North Edge Gavia Steel Compass Watch, 20 Bar Case & 50 m Depth Gauge

Know Which Way is North When the Phone is Flat.

Day four on the track, the phone is on 9 per cent and the power bank died yesterday. Cloud is coming over the ridge, and the two things you want to know, which way the creek is and whether the weather is turning, live on a screen you can't afford to switch on.

This North Edge Gavia puts a compass, an altimeter, a barometer with a 48-hour pressure chart and a thermometer on a full stainless steel watch. There is no charging cable. The supplier lists the battery as fitted and not rechargeable, so it does not go flat on day three the way a smartwatch does. The case is marked 200 m / 20 bar on the dial and the case back, and a dive mode shows depth, dive time and water temperature down to 50 m.

Two things straight up, because the supplier's own title gets them wrong. It is not a smartwatch. The listing calls it one, then lists it as non-wireless: no Bluetooth, no app, no phone notifications, no GPS and no heart rate. It is an instrument watch with hands and a screen, and that is the point of it. And it is not a dive computer. The dive mode is a depth gauge and a timer. It does no decompression sums at all, and the 200 m on the case and the 50 m on the dive mode are two different numbers. The Limits tab explains both.

What it Does

• Compass with a Flat Phone: digital compass with the hand pointing north and the bearing on the screen, plus calibration and a magnetic declination setting so it agrees with your map.
• Weather Coming in: barometer with current pressure, sea-level pressure and a 48-hour chart, so a falling line tells you to get off the tops early.
• Height on the Climb: altimeter showing relative height, rate of climb and temperature.
• Swim, Snorkel & Boat Days: case marked 200 m / 20 bar, and a dive mode showing depth, dive time and water temperature to a stated maximum of 50 m.
• Reading it in Camp: EL backlight and luminous hands for checking the time and the readings after dark.
• Two Time Zones: world time with an automatic daylight-saving switch and a dual time display, handy on a roster or ringing home from overseas.
• Everyday Timing: alarm, countdown from 99:59:59, stopwatch to 99:59:59 with 50 stored sets, and a step counter with calorie and distance figures.

Key Features

• Full Stainless Steel: stainless steel case and link bracelet, closed by a push-button hidden clasp.
• Case Size: 48 x 48 x 15 mm and 185 g, from the supplier's spec sheet. A big watch, and it wears like one.
• Hands Plus a Screen: the hands tell the time and swing to north in compass mode; the screen below carries the readings. A pointer correction setting re-aligns the hands.
• Five Labelled Buttons: Light/Exit, Mode, Alti, Comp and Dive/Baro are printed on the dial beside each button.
• Nothing to Charge: battery fitted and listed as non-rechargeable, with a low-battery reminder on screen. Battery type and life are not specified by the supplier.
• Engraved Case Back: Gavia, "Alti-Baro-Compass-Depth", "Waterproof 200M" and "Designed by North Edge" are cut into the steel.
• 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 Dive Computer.

Dive mode shows depth, dive time and water temperature, and the supplier states a maximum dive depth of 50 m. That is all it does. It does not work out decompression, no-stop time or a safe ascent, and the supplier mentions no ascent-rate warning. No dive-instrument standard (EN 13319) and no diver's-watch standard (ISO 6425) is printed on the watch or anywhere in its artwork. Do not plan, run or end a dive on it. If you scuba dive, dive on a proper dive computer and the training you were given. Any depth figure this watch shows is a curiosity beside that computer, not an instrument to trust.

200 m on the Case, 50 m on the Dive Mode: Which is it?

Both, because they measure different things. 200 m / 20 bar is the case's water-resistance marking, printed on the dial and engraved on the back. A marking like that is a pressure figure for keeping water out, not a promise about diving to that depth. 50 m is the most the dive mode's depth gauge is stated to read, from the supplier's spec sheet and description. One line of the supplier's text says "Dive Waterproof 20M". The dial, the case back, the attribute list (20 bar) and every other line say 200 m, so we print the figure on the watch and flag that stray line here.

Buttons, Hot Water and Salt.

The supplier does not say whether the buttons may be pressed under water. Set the mode at the surface and leave the buttons alone below it. Keep it out of hot showers, spas and saunas, where heat and steam work on any watch seal, and rinse it in fresh water after the sea. No figure is given for any of that.

It is Not a Smartwatch.

The supplier's attribute list says "Wireless: N". There is no Bluetooth, no app, no phone notifications, no GPS, and no heart rate or blood oxygen. Calories and distance are worked out from the step count, so treat them as rough figures.

Altitude Moves with the Weather.

With no GPS inside, height comes from air pressure, so when the weather changes the altitude reading moves with it. Reset it at a known height: a trig point, a hut sign, a contour on the map. No altimeter range or accuracy figure is given by the supplier.

The Thermometer Reads the Watch, Not the Air.

On your wrist it is warmed by your skin. For the air temperature, take it off and leave it in the shade for a while before you read it.

It is a Big, Heavy Watch.

48 mm across, 15 mm thick and 185 g on a steel bracelet. On a small wrist that is a lot of watch, and it will catch on a tight sleeve cuff.

Q & A

Can I Swim and Snorkel in it?

Yes. The case is marked 200 m / 20 bar, and swimming, snorkelling and surf are well inside that marking. Leave the buttons alone under water, keep it out of hot water, and rinse off the salt afterwards.

Can I Scuba Dive with it?

The case is marked well past recreational depths and the dive mode reads to a stated 50 m, but it is not a dive computer and carries no dive standard. Wear it if you like. Dive on your computer.

Does it Need Charging?

No. The supplier lists the battery as fitted and not rechargeable, and there is no charging port or cable in any picture. A low-battery reminder comes up on the screen. The battery type and its life are not specified by the supplier. When it does run down, have a watchmaker change it who can re-seal and pressure-test the case, or the 20 bar marking means nothing.

Does it Connect to my Phone?

No. There is no Bluetooth and no app. Everything it shows is measured and kept on the watch.

Will the Compass Read True on Day One?

Calibrate it first; the watch has a calibration routine for it. The magnetic declination setting lets you put in the local difference between magnetic north and true north, so the bearing agrees with your map. Read it clear of the ute: a steel bonnet or a magnet pulls any compass off.

Which Model is This?

The North Edge Gavia. The name is printed on the dial under "200M/20BAR" and engraved on the case back.

Specs