approximately the median wrist size of an adult man. Watches are shown in size from smallest to largest.

1) 36mm Field Case 

Sizing Guide: Best for Smaller Wrists
Suggested For:
6.25”- 7.25” wrists
36mm models: S3, C3, A3, A7, A12  


2) 38mm Dive Case

Sizing Guide: Best for Smaller Wrists
Suggested For:
 6.5”- 7.5” wrists
38mm models: DS4, D4, DS5, R1 Oceanracer


3) 39mm Dive Case

Sizing Guide: Best for Medium Wrists
Suggested For:
 6.5”- 7.75” wrists
39mm models: D5, G5, G7

4) 40mm Field Case

Sizing Guide: Best for Medium Wrists
Suggested For:
 6.5”- 7.75” wrists
40mm models: S5, C5, A5, A12, R1 Rally & Tactical

5) 42mm Dive Case 

Sizing Guide: Best for Medium/Large Wrists
Suggested For:
 7”- 8.5” wrists
42mm models: D4, DS4, DS5, D5

🔒 Free Waterproof Strap: Silicone Ocean Strap - Black ($20 Value)
Choose Your Custom Strap: Nylon - Khaki (+$0)
Strap Sizing Guide

Need help choosing your straps?

One of the most rewarding aspects of owning a watch is the opportunity for customize your straps. In addition to adding a unique personality to your timepiece, changing your straps is a great way to increase a watches value and functionality. Here at Vaer, every watch we sell comes with your choice to 2x quick change straps.

In addition to a comfortable Primary Strap made for in-water functionality, we allow you to choose from a wide range of Secondary Straps to suit a variety of functions and styles.

Because different straps have different manufacturing costs your choice of Secondary Strap will be reflected in the watch's final retail cost. All strap options can also be purchased individually if you're interesting in buying a third, or fourth strap.

Note: All Vaer watch straps are sized for 20mm lugs and are cross compatible between models. Vaer bracelets are custom fitted and are NOT cross compatible. 

RUBBER STRAPS

Ocean Strap

Fits: 6” - 8.25” wrists.
Material: Silicone or FKM.
Summary: A comfortable, classic waterproof strap - great for slim wrists.

 

FKM Tropic Strap 

Fits: 6” - 8.5” wrists.
Material: FKM Rubber.
Summary: A comfortable, heavy-duty waterproof strap made of dense FKM rubber.

 

FKM Waffle Strap 

Fits: 6” - 8.5” wrists.
Material: FKM Rubber.
Summary: A comfortable, heavy-duty waterproof strap made of dense FKM rubber.

  

LEATHER STRAPS

Horween Leather Strap 

Fits: 6.25” - 8.5” wrists.
Material: 
premium American leather.
Summary: 
A beautiful Made in USA leather strap, tanned by Horween in Chicago.

  

STEEL BRACELETS

3-Link Bracelet 

Fits: 6.5” - 8.5” wrists.
Material:
 316L Stainless Steel.
Summary: Our 3-link steel bracelet balances finish and cost, to deliver a great all-purpose waterproof option. Uses friction fit pins for bracelet resizing. Bracelet tapers to 18mm.

Jubilee Bracelet 

Fits: 6.5” - 8.5” wrists.
Material: 316L Stainless Steel.
Summary: Our Jubilee steel bracelet has custom-fit end links, and is designed to fit a specific Vaer watch. While some bracelets may fit on other watch models this is not something we can guarantee.  Bracelet tapers to 16mm.


NYLON STRAPS

Single Pass Nylon Strap 

Fits: 5.5” - 9” wrists.
Material: Nylon.
Summary: A rugged all-purpose single-pass strap design adapted from military watches. This strap requires spring-bar installation, and is not a quick-release strap.

Nylon Strap 

Fits: 6” - 8.75” wrists.
Material: Nylon.
Summary: A comfortable, all-purpose waterproof strap made of seatbelt weaved nylon.

 

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Waterproof Warranty

Guaranteed 100% ocean-ready.

Two Straps Standard

Our 20mm straps are interchangeable

The S5 Tactical is the perfect affordable military field watch. It blends rugged all-black aesthetics with epic durability features and best-in-class lume glow.

