How to use a Watch as a Compass
August 28, 2011, Submitted by: Ken Tweet
A surprisingly simple and easy way to use your watch as a compass only requires having enough sunlight to cast a shadow, and a twig.
If you ever become lost, and do not have a compass, you can fairly easily discover your direction. One way is with your wrist watch. The accuracy of this method is within 8 degrees (US and Canada).
A requirement for accuracy is that your watch is properly set to the correct time of day.
Use a twig to cast a shadow across the watch face and rotate your wrist, or the watch, until the hour hand lines up with the cast shadow.
Then, the halfway point between that shadow (hour hand) and the 12-oclock position, will be pointing toward true south. Try it at home to see for yourself. It’s pretty neat!
If you’re ever lost, even without a map, but you know the general direction that will intersect with a road, all you need is your watch (and a little sunlight) to point you in the right direction.
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That is very cool! I assume that similar apples for the UK, as we are at comparable latitudes?
I’d add that I don’t wear a watch, but I can estimate the time pretty well from the time of year and the position of the sun – if I had a good think about it, I’m pretty sure I could find south with the sun alone.
In the Southern hemisphere, you can also use your watch to find North.
Point the hour hand at the sun, and 12 points North.
Don’t forget to adjust the result for Daylight Saving / Summer Time.
Incorrect.
In the southern hemisphere, you point 12 at the sun, and halfway between 12 and the hour hand is north.
Exactly correct. Using a watch as a compass in the southern hemisphere, align the sun’s shadow on 12-oclock and then NORTH points between that shadow and the hour hand.
Where should the shadow fall on my digital watch? ;^)
Right next to your digital compass
Good one! That made me laugh