I purchased both color treatments to accomodate all load-out situations. I do prefer the brown model's dial/face and how much more legible the numbers are, and the contrast of the backlight against the numbers is also better. This black version can be hard to read in light or dark, with or without the backlight. The numbers wash out and the legibility drastically diminishes. I've found myself only reaching for the black model when I intentionally want to have all my apparel accessories blacked out.