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Looking for a automatic watch with an automatic compass.
- Thread starter Big Papa
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I'm just curious, I know almost nothing about watches (I do know what being an "automatic"means-self winding) but what's an automatic compass?
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I would be thinking a self winding watch with a free swinging compass needle. that would be really cool, but I wonder if you could make a fluid filled auto watch? I'm thinking the fluid would screw up the watch movement....
Cougar Allen
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What do you mean, an automatic compass? 
You could get a Suunto watchband compass and clip it to the band of your automatic watch....
You could get a Suunto watchband compass and clip it to the band of your automatic watch....
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You can use any watch as a compass if you can tell where the sun is in the sky and know where you are on the earth. 
I personally don't recal having ever seen an automatic watch with a bult in compass and have no idea what an "automatic compass" might be either, I suppose all compasses are automatic in that they will show north with no prompting. There are a few digital watches that have compasses on them and there are of course the external watch compasses like the one Cougar posted. One is usually better off just buying a good compass to keep in a pack or jacket pocket if its something that will be used or needed.
I personally don't recal having ever seen an automatic watch with a bult in compass and have no idea what an "automatic compass" might be either, I suppose all compasses are automatic in that they will show north with no prompting. There are a few digital watches that have compasses on them and there are of course the external watch compasses like the one Cougar posted. One is usually better off just buying a good compass to keep in a pack or jacket pocket if its something that will be used or needed.
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There are some oil filled dive watches available. Helps them withstand greater water pressure as the oil inside wont compress like air would. I'd be fairly sure the movement has to be specially designed for the increased drag of the oil. Never seen a compass built into a mechanical watch. I wonder if the magnetic field given off by the needle would affect the accuracy, or if compass needles aren't that magnetic.
I assume by automatic what you are really interested in is that the watch doesn't need batteries.
For analog watches you can easily get the no batteries bit covered. Almost every watch maker has a mechanical or solar powered watch available. I can't think of any that have compasses built in. If you are going for maximum timekeeping accuracy you'll want to look for a "solar powered analog quartz" watch. Citizen makes some fairly dressy ones in their eco-drive series if memory serves. Mechanical watches are less accurate than quartz watches so you might want to avoid those.
Digital watches are easier. There is for example the casio protek series which is solar powered and have digital compasses.
http://www.protrek.casio.com/watches
Personally I don't trust digital compasses since they need calibrating and I got lost the one time I actually tried to use one. There was probably some user error there though so feel free to take that with a bit of salt.
Another way to go is like others have said is to just get whatever watch you like and add a small compass to your strap. Those little compasses are a pain though if you actually want to do any real navigation. If you want to plot a course off a map for example nothing beats those squared off big compasses with the rotating bezel. That's what I carry when out in the woods.
You can also orient yourself somewhat using a watch (no compass) and these instructions. http://www.wikihow.com/Use-an-Analog-Watch-as-a-Compass
For analog watches you can easily get the no batteries bit covered. Almost every watch maker has a mechanical or solar powered watch available. I can't think of any that have compasses built in. If you are going for maximum timekeeping accuracy you'll want to look for a "solar powered analog quartz" watch. Citizen makes some fairly dressy ones in their eco-drive series if memory serves. Mechanical watches are less accurate than quartz watches so you might want to avoid those.
Digital watches are easier. There is for example the casio protek series which is solar powered and have digital compasses.
http://www.protrek.casio.com/watches
Personally I don't trust digital compasses since they need calibrating and I got lost the one time I actually tried to use one. There was probably some user error there though so feel free to take that with a bit of salt.
Another way to go is like others have said is to just get whatever watch you like and add a small compass to your strap. Those little compasses are a pain though if you actually want to do any real navigation. If you want to plot a course off a map for example nothing beats those squared off big compasses with the rotating bezel. That's what I carry when out in the woods.
You can also orient yourself somewhat using a watch (no compass) and these instructions. http://www.wikihow.com/Use-an-Analog-Watch-as-a-Compass
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Just because I've never heard or seen one doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but I have never seen a mechanical watch with a built in compass. Anything magnetic is definitely a no-no for mechanical watches. The closest thing I can think of which was VERY cool is the Tissot T-Touch, which is quartz so it is battery operated. But unlike digital watches, the T-Touch has analog hands that double up as a pseudo free floating needle. Go youtube Tissot T-Touch compass and check it out, I used to own one (gave it to my dad) and would always activate the compass function for kicks. Other than that, a cheaper option is a Casio (forgot which model) which has a similar function of analog hands that will behave like a compass needle when activated.
Any watch can be used to find direction without a compass provided you can see the sun.
NORTH of the equator --- hold the watch level, point the hour hand in the sun's direction (you can also place a twig or blade of grass sticking up from the edge of the watches case at the end of the hour hand and have the hour hand along/under the twigs shadow), bisect the angle between the hour hand and the twelve o'clock mark (in DST bisect the angle between the hour hand and the one o'clock mark). That bisect line is running South in the direction you are facing.
SOUTH of the equator --- hold the watch level, point the twelve o'clock position in the sun's direction (you can also place a twig or blade of grass sticking up from the edge of the watches case at the twelve o'clock position and have the twigs shadow fall across the center of the watch face/across the watch hand's pivot pin), bisect the angle between the hour hand and the twelve o'clock mark to get the north-south line. That bisect line is running NORTH in the direction you are facing.
You can do the same with digital watches. Just pretend the digital watch has a dial and hands. This is as accurate as button compasses you'd put on a watch strap
NORTH of the equator --- hold the watch level, point the hour hand in the sun's direction (you can also place a twig or blade of grass sticking up from the edge of the watches case at the end of the hour hand and have the hour hand along/under the twigs shadow), bisect the angle between the hour hand and the twelve o'clock mark (in DST bisect the angle between the hour hand and the one o'clock mark). That bisect line is running South in the direction you are facing.
SOUTH of the equator --- hold the watch level, point the twelve o'clock position in the sun's direction (you can also place a twig or blade of grass sticking up from the edge of the watches case at the twelve o'clock position and have the twigs shadow fall across the center of the watch face/across the watch hand's pivot pin), bisect the angle between the hour hand and the twelve o'clock mark to get the north-south line. That bisect line is running NORTH in the direction you are facing.
You can do the same with digital watches. Just pretend the digital watch has a dial and hands. This is as accurate as button compasses you'd put on a watch strap
Unless purposefully built for magnetic environments the danger to a mechanical watch is magnetizing its mainspring which will cause the watch to run stupidly fast. Should that ever occur, degaussing a watch is a simple matter.
That said, a compass needle will not generate a magnetic field great enough to magnetize a watch's mainspring. Setting a mechanical watch on a speaker or refrigerator is another matter.
Correct --- compass needles aren't that magnetic.
Doesn't have to be an analog watch. With a digital watch, just pretend the watch has a dial and hands.
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I was taught to just draw a watch face on paper or even the ground with a stick if you don't have an analog watch.
It doesn't theoretically even have to be a watch. If you know the time (phone, sundial, whatever) and what hemisphere you're in you can work out the rest.
I was taught to just draw a watch face on paper or even the ground with a stick if you don't have an analog watch.
It doesn't theoretically even have to be a watch. If you know the time (phone, sundial, whatever) and what hemisphere you're in you can work out the rest.
Yes, you do need to know what time it is. That and knowing where the sun is are the requirements.
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Once you know how it becomes automatic.
Rotating compass bezel is non-essential but nice if you like the look.
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