Vaer C4 Tactical Field Solar sets a new standard in lume performance
Featuring 3D-printed C3 Super LumiNova, 200 ATM, Sapphire Crystal, 4:00 Crown, and Unidirectional Bezel
Vaer C4 combines best-in-class 3D printed lume technology with nearly every desirable feature available to create one of the most functional and rugged solar field watches on the market. Performance users who value the specific combination of bright nocturnal visibility, high water resistance, a 4:00 crown, and bezel timer will be especially interested. Most connoisseurs won’t find an equal in their collection, but will note it to be a bit more expensive than its peers from brands like Bertucci and Momentum.
Vaer C4 Tactical Field Solar Specs
- Price: $470
- Movement: Epson VS42
- Battery Reserve: 6mo
- Case: Stainless Steel
- Crystal: Sapphire
- Lume: 3D-printed C3 Super LumiNova
- Diameter: 41.5mm
- Water Resist: 200m
- Compares to: Vaer C5 Tactical Solar, Bertucci Solar Classic, Movement Atlas Solar Eclipse, Citizen Garrison Eco Drive, Bertucci A-5s Ballista Illuminated
- Pros: Best-in-class lume brightness and longevity. 4:00 crown. Comes with multiple bands. Bezel timer. Better than avg water resist. Highly functional. USA Assembled. Phonetic alphabet on back of case.
- Cons: Heavier than average. Bezel increases thickness, decreases dial area. Raised crystal increases scratching vs recessed. Those optimizing for nocturnal performance may prefer tritium. Expensive. Warranty is shorter than average.
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Compare this to more options in our guide to the best field watches for hiking.
Checking lume glow inside a sea stack cave at low tide
Expanded Pros
Best-in-class-lume: Vaer C4’s remarkably impressive 3D-printed lume performed even better than I expected on a backcountry test shortly after winter solstice in Olympic National Park. It glowed brightly for many hours after sunset, and maintained legibility in the dark for over ten hours. 3D printed lume is the next frontier of field watch illumination, and something we hope to see a lot more of in the future. This relatively new technology is highly desirable and very much best-in-class. C4’slume outperforms every non-tritium watch I’ve ever worn, and is even brighter than tritium when fully charged.
4:00 crown: Bumping the crown placement down from 3:00 to 4:00 increases flushness and eliminates a massive potential pressure point on the back of your hand. It is incredibly beneficial for active users, and the only minor drawback is that it makes the crown a little bit harder to screw/unscrew. If I had my druthers, every watch would have a 4:00 crown; I hope Vaer makes more of their watches like this.
Legible dial: Kudos to Vaer on their legibly, clean dials, and C4 is no exception. There are very few unnecessary words or flourishes, and all of the hands and indices are easy to read in high contrast functional font. The only visually distracting elements are the numerals on the bezel, but they’re easy enough to ignore.
Better-than-average water resistance: A majority of field watches at this price point have only 100m of water resistance. Vaer C4 is reliably submersible and a great choice for all water-based activities from snorkeling to scuba.
Comes with multiple bands: It’s nice to have the option to choose between a two part rubber strap and pass through NATO strap. As an aside, VAER’s version of the NATO strap is quite nice, lighter and less bulky than average.
Bezel timer: The unidirectional bezel is a timer that adds another function to the timepiece.
NATO phonetic alphabet on back of watch: To decorate the backside of the watch case, Vaer thoughtfully wrote in the entire NATO phonetic alphabet, which may come in handy, or is at very least fun and interesting.
USA assembled: If you care, you care.
How it looks on a narrower wrist
Expanded Cons
Heavier and bulkier than average: Because of its stainless steel construction and additional ~2mm of bezel height, you likely won’t forget that you’re wearing the Vaer C4. Its weight and bulk is especially noticeable when compared to its titanium, bezel-less peers. Aesthetically, it may overwhelm narrower wrists. However, while this watch is overall larger than average, it doesn’t go way overboard in any dimension; I would describe it as large, but not extra large.
Raised crystal increases scratching potential: For a watch that is proclaiming to be optimized for ruggedness, the raised crystal is a surprise. Yes, sapphire is highly scratch resistant to begin with, and raising it above the bezel improves visibility. But a majority of scratches can be prevented entirely by recessing the crystal by a fraction of millimeter below the bezel. I think that a recessed crystal fits the design ethos of C4 better than raised, and I would have preferred that.
Most people won’t use the bezel, thus it’s a drawback: While it is nice to have the unidirectional bezel for timing, realistically, most people won’t actually use it in their day to day life. If you aren’t using it, the bezel is a major drawback because it increases the weight and thickness of the watch, adds visual noise, and eats a ton up diameter that could have been used on a wider dial, which would have in turn boosted legibility or decreased size/weight. It is also easily clogged by sand. At time of publication, my C4’s bezel is currently jammed in place after visiting the coast, and needs to be cleaned. My personal preference is a larger face without a unidirectional bezel
Price point competes with tritium options: Vaer C4’s best-in-class 3D printed lume numerals are its most unique and desirable characteristics, creating an incredibly legible glow late into the night. However, those with $500 to spend on a field watch desiring best-in-class nocturnal performance will likely be comparing this to options illuminated by tritium. Tritium is a safe radioactive compound encased in a glass tube that glows evenly and brightly for over a decade; no need to charge up in the sun, no fading at 3:00am. Tritium will outperform even the best lume in the early morning hours, in low/no sunlight environments, and around winter solstice and/or at northern latitudes when nights can be 16+ hours long. That being said, C4’s 3D printed lume doesn’t have a 12-year half life and its max performance won’t degrade over time. When fully charged, it is even brighter than your typical tritium tubes, and will maintain legibility all night for most of the year if fully charged.
