If a watch crown has ever poked you in the back of the hand, take a look at the Bertucci DX3 Edge Sahara. The little knob you use to set the time sits at four o’clock, a little farther from where your wrist bends. It’s my favorite detail on this $125 field watch, and you don’t need to climb a mountain to appreciate it. Leaning on a desk will do.

I teach special education, and one of the better arguments for wearing my smartwatch is that I use timers throughout the school day. But sometimes I just want to glance down, see how much of a 20-minute reading session is left, and get back to what I’m doing. That’s where an analog watch earns its spot on my wrist.

The Sahara is mostly about the strap

Bertucci calls this version the Sahara, which, given that I live in the Utah desert, means I can probably count it as camouflage.

What I like about the color scheme is how well the pieces work together. The tan numerals pick up the color of the woven nylon strap, while the black dashes down the middle of the strap match the matte black case. The light-colored hands are easy to pick out against the charcoal dial. There’s also a smaller 24-hour scale tucked inside the main numerals, if your day occasionally requires translating 1400 into “I have a meeting in five minutes.”

The strap has a practical detail of its own: you can fold the extra length back through the keepers. I appreciate that more than another inch of nylon sticking out from the side of my wrist.

What does $125 get you?

The DX3 Edge has a 40 mm fiber-reinforced polycarbonate case, a Japanese quartz movement, and a battery Bertucci rates for about three years. I usually gravitate toward automatic watches, but quartz makes sense for someone who rotates through a collection. Leave this one on the dresser for a week, and you can pick it up Monday morning without having to set the time.

Bertucci also rates it for 100 meters of water resistance, and the luminous hands and markers charge from light. The specification that gives me pause is the mineral crystal. I don’t mind a nylon strap looking worn. A scratch right across the spot where I’m trying to read the minute hand would bother me considerably more. If sapphire is on your must-have list, I’d keep looking.

Would I put the DX3 Edge Sahara on a $125 shortlist? Yes, especially for someone who wants a light watch and likes this strap enough to leave it on. The strap, the dial, and that little four o’clock crown are what make this particular Bertucci worth a look. And if the most demanding expedition on your calendar is getting through the school day, I think that counts.

View the Bertucci DX3 Edge Sahara, model 11162, on Bertucci’s website.