A Quartet Of Compass Bezel Watches Fit For Epic Adventures

Summer is the time of year for fun in the sun, getting outdoors and simply enjoying life. So what better than to wear a suitable watch for whatever you’re doing? Swimming or scuba diving? Great, wear a dive watch! Travelling the globe? Awesome, wear a GMT watch? Heading into the mountains for a days-long trek? Cool, but what to wear? Field watches immediately come to mind, but I can do you one better; a field watch fitted with a compass bezel! So with that in mind, here’s a quartet of field watches that will guide you to where North, East, South or West are in case you end up lost on your adventures!

Before we strap up and head out into the open world, it’s perhaps a good idea to prepare a little. If you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere, and have no idea where you have to go, a watch with a compass bezel can be a literal lifesaver. But how does it work? How do you navigate with it? You have to start by pointing the hour hand in the direction of the sun. Then you set the bezel with the S (for South) to the position right between the hour hand and the 12 o’clock marker. Now you can find which way’s which, and navigate your way to safety. (See below, left)

Northern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

Mind you, this is when you’re in the northern hemisphere! If you’re in the southern hemisphere, you aim the 12 o’clock marker in the direction of the sun and set the bezel to indicate N (for North) precisely between the marker at noon and the hour hand. All this while holding your watch level of course, otherwise you might end up in a completely different place than where you really want to go! (See above, right).

Hamilton Khaki Field Expedition

The Khaki Field collection by Hamilton is a very successful long-running collection of watches built for the outdoors, but it was missing one key element to make it perfect for explorations. The Khaki Field Expedition fixes that, with the introduction of a bidirectional rotating compass bezel. The four main directions are scaled down onto the bezel, with markings in between to quickly find your way. It comes in two sizes, with multiple dial colours on offer, and a range of straps and bracelets. The movement is the automatic H-10, Hamilton’s version of Swatch Group’s Powermatic 80 calibre. Prices range from EUR 1,065 to EUR 1,195.

For more information, please visit HamiltonWatch.com.

Quick Facts – 37mm or 41mm x 11.5mm – stainless steel case, brushed – rotating compass bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – 100m water resistant – matte white, navy or black dial – luminous hands & markers – Calibre H-10, automatic winding – 21,600vph – 80h power reserve – Nivachron hairspring – hours, minutes, seconds – NATO-style textile strap, leather strap or stainless steel bracelet (white & black dial only) – Priced between EUR 1,065 and EUR 1,195

Seiko Prospex alpinist SPB377 & SPB379

About a year ago, Seiko expanded its emblematic exploration watch, the Prospex Alpinist, with GMT functionality. Although it’s an Office GMT and not a Traveller’s GMT, it very much added a dose of versatility and practicality to the watch. The SPB377 in blue, and the SPB379 in black, received a 24-hour scale and central GMT hand. Of course, it also has its internal compass bezel, adjusted by rotating the secondary crown at 4′. This is even more precise compared to other types of compass bezels, as it has a printed scale to aid navigation even more. Worn on leather straps, both retail EUR 1,200.

For more information, please visit SeikoWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 39.5mm x 13.6mm – stainless steel case – fixed 24h bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – screw-down crown with secondary crown for inner compass bezel – 200m water-resistant – blue or black dial – central hour, minute, seconds and GMT hand – Calibre 6R54, in-house automatic – 24 jewels – 21,600vph – 72h power reserve – blue or black smooth leather strap with steel folding clasp – EUR 1,200

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Carbo² 0 Oxygen limited edition

With the 1858 Geosphere collection, Montblanc has seriously ventured into the world of mountaineering. This latest edition, limited to 1969 pieces, has a zero oxygen CARBO² case with a luminous outline of the Mont Blanc in the caseband. On top is a titanium and ceramic rotating compass bezel, with a titanium caseback finished with a laser-engraved image of the peak of the Mont Blanc. It also has a dual hemisphere Worldtimer display, day/night indication, a second timezone counter at 9′ and the date, courtesy of the MB29.25 movement. Worn on a black rubber strap with a folding clasp and interchangeability system, it retails for EUR 8,900.

For more information, please visit Montblanc.com.

Quick Facts – 43.5mm x 13mm – zero oxygen CARBO² recycled carbon case – engraved luminous outline of the Mont Blanc – compass bezel – sapphire crystal – titanium caseback with 3D laser engraved image of the Mont Blanc – black & white Sfumato glacier dial – cathedral hour & minute hands – MB29.25 (Sellita SW300 base) – in-house worldtime complication – approx. 42h power reserve – black rubber strap with folding clasp & interchangeability system – limited to 1969 pieces – EUR 8,900

Bremont Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power reserve

Earlier this year Bremont revamped a large part of its range of watches and introduced a whole range of new models, including this Terra Nova 40.5 Turning Bezel Power Reserve. The name already says a lot, and it’s actually quite a complete package. The dial is finished with solid luminous blocks and displays the central hours and minutes, small seconds, date and the power reserve. On top of the stainless steel case, is a rotating compass bezel with black markings to find your way. It comes on a stainless steel bracelet, leather or NATO straps and prices are either EUR 4,150 or EUR 4,450.

For more information, please visit Bremont.com.

Quick Facts – 40.5mm x 11.91mm – stainless steel case, brushed and polished – sapphire crystal – sealed caseback – 100m water-resistant – anthracite or blue dial with 3D Super-LumiNova numerals and indices – BE-79AL, automatic movement (Sellita base) – 28,800vph – 41h power reserve – quick-release stainless steel bracelet EUR 4,450 – nubuck leather strap EUR 4,150 – NATO strap EUR 4,150