COLMI V76 GPS Smartwatch | Compass, Altimeter & Bluetooth Calls

Stop Fishing the Phone Out for a Bearing.

You are on a ridge with the light going, the phone is zipped in the bottom of the pack, and you want three things: which way is north, how high you are, and whether the weather is turning. So the pack comes off, the phone comes out with cold wet hands, and one slip on the rock is a cracked screen. Then there is no map, no call and no torch either.

The COLMI V76 puts a compass, a barometer and an altimeter on your wrist, with a GPS chip inside the watch itself, so the bearing and the height are a glance away and the phone stays dry in the pack. Calls come through to the watch over Bluetooth, and the maker quotes 7 to 10 days of daily use from the 500 mAh battery between charges.

Straight up about what it is: a well-specified outdoor smartwatch, not a navigation unit and not a dive watch. The maker prints IP68, which covers rain, sweat and a dunk, and gives no ATM figure for swimming. There are no maps, no SOS and no satellite messaging. If you need someone to find you out of phone range, that is a job for a personal locator beacon, and this watch sits alongside one rather than replacing it.

What it Does

• Bearing on the Hill: the built-in compass gives you north without the phone coming out, on a walk, a muster or a drive into unfamiliar country.
• Height & Weather Trend: altimeter and barometer screens show your height and the air pressure, handy for watching a change come in on a long day out.
• Calls Without the Phone in Hand: answer and dial through the paired phone over Bluetooth, with your contacts synced, while the phone stays in the cab or the pack.
• Logs the Walk or Run: GPS positioning inside the watch, with a route drawn on the exercise record in the maker’s pictures, plus steps, distance and calories.
• A Week Between Charges: 500 mAh battery quoted by the maker at 7 to 10 days of daily use, charged on a magnetic lead.
• Wellness Readings: heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep and stress as reference readings for fitness, not medical readings.

Key Features

• 1.43 in (36 mm) AMOLED Screen: 466 x 466 pixels behind tempered glass, round face.
• GPS Chip Fitted: the maker prints the Loda AG3352B, alongside a Realtek RTL8763EWE-VP processor.
• Compass, Barometer, Altimeter: all three listed by the maker and shown on their own screens.
• Zinc Alloy & Plastic Case: zinc alloy ring over a plastic back shell, 49.8 mm across and 12.0 mm thick.
• Bluetooth 5.2 Calling: answer, dial and contacts through the Da Fit app, with a built-in speaker.
• Over 100 Sports Modes: walking, running, cycling, mountaineering and the rest, as stated by the maker.
• Silicone Strap: 22 mm wide and removable, 268 mm long overall.
• Two Colours: a silver bezel or a black bezel, both on a black silicone strap.
• Delivery: Free Standard Delivery, 5 to 10 working days from the day you order. Allow 1–2 days for fulfilment. Regional and remote addresses can take longer.

Limits

It is Not a Swimming Watch.

The maker prints IP68 and describes it as washing your hands, rain and sweat. No ATM or bar figure is given anywhere, and IP68 is not a swimming rating. The sports list in the maker’s pictures includes a swim mode; that is a menu item, not a water rating. Do not swim, shower, dive or soak in it, keep it out of hot water and the sauna, and do not press the buttons while it is wet.

It is Not a Navigation Unit or an SOS Beacon.

It gives you a bearing, a height and a recorded track. It does not show maps, it does not guide you along a route, and it has no emergency SOS or satellite messaging. Out of phone range nobody can see where you are. Carry a proper map and, where it matters, a personal locator beacon.

The Maker Contradicts Itself on Satellite Systems.

The maker’s text lists GPS, Beidou and GLONASS. One of its pictures shows GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou. We print both as printed and cannot tell you which is right. No accuracy figure or time to first fix is given, and we have not tested it.

The Tough Talk Has No Figures Behind it.

The maker’s pictures say dust and drop proof, high and low temperature resistant, “metal integrated body” and MIL-STD. None of those comes with a drop height, a temperature range, a test method or a certificate, so we make none of those claims. The maker’s own spec panel describes the case as a zinc alloy ring with a plastic back shell.

It is Not a Medical Device.

Heart rate, blood oxygen, sleep and stress are reference readings for fitness, worked out by a wrist sensor and an algorithm. They are not medical readings and should not change a dose or a decision to go and get help.

Q & A

Will it Track my Route if I Leave the Phone Behind?

The maker prints a GPS chip inside the watch and shows a running route drawn on the watch’s exercise record, so positioning is in the watch rather than borrowed from the phone. Looking back over your history happens in the Da Fit app on the phone. No accuracy figure is given and we have not tested it.

Can I Swim or Shower in it?

No. The maker prints IP68 and gives no ATM figure, and IP68 is not a swimming rating. Rain, sweat and washing your hands are fine. Take it off for the shower, the pool and the surf.

How Accurate is the Altimeter?

The maker gives no accuracy figure. An altimeter that reads air pressure moves when the weather moves, so a front coming through can shift the reading even when you have not climbed. Check it against a known height when you can.

How Long does the Battery Last?

The maker quotes 7 to 10 days of daily use from the 500 mAh battery. It gives no figure for use with GPS running, so expect fewer days if you record a lot of walks. It charges on a magnetic lead; charge time is not specified.

Can I Take Calls on it?

Yes, through your phone. Pair it over Bluetooth and you can answer, dial and pick from your synced contacts on the watch, using its speaker. The phone does the calling, so it has to be in Bluetooth range and in coverage.

Which Phones does it Work with?

The maker states Android 5.0 or later and iOS 9.0 or later, using the Da Fit app.

What is the Difference Between Silver and Black?

The colour of the bezel ring around the screen. Both come on the same black silicone strap.

How Good are the Health Numbers?

Heart rate and blood oxygen from a wrist sensor are fine for watching a trend against your own normal and poor as an exact figure, especially when you are moving or cold. Treat every health number on it as a reference reading, not a medical one.

Specs

Note: This product is not a medical device. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.