Compass watches can come as your classic analog wrist piece or in the form of a newer smartwatch. No matter your time-telling preferences, there are a number of great compass watches on the market that can keep you moving in the right direction. If a compass is an important feature for you on a watch, you can certainly choose an analog watch from a brand like Casio or Timex. But if you are in search of a watch with a compass that can do a whole lot more, analog and smartwatches are both available at higher price points with lots of other features.
We’ve put together a comprehensive list of some of the best watches you can find with a compass or complete navigation system. The list is in descending order of price, with smartwatch options at the top.
1. Garmin Epix GPS Smartwatch
Price: $1169.99 – $1299.99
The fitness, health, and safety tracking features on the Garmin Epix are the same as those of the Garmin Fenix, with health monitoring, fitness tracking, GPS capability, tons of stats and metrics for your review, music and smart connectivity, and Garmin Pay. The Epix does not come with a solar charging option like the Fenix models do, but you can upgrade to their Sapphire Glass.
Because of all these similarities, the Epix and Fenix are around the same price. One feature that does set the Epix apart from Fenix is its high-resolution touch screen display at almost double the number of pixels.
2. Garmin Fenix 7 GPS Smartwatch
Garmin made a huge name for itself in the world of multisport GPS watches with their Fenix series, with the 7 model being the newest addition. In short, this smartwatch has it all. The GPS system is reliable and accurate, just as you can expect its basic compass to be.
The Fenix 7 can also track a whole host of fitness activities and keep you connected for safety’s sake while you work out. You can pick from their numerous running profiles, gym profiles, outdoor sports activities, yoga, Pilates, and many more.
Many are beginning to prefer this smartwatch over some of Garmin’s other options as it has a touch screen display, which adds to its usefulness for adventurers and fitness enthusiasts.
Overall, the Fenix 7 is worth its hefty price, and keeps you connected to your phone in many ways that other watches on this list cannot. You can even upgrade to tougher glass or to the solar charging Fenix 7.
3. Polar Grit X Pro
Price: from $724.99
The Grit X Pro also commands a relatively high price, but boasts quality and features to match. It is a watch that can handle almost any environment while also offering 100-meter water resistance, incredible GPS accuracy, an amazingly long battery life of one week (when you consider all the displayed features), and a durable unisex-style watch case that looks good on both men and women. A few handy and impressive GPS features to help guide your workouts include Polar’s Track Back, turn-by-turn guidance, and elevation profiles.
4. Suunto 5 Peak
Price: $429.99
The 5 Peak is one of Suunto’s newest additions to their GPS smartwatch lineup. All the helpful navigation features from the 9 Peak come packed in a light 39 grams and within a compact 43mm case. Suunto brand watches tend not to be quite as durable as Garmin’s GPS smartwatches, but Suunto also offers a much lower price tag.
Garmin may also offer more in the way of activity tracking, but Suunto’s GPS and compass systems are on par with Garmin, and offer more than enough data to help you navigate wherever you happen to be going.
5. Casio PRO TREK (PAG240T-7) Compass Watch
Price: $330
Casio’s PAG240T PRO TREK traditional watch has a solid, 51mm stainless steel case, mineral glass, a digital display, and a titanium band. It also has a unique resistance to low temperatures for adventures in all seasons. These features make the PRO TREK an optimal adventure and sports watch.
This watch is solar-powered with triple sensors, which provide an altimeter, barometer, thermometer, and, of course, a compass reading.
Furthermore, it offers a useful backlight with an after-glow which gives the watch great readability in low lighting. It can show 31 time zones and displays them with the city code.
The Casio PRO TREK also has up to five alarms, optional daylight savings mode, and will tell you how much battery power you have left. The time format is your choice of 12 or 24 hours. It also has a timer with countdown feature, a calendar that updates itself, a battery-saving mode and is water-resistant up to 100m (good for pool swimming, but this is not a diving watch).
6. Casio G-Shock GA-1000-8A
Price: $250
This Casio model is heavy, at just under 81g. It has both a digital and analog display on a round face. The band is 25.4mm and both case and band are resin. The heavy design adds to the watch’s durability and ruggedness, and, along with the G-Shock’s water resistance, makes this a great compass, swimming watch, and all-around sports watch.
The design is unique, too, with a grey and black dial and powerful yellow accents. The backlight helps users see the display no matter the time of day. It features a thermometer and compass, as well as a reliable calendar that tells you the day, date, and month.
7. Suunto Core Outdoor Sports Watch
Price: $209.99
Suunto is one of the sport watch brands that put more attention on style and design than some other brands. The Core is quite sleek compared with many other outdoor watches, with a smooth wristband, small dials, and few embellishments. But beneath this simple design are some great features, especially when you consider the lower price. The battery can last up to a year, but also makes this watch a bit heavier on your wrist. Overall, this is a great starter watch for someone getting into outdoor sports like hiking, climbing, running, or biking, who isn’t ready to invest a lot of money. The Core still offers a compass, altimeter, storm alarm, barometer, and water resistance to 98 feet. See more of our Suunto watch and smartwatch reviews here.
8. Casio SGW500H-1BV
Price: $99.95
This Casio has striking black and blue coloring, with the blue accents on the band, buttons, and bezel.
The case measures just shy of 49mm, and it offers water-resistance up to 100m, so you can comfortably take it swimming or snorkeling.
It can tell the time in up to 48 cities and offers that time in a 12 or 24hr format. The digital compass is easy to use and accurate. It also offers a countdown timer, stopwatch, and thermometer. Everything about this Casio model makes using your watch easier: big buttons, a large display, and a combined analog/digital format.
9. Timex Expedition
Price: Around $70
Anything you buy from Timex is going to serve you well. The Expedition has a digital display with a black face, while the band, bezel, and case are all resin, meaning this watch is ready for tough treatment. The case itself is 48mm by 16mm, so slightly smaller than others mentioned here.
It has an ISO-certified shock-resistance rating, as well as Timex’s signature Indiglo backlight for seeing in low lighting (you can learn more about the Indiglo collection here), a calendar displaying the date, and of course a well-protected digital compass. It also offers a superb water-resistance rating of 2ATM (200m), so you can safely embark on above-surface sports, though it’s still not recommended for diving.
10. AVTREK Outdoor Digital Compass Watch
Price: $39.99
This is one of the most cost-efficient compass watches you can find and possibly one of the most comfortable. For the price, you will sacrifice some accuracy, but this watch is still a great way to teach older kids and teenagers about outdoor survival using the digital compass, atmospheric pressure sensor, and altitude sensor. The low price on the AVTREK Outdoor Watch also makes it a good way to transition from traditional wrist pieces to smartwatches with more connectivity options.
Last Updated on November 5, 2022
Bernadette has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (where she lives). She has a passion for writing and we like her contribution and style to our blog. Bernadette loves the outdoors and things like hiking, camping, and biking. Wishing she could travel more.
Bernadette is an editor, writer and proofreader for Superwatches. Currently lives in Alberta Canada.