If you’re an avid adventurer, you’re probably intimately acquainted with your compass. But having to fiddle with a small compass or fish it out of your pocket when your hands are full with your water bottle or hiking poles can be annoying - This is where a compass watch comes in handy.
Whether you’re a hiker trying to find your route or a professional pilot who needs to navigate across oceans, a compass watch is a useful addition to your navigation tools. Read on to learn all about compass watch complications and their uses.
What is a Compass Watch?
A compass watch is a timepiece with a built-in compass complication. They’re great for traveling, hiking, and other adventures where you might need help with navigation. Timex Expedition Tide-Temp-Compass watches feature compass bezels and an additional 4th hand on the dial so you can use the function while still telling the time.
How to Use a Compass Watch
A compass watch sets your heading and keeps you on track when you’re enjoying a hike, sailing the seven seas (or the Great Lakes) or even the stars. It might look confusing at first but once you get familiar with the controls of your Timex compass watch, using it is simple.
There are more in-depth instructions on our Expedition North® Tide-Temp-Compass User Guide but here is a brief overview:
- Remove your watch and hold it level. Pull the crown to the middle position.
- Press the "compass" push button – The indicator hand will rotate twice to remind you to rotate the watch. While level, SLOWLY rotate your watch two revolutions, taking at least 15 seconds per revolution. This is critical in achieving proper calibration.
- When you're done, ensure the watch is still level before pushing any button. The indicator hand will move back and forth to let you know calibration is complete. It will then move to your current declination setting.
- If you don’t need to set the declination angle, push the crown in now. Otherwise, to have the watch automatically compensate for the declination angle, turn the compass ring until north is at 12 o'clock. Press either the "tide" or "temp" push buttons to move the indicator hand east (+) or west (-) to point to your location's declination angle (If needed, use the declination scale in our Product User Manual available on the product page). Hold the push button to move the hand fast.
- When done, push the crown back in to finish calibration.
- Now you can use your compass – the indication hand will point north, allowing you to navigate where you need to go.
Please note: these instructions are for the Timex Tide-Temp-Compass watches and other brands may not work the exact same way. Check your watch’s brand instructions for details.
What’s the declination?
The declination is the difference between the angle of true north (a fixed point on the earth) and magnetic north (the direction a compass needle points as it aligns with the Earth’s magnetic field). The declination point will differ depending on your hemisphere, your elevation, time, and geological features nearby as well as nearby objects with a magnetic field.
In the northern hemisphere, magnetic north is generally west of true north, while in the southern hemisphere, it is often east of true north. This variation is important when setting your compass watch’s declination angle, ensuring your compass remains accurate no matter where you are.
Maintaining Your Compass Watch
Maintaining your compass watch, is important but fairly simple. Make sure you clean your watch with a lint-free cloth after every wear to remove day-to-day grime and keep an eye on the battery life – typically they last between 1-3 years (and sometimes up to 10 years) but will need replacing once they die. Every few years, ensure you take your watch for a service by a professional service to keep it ticking smoothly for years to come.
Timex Compass Watches
Tech-savvy adventurers will love our range of compass watches. The Timex Tide-Temp-Compass collection will help you keep track of your location, read the air or water temperature, and track your local tide, enabling you to make the most of your adventures. Stay on track and keep good time with the Expedition Tide-Temp-Compass watch – ideal for sailing, rafting, and paddle boarding.
The Intelligent QuartzⓇ Tide-Temp-Compass watch is the perfect harmony of sophisticated style and technological innovation. This watch is extremely accurate, keeping you on track and on time while offering the same useful features as our Expedition Tide-Temp-Compass watches: tide tracking, temperature measurement, an electronic compass complication, and water resistance up to 100 meters. Perfect for avid adventurers and expert explorers alike.
Key Takeaway
A compass watch is a watch with a compass complication built in. Once calibrated, the compass will point north, helping you to navigate through the wilderness, over the seven seas, or even across a new city with ease. Our range of compass watches are ideal for adventurers – with plenty of other useful, innovative features and accurate movements that keep you on track from street to summit and back again.
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