Why we love it

Since its release in 2022, our S5 Tactical has become our most popular Standard Issue model, serving as a more affordable alternative to our USA-assembled C5. The S5 version blends the military dial arrangement of American WW2-era field watches with a modern “blacked-out” aesthetic. The S5 Tactical makes a strong statement on outdoor durability while maintaining a sleek and understated on-wrist presence.

Customers Also Love

"The perfect combo of style, durability and value."

- Huckberry

330

Feet of Water Resistance

This watch is perfect for swimming and surfing, and it's protected by our waterproof warranty.

10000+

Five Star Reviews

Our success has been built on delivering exceptional value to our owners.

The Perfect Everyday Watch

What's the best outdoor watch we could make for under $200? That was the guiding question for our S-series. Are there cheaper alternatives out there? Sure. Do those cheaper options feature sapphire crystal, a locking crown, and a guaranteed waterproof warranty? Definitely not.

1. Ocean-Ready

Life is unpredictable. The perfect everyday watch needs to provide peace of mind in all conditions. Whether you're heading out in the rain or taking a jump in the pool, this watch never needs to be left on the sidelines.

2. Scratch Resistant

Impact is inevitable. When it happens, you want to be sure your watch won't scratch. That's why we use premium sapphire crystal to protect our dials (the second hardest material after diamond).

3. Easy Customization

Every day is different. And the easiest way to switch up the look (and functionality) of your watch is to change straps. That's why every Vaer watch ships with 2x quick-change strap options.

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Watches for Every Budget

Compare with similar watches

Many of our watches look similar, though have very different prices. This is due to movement type (the watch's power source), and assembly origin. Below you can find a chart comparing how different models stack up.

Best For

Daily Outdoor Use

Extended Off-Grid Use

Collectors & Enthusiasts

Power Source

Quartz Battery

Ambient Light

Self-Winding Movement (Automatic)

Sapphire Crystal

Yes

Yes

Yes

Waterproof Warranty

Yes

Yes

Yes

Built to Last

Your daily wristwatch is an incredibly important and personal object. We're dedicated to the idea that watches should grow more valuable over time as they collect memories, and confront new challenges. This watch is powered by a battery that will keep accurate time for 3-5 years. After this period, the battery can be easily replaced either by a local watch shop or by our team of technicians in Los Angeles.

Learn More

Confidence to Disconnect

Our mission at Vaer is to make products that will last and become more important and personally significant over time. While luxury and technology have a place in modern life, the products we love the most are durable everyday items that promote values of simplicity and independence.

Freedom in Customization

Every watch we've ever sold has come standard with two interchangeable 20mm Vaer straps. This cross-compatibility across our entire product line, gives owners increased functionality and value, with the option to easily change up their strap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Whether it's our ocean-based roots in Venice Beach,our thousands of five-star customer reviews, or our unique position as the largest independent assembler of watches in the United States, there's a lot to talk about with Vaer. We firmly believe that the more you learn about our watches and company, the more likely you'll be interested in supporting our brand. If you have a more detailed question, feel free to visit our FAQ below.

Our team is available Monday to Friday: 9am-5pm PSTOur team usually replies in a few hours
Contact Our Team

Overall rating: 4.7213225 / 5 from 1482 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

The S5 Tactical Field watch offers a military-inspired design with a blacked-out aesthetic and impressive lume paint performance. It features an ultra-accurate quartz movement, interchangeable straps, and a comfortable fit for smaller wrists. Customers praise its clean design, excellent quality, and great value for money.

Summary topics

  • Design Quality (7%): Customers raved about the classic and clean design, with excellent quality and attention to detail.
  • Lume Performance (5%): Customers keep praising the lume feature, describing it as amazing, excellent, bright, and fantastic.
  • Size Comfort (6%): Customers expressed satisfaction with the perfect size of the product, which was mentioned multiple times in the reviews.
  • Price Value (8%): Customers raved about the reasonable price of the watch, with many mentioning it as a great value.
  • Overall Value (8%): Customers loved the great value of the product, which was mentioned multiple times in the reviews.

Review topics: [].

