Compass Watches

Featured review by Charles Polidano

Solar-powered altimeter, barometer and compass (ABC) watch with temperature sensor, world time, stopwatch, and timer.

The Casio PRG270 Suunto and Garmin watches represent the gold standard in hikers’ watches and the Casio PRG270 will inevitably be compared to them. However, it should be kept in mind that the PRG270 is basically an altimeter, barometer and compass (ABC) watch, with the addition of a temperature sensor, world time, stopwatch and timer. It does not have GPS or advanced athletics functions, and it does not connect to your smartphone like the Garmin Fenix 3. Leaving aside these key differences, the main advantage of the PRG270 over Suunto and Garmin watches is that it is solar-powered.

Read more: Casio Pro Trek reviews (2)

Reviewed by Evan

Features for days! Altimeter, barometer, compass, thermometer, sunrise/sunset data, and much more. Ease of Use: This is something that I felt could use some help. I may be spoiled on the ease of touch screens now, but cycling through all the menus is a pain. Price For a solar powered "ABC" watch with a ton of features that can stand up to the abuse the Rangeman can and still look great, I think the price is a steal.

While the Rangeman may be the best G Shock watch on the market, it doesn't mean it's the best choice for everyone. Don't know if it's right for you? Just take our little test and see which side you fall on: It's for you You enjoy the outdoors You need a watch that can take some abuse You like knowing things like your current altitude, the exact minute the sun will set, or exactly which way North is You own at least one article of camo clothing It's not for you You have bad eyesight You don't ever leave your house You don't know what a barometer is You've never spent more than $100 for a watch G Shock Rangeman Watch Features Barometer Before the days of weathermen and weather apps, we had to figure out ourselves if it was going to rain.

Read more: Casio G-Shock Series review (1)

Featured review by Bill S

Timex provided me with two of their outdoor watches at the Outdoor Retailer Show for review. They are the Expedition WS-4 and the Expedition e-Altimeter (W257). The e-Altimeter is one of several "analog" watches with special instrumentation for various aspects of outdoor use. The series is really a "street" watch, more for showing your "lifestyle" than for real use in the outdoors. The watch itself is rather large and heavy on the wrist, although you get used to it after a while.

Read more: Timex Expedition WS4 reviews (2)

Featured review by Charles Polidano

Solar-powered altimeter, barometer and compass (ABC) watch with radio time calibration, temperature sensor, world time, stopwatch, and timer.

  The Casio PRW3500 digital hiking watch in compass mode, with three dots representing north and single dots representing the other points of the compass The Casio PRW3500 is one of the older models in Casio’s Pro Trek series of hiking watches (previously known as the Pathfinder series). I believe it has been discontinued, but it is still available for sale. This watch looks basic. It has no fancy graphics, just a digital display reminiscent of the 1980s. It is an altimeter–barometer–compass (ABC) watch with a temperature sensor and world time.

Read more: Casio Pathfinder reviews (10)

Featured review by Mystro

I decided to complete my Suunto "Black Collection" with the Observer SR "Black Collection". I wanted a smaller more stealth size watch for under my hunting/fishing gear and it had to be tough and have bullet proof reliability. It is a much simpler animal than my X6M and is thinner and smaller. It feels solid on the wrist but could be worn without notice for days. Its stainless steel construction is solid and has just the right amount of weight without feeling heavy. Just like the X6M, the Observer is made and built in FINLAND and it feels like it.

Read more: Suunto Observer reviews (3)

Featured review by Tony

The Suunto Vector is bomb proof! I've owned mine for about three years and I've had no glitches at all. THE LOOKS: The piece is quite large, but I'm a husky dude so it doesn't seem abnormally big on my wrist. I have the black model with the indistinct orange bevel on the inside. Very nice and understated. If you're a flashy personality, try one of the many colors; but be advised that yes, the size of the watch, coupled with a boisterous color will make your wrist look fatter... THE FIT: It's contoured nicely to comfortably fit on your arm; no binding, no discomfort.

Read more: Suunto Vector reviews (7)

Featured review by JTroxell

I've had this watch for 1.5 years and have found it to be quite reliable.Pros: altimeter works well, easy to use (much more intuitive than Suunto Vector that I saw), useful configuration options, replaceable battery, very comfortable wrist band, looks goodCons: brushed titanium face scuffs easily - will not always look new; the graphical representation of altitude change over time doesn't make sense to me.Overall I really like this watch. I've used it numerous times for measuring cumulative elevation gain over local routes that we mountain bike on.

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