Carabiner Compass Watch Black or Silver

The time, without a watch on your wrist.

There are plenty of jobs where a wristwatch is not an option. It is banned on site, or it catches on machinery, or you are in gloves all day and by the time you have peeled one off to dig the phone out you have forgotten why you wanted the time. So you stop checking. You lose track of the afternoon, and you walk the last hour back to camp in the dark.

This one clips to a pack strap, a belt loop, a vest or a D-ring and sits where you can see it. Quartz analog movement, big black numerals on a luminous dial, a red 13–24 inner ring for anyone who works in 24-hour time, and a built-in compass to get you pointed the right way. Wear-resistant alloy body, black or silver.

Be clear on what it is, though. The carabiner is a clip for hanging the watch off your gear — it is not climbing hardware and it must never take a load. The compass gives you a rough bearing, not a navigation fix. And it is water resistant to 10 m, which covers rain and a splash and nothing beyond that. Read the Limits tab before you order.

What It Does

• Time you can see: clipped to the pack strap or a shoulder D-ring it sits in your eyeline — no digging a phone out with wet or gloved hands.
• Keeps you honest about daylight: a glance every so often tells you whether you have time to push on to the next camp or whether you are setting up right here.
• A bearing before you commit: enough to work out roughly which way is north before you take a side track, rather than after.
• Off the wrist on the tools: no strap to catch on machinery, and nothing sitting on your wrist to smash against a rock or a chassis rail.
• Readable in the dark: the dial takes a charge off daylight and glows, so you can check the time without hunting up a torch.

Key Features

• Quartz analog movement: battery driven — nothing to wind and no charging cable to remember.
• Spring-gate carabiner clip: goes on one-handed to a pack strap, belt loop, vest or D-ring.
• Built-in compass: gives you a rough bearing. Type and accuracy not specified by supplier.
• Luminous dial: charges off daylight and glows in low light.
• 24-hour inner ring: red 13–24 numerals inside the main hour track for anyone planning in 24-hour time.
• Minute scale on the bezel: outer ring marked 15, 30 and 45 with a red index triangle.
• Wear-resistant alloy body: one-piece case with the clip built in — no strap and no lugs to snap off.
• Steel or anodised case back: stainless steel on the silver, black anodised on the black.
• Two colours: polished silver or matt black, same watch either way.
• Water resistant to 10 m: rain and splash only. Not for swimming, showering or diving — see Limits.

Limits

Straight up, here is what this watch will not do. None of it is a reason to skip it — it is a reason to use it for what it is.

• Rain and splash only: 10 m is the lowest water rating there is. Take it off before you swim, shower, wash up, do the dishes, wade a river or get in the surf. It is not a dive watch. Water at any real pressure will get past a 10 m seal, and once it is in the movement it is done.
• The clip is not climbing gear: it is there to hang the watch off a pack or a belt loop, nothing else. It carries no load rating, it is not rated for climbing, and it must never hold a person's weight or anything you cannot afford to drop. If you want a carabiner you can trust with a load, buy one built for it — the XINDA rock climbing carabiner rated to 22 kN is the right tool for that job.
• A rough bearing, not navigation: a compass built into a watch is pulled about by nearby steel, magnets, vehicle bodies, the bonnet you are leaning on and the watch's own swing. It gets you pointed the right way. It does not replace a proper baseplate compass, a map or a GPS, and it should not be the only thing you are relying on in country you do not know.
• Not a smart watch: it is an analog quartz watch. No GPS, no Bluetooth, no step count, no phone connection, no notifications.
• The glow fades: luminous paint has to be charged by light and it dims through the night. It is enough to read the time by; it is not a substitute for a torch.
• The battery will need replacing: a quartz movement runs on a cell. The type and the expected life are not specified by supplier — any watch repairer can identify it and fit a new one.
• Not a certified instrument: there is no timekeeping accuracy figure, no compass accuracy figure and no shock or dust rating from the supplier. Treat it as a practical everyday watch, not as test equipment.

Q & A

Can I swim, shower or wash up with it on?

No. It is water resistant to 10 m, which is rain and splash and nothing more. Swimming, showering, washing up, water sports and diving are all outside what that rating covers. Take it off first.

Can I clip it to a harness or use it as a real carabiner?

No. The clip carries no load rating and it is not climbing hardware. It hangs a watch off a pack strap or a belt loop. If you need a carabiner that takes a load, buy a rated one — the XINDA rock climbing carabiner rated to 22 kN is built for it.

Is the compass good enough to navigate with?

It is good enough to tell you roughly which way you are facing, which is genuinely useful when you step off a track and want to know which way you came in. It is not good enough to navigate on. Steel, magnets, a vehicle body and the watch swinging on its clip all pull it around. Carry a proper compass and a map, or a GPS.

How big is it and what does it weigh?

Not specified by supplier. It is a clip-on fob watch sized to hang off a pack strap or a belt loop, not a wrist watch.

What battery does it take?

Not specified by supplier. It is a standard quartz watch cell and any watch repairer or jeweller can identify it and fit a replacement in a couple of minutes.

Will the dial glow all night?

It charges off daylight and glows in the dark. How long it holds is not specified by supplier, and like every luminous dial it dims as the night goes on. Do not plan on it instead of a head torch.

How long is delivery and what does it cost?

Ten to fourteen days from the day you order — allow up to three weeks, and longer again if you are regional or remote. Shipping is free to Australia and New Zealand.

Specs