Review highlights

  • "The oiled leather strap has a great vintage look and it’s high quality as well." — Joseph M.
  • "The watch looks fantastic, love the build quality and lume." — Ross P.
  • "Great quality, great lume, nice details on the finish, for a very cheap price." — Anonymous

Reviews

I’d worn an old Lord

"I’d worn an old Lord Seiko for 40 years without a problem before it finally gave up the ghost so I thought I’d just buy another. I replaced it with a Seiko SNZG13J1, which turned out to be a total piece of junk. I returned it to Seiko 2 times before the rear crystal finally fell off just as the warranty expired. My new Vaer looks great and most importantly, IT WORKS! I love that I don’t have to worry about it in the water and it is dead accurate in its time keeping. Highly recommended!"

— Kevin C. (5/5)

I have recently started wearing

"I have recently started wearing watches again and really like this watch. I wanted something durable and light and this watch fits the bill perfectly. The size is great and the finish is so appealing. With an over whelming world of watches to choose from the fit and finish is well above the price. I am already looking at the other Model I want to purchase for my next watch."

— Richard B. (5/5)

Great value/cool looking

"Love the specs of screw in back and crown and good crystal and the think case; and the look of the dial. Black rubber band is really nice looking and comfortable. The tan fabric band was not as nice or comfortable. Bought a single pass 'NATO' to replace it. I will definitely buy another Vaer watch. Would love to see a manual wind (only) in the collection."

— Lee H. (5/5)

I really love this watch!

"I really love this watch! It fits perfectly and does everything a watch needs to do (tell me what time it is and have a luminous dial) and this watch does it well! It came in really nice packaging and one thing I think is amazing is that since I live in AZ and we share the same time zone as CA right now, the watch was even set to the correct time out of the box. This won’t be by last watch from Vaer!"

— Chad C. (5/5)

Love the watch I did

"Love the watch I did have one problem when I changed the Date. I had trouble getting the pin to go back in so I left it alone for a few minutes came back and the pin went back in without a problem. I will be buying another Vaer watch in the future."

— Wayne A. (5/5)

I have been in search

"I have been in search of the "perfect" watch, and the Vaer S5 Tactical Field watch might be it. At 40mm the watch face is just the right size, and theblarge numbers and hands make it easy to read. The two things that I especially like about the watch are how thin it is and that the lume is outstanding, way better than I expected. It’s easily the best lume I have seen on any watch I've owned. No need to push a button to know what time it is in the middle of the night. If you sleep with your watch you will love this Vaer watch. In summary an excellent purchase from a customer focused company."

— Christopher S. (5/5)

Nice watch. Basic dial, but

"Nice watch. Basic dial, but very readable with good lume. Quality build, good fit, and very comfortable to wear with the rubber strap. Only disappointment is the fit of the end links on the steel bracelet. Really minor gripe. Overall, would recommend."

— Paul J. (4/5)

Made a breakthrough!!

"For years I tried to get my youngest to wear a watch. I opened my watch case and let him pick any watch to wear to Homecoming and he immediately grabbed my S5 Tactical. He now wears it all the time. Guess I have to get another one."

— Bill R. (5/5)

I like this watch. My

"I like this watch. My previous watch was a Momentum Atlas 38, and this compares well to that. The extra 2mm of size makes the watch more easily readable than the other watch, especially the date. I even like the silicone Ocean Strap because the little bit of stretch that it has makes it easy to get it comfortable on my wrist. The only feature that I'm not sure that I like is the flesh-tone hour and minute hands. It think it would be easier to see with all dark hands, to contrast more with the white face. I sent my old watch off to be repaired. I was planning to give that one to my grandson. However I've recently got an email from the repaired saying that some of the necessary parts are backordered. So I think I'll order another of the S5 Calendar Fields and have you ship it to him . Thanks, Rob Gross"

— Robert G. (4/5)

Vaer is quality out of all the big brands .

"This is my second S5 the first was 40 mm just a bit small for my large wrist so as soon as the 42mm came out I just had to have it . The best looking field watch out of all the other brands out there. Amazing quality for the money. Super fast delivery to the UK. as well."

— Richard Z. (5/5)

Q&A