More expensive than its peers: While C4 has no exact equal on the market thanks to a couple of notable characteristics that add cost (3D printed lume, unidirectional bezel, assembled in America, etc), its closest and most similar peers tend to cost $100-200 less. $500 is more expensive than most solar field watches.
Shorter-than-average warranty: Vaer offers a solid 2 year warranty, but many of its competitors offer 3-6 years.
Saltwater submersion
Who Should Choose It
Choose Vaer C4 Tactical Field Solar if…
- You want a highly functional and rugged field watch from a respected brand that can flex into diving
- You want the specific combination of solar power, 4:00 crown, 200 atm, best-in-class lume, and a unidirectional bezel timer
- You want the best, brightest, and longest lasting lume in existence
- You intend to actually use the bezel functionality
- You don’t have slender wrist and can comfortably wear larger watches
Don’t Choose Vaer C4 Tactical Field Solar if…
- You want to optimize your purchase for value; many similarly specced solar field watches exist for $200 less.
- You need perfect legibility in the early morning hours, and/or operate during winter in northern latitudes; in which case choose a watch with tritium illumination
- You prefer thinner, smaller, lighter weight watches; choose a timepiece with a ~38-40mm diameter, ~10mm thickness, no bezel, and made with a titanium case instead of stainless steel
- You’re prone to scratching the crystal, even sapphire rated; in which case choose a watch with a recessed – rather than raised – crystal
Close up on case and dial. So legible!
NATO phonetic alphabet engraved on back of case
VAER C4 Vs the competition
Vaer C4 vs C5 Tactical Field Solar
Comparing Vaer C4 vs C5 Tactical Field Solar generates obvious similarities: Same brand, same Epson VS42 movement, similar aesthetic, both stainless steel cases. The C5 is advantaged by its smaller case, lighter weight, date window, lower price point, and larger surface area of dial (because no bezel). But C4 offers an additional 100M of water resistance, brighter and longer lasting 3D-printed lume, a unidirectional bezel, and our beloved 4:00 crown placement. Between them, the C4 is the better watch in most ways, but C5 is more legible and easier to wear.
Vs Bertucci A-2TS Solar Classic
Comparing Vaer C4 vs Bertucci A-2TS Solar Classic, I immediately note that both watches utilize Epson VS solar powered movement, sapphire crystal, have a 4:00 crown, 200m of water resistance, and similarly sized dial (although the VAER has is a wider diameter watch, some of that is spent on the bezel). Advantages of the Vaer C4 are that it has a lume that is far superior in virtually every way – way brighter, longer lasting, 3-dimensional, and used on the numerals in addition to indices and hands. It also has a unidirectional bezel. Advantages of the Bertucci are that it has a smaller, lighter weight titanium case, slightly longer warranty, recessed crystal for scratch reduction, date window (if desired) and costs $200 less. Between these two watches, Vaer is the superior performer while the Bertucci is a better value.
Vs Momentum Atlas Eclipse
Comparing Vaer C4 vs Momentum Atlas Eclipse, we again see lots of similarities. Espon VS movement, C3 Super LumiNova, and sapphire crystal. Vaer C4 has better, brighter, longer lasting lume (via 3D printed numerals/indices, even though both are C3 SLN), an additional 100m of water resistance, a bezel timer, and a 4:00 crown to prevent back of hand stabbing. Atlas Eclipse wins out on price, costing only half as much, and for being smaller, thinner, and lighter weight with a titanium case. Between them, Vaer gives a better performance and Momentum is the better value.
Vs Citizen Garrison Eco Drive
Comparing Vaer C4 vs Citizen Garrison Eco Drive clearly shows that the Vaer is better. It has sapphire crystal vs mineral, 200 meters of water resistance vs 100 meters, best-in-class 3d-printed lume vs generic lume, Epson movement vs proprietary, 4:00 crown vs aggressively protruding 3:00, etc, etc. Really the only thing that Citizen has going for it is that it’s less expensive and way smaller.
Vs Bertucci A-5s Ballista Illuminated
Now here’s an interesting one – Vaer C4 vs Bertucci A-5s Ballista Illuminated. This really boils down to tritium vs best-in-class lume, which we will dive into shortly. But first, let’s compare the rest of the specs. Both watches have 200 meters of water resistance, sapphire crystal, 4:00 crowns, and a larger-than-average diameter. Both have great movement – Epson VS42 Solar on the Vaer, Swiss Ronda on the Bertucci. Both are long lasting; the Bertucci has a 10 year battery; the Vaer is solar and should last even longer. Apart from their illumination, there is some consideration for Vaer’s unidirectional bezel timer and Bertucci’s $100 lower price tag and lighter weight titanium case.
Now back to illumination. The Vaer’s 3D-printed C3 Super LumiNova numerals and indices are much brighter and longer lasting than Bertucci’s Swiss Superluminous lume. When fully charged, the Vaer is even brighter than tritium. Also in favor of lume, it’s not radioactive and will perform as promised forever, whereas tritium has a 12 year half life and its brightness will degrade slowly over decades. But in tritium’s favor, its glow is not dependent on sunlight charging, and outperforms even the best lume after the first few hours of bright glow fades. Tritium is preferable in the low light winter months and at extreme latitudes, especially for those who require great legibility all night long.
Raised crystal, even sapphire-rated, increases scratch potential compared to recessed crystal
Vaer C4 Watch Review Conclusion
Based on performance alone, Vaer C4 is the best solar field watch I’ve ever worn. On top of having the brightest, longest lasting lume in the biz, it boasts many other top tier specs, falling short of perfection only in regard to weight and bulk – I would have preferred a slightly smaller size and lighter weight titanium casing. Regardless, C4 is an exceptionally functional, rugged time piece to behold, and we recommend it extremely highly.
