How to use a compass bezel.

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This Hamilton Kahki Expedition watch takes 20mm wide straps.
Is a compass bezel useful?
Is a compass bezel a gimmick?
How to use a watch as a compass.

[@ANeMzero]

I'm no expert but I feel like with the trip to Switzerland this actually took you a lot longer than 3 minutes to explain.

[@endy_fx]

Anything is a gimmick for someone who won't need to use it, and indispensable for someone who will. Will I need a compass bezel? Probably not. Will someone? Undoubtedly.

[@tuffin2]

Will it blow my kids mind? Hopefully! This is going my wish list 😄

[@bryanryan4504]

Nuff said. Great comment. So silly those ranting about why a diver bracelet has a diver extension. "Wah wah you'll never use it geez" etc

[@Jessejesselewis]

Best comment

[@user-gm4vd2ug9i]

Or just use your phone!!!

[@1dgram]

​@@user-gm4vd2ug9ia phone runs out of power after awhile and you need to put it into a bag if you'e going through enough water

[@user-gm4vd2ug9i]

I really like the 3 minute Friday feature. Please keep it going. Thanks Adrian. Enjoy the weekend.

[@a.asadimam533]

That's what my gf calls our Friday date nights.

[@TeaJayRabbit]

The casual cut to a previously filmed segment in another country is CLASS. And the shorter form content I think is a great way for you to lighten the load on yourself...film a few different things over a few days, release em slow and get some breaks and rest through the year. Loving what you're doing!

[@guyfromsac1]

Nice video. I used this feature while hiking with a Seiko Alpinist twenty years ago. Not for survival, but just for fun using a map. The watch and the memory of how to use the bezel are long gone. Fun to watch and re-learn.

[@RedwoodAggie]

I've seen this talked about in videos, but the actual demonstration outside and the comparing to the compass in your phone was nice to see. I enjoyed this brief video.

[@off-roadingcars]

Thank you for this video. I believe the compass bezel is useful and I appreciate you demonstrating how to use it. Next time please give a few more examples, maybe with morning sun vs evening sun as I don’t understand how that would still work.

[@davesrc_crawling8349]

Easy to see the PM inspiration in this video, and executed nicely. Thanks for the quick guide 👍

[@kareemmansur5512]

Love this new format of video. Glad to see that the frequency is back!

[@stevepapa]

This is definitely a good topic for a broader conversation. Compass bezels, excessive water resistance, bronze cases/bracelets, faux patina, exhibition case backs displaying undecorated movements, all of these things are gimmicks to a degree. Some are good, some not so much. BUT with that being said, I do love the unique look a compass bezel gives off!

[@761jared]

C'mon, when is having 300m of water resistance NOT going to be useful? lol

[@stevepapa]

@@761jared when you need 1500m! Hahahaha

[@notfeedynotlazy]

@@761jared Water resistance is rated for X time at Y depth. So a watch rated for a greater depth than you actually are will actually help you have peace of mind that it will remain waterproof at the depth you are but for a much longer time. Which is actually a sensible, useful, not gimmicky, feature to have.

[@simong6855]

I love anything with a clicky bezel😂

[@ramoverde4133]

Jup 😎😁

[@fajarkurniawan9434]

yeah it can be purposed as fidget toy

[@bretkindsvatter3574]

Thats a cool watch, I had no clue how it worked either. Nice to have you back.

[@szczur0192]

You can do the same with a regular watch, just visualize a few points and lines and you can do it consistently and fast. It even works on a digital watch if you mark the bezel or are very good at visualizing.

[@michaelblaes9847]

You don't need a watch at all if you know the time. How do you know the time without a watch? A phone or you know what time sunrise and sunset is at. Of course SR in the East, SS in the west.

[@szczur0192]

@@michaelblaes9847 "you don't need a watch at all if you know the time" bro what? You don't need a ruler if you know the length of an object you're trying to measure

[@vaulthecreator]

​@@michaelblaes9847LOL tell me you've never been in a survival situation without out telling me you've never been in a survival situation.

[@natedogg5386]

Ahhh, I’m glad your back doing your content on the regular!!! Thankyou for what you do!!

[@spencerhalse]

Just found you, you have my sub. Really love the short videos - straight to the point and no filler. Will be watching more.

[@Rielle212]

If you don't wear a watch and rely on your smartphone, then anything on a mechanical watch is a gimmick. :) I don't think it is a gimmick though. I use my dive watch every day as a tool for timing, and I love relying on it instead of technology. What's great about the Hamilton is that it's bringing attention to using any watch as a compass, and you know what? I have now been doing that with my dive watch as well! :) Thanks for everything you do, Adrian. I love your videos. Keep them coming!

[@761jared]

"Instead of technology"? Do you think watches aren't, or maybe cavemen just found them laying around or growing in the mysterious Watch Tree?

[@XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD]

@@761jared he obviously meant tech-gadgets, but go on be more pedantic

[@sleepCircle]

@@761jared perhaps he should've said instead of techbro-logy

[@Leon-vp3vb]

It is quite a useful feature, if someone wants to map new roads or city in their own mind. When Travelling in a new city. It provides sense of direction via sun, & renewed presence of mind.

[@steveholmes381]

It's a brilliant conversation starter on a first date.

[@user-ke7wd3cl9z]

Sp far 23 first dates not a single one expressed the slightest interest in my watch.

[@gstuart0770]

Great video! I am glad to see you back!

[@AKsourdough]

I like the three minute Friday segment -compass bezels (for me) are gimmicky, but dive bezels are very useful. My dive watch (a Marathon GSAR) never sees the ocean, but…the bezel is useful in timing daily tasks, hiking (in Alaska, the sun isn’t a good indicator of time passed), and letting the kid see how much time they have left to play before nap time. Also, I like the channel’s new direction.

[@gavinwhite9743]

Super to see the content flow, lovely format, like a bite size treat. As for the compass, it's a great party trick stood in a beer garden. (or with your kids) That alone makes it useful. I remember when first iPhones came out and you could get oohs and ahhhs from showing a compass on that! I don't dive in my watches beyond the pool, or use my Gmt even when I could. They add something of interest, and often some style/ design as they solve how to integrate them.

[@AdamRLincoln]

Nice! Love the use of the stop watch for the @abouteffingtime nod!

[@BarkandJack]

Haha. Love that connection. That wasn’t intentional.

[@petelightedge7399]

Every day is a school day, thank you, great to bump into you at Luton airport last week

[@michaelh8275]

Congrats on the concept of these videos… Great stuff

[@benjaminforsyth182]

Your new staging is brilliant 🤙🏻

[@Jessejesselewis]

I really like this video idea and format. This is great.

[@johnhill8529]

On both Arctic and desert survival courses I was taught how to use my CWC G10 for this. It also works (to an extent) in jungle. Also very useful in unfamiliar cities (urban jungle or wasteland?) when using a tourist map. A GMT or dive bezel can be used to help if you don’t have a compass bezel. The G10 had neither, but is incredibly accurate.

[@barrettwbenton]

Seiko Alpinist owner here. One nice thing about a compass bezel is that you can use it as an ersatz timing bezel if needed.

[@Unicorn161]

A bush pilot in Alaska (or similar area), a hiker, ATV rider, off road driver, in some parts of the US or Australia might very well have a use for one of these. This technique is still taught as a survival technique even though less people are wearing watches because they think they can just use their phone for everything.

[@Not_Mark_Twain]

If a gimmick is a feature you don't need, it's all a gimmick. Accuracy, day, date, lume, PR, WR, calendar -- is all just a way to sell watches. Do I value it? No. But if you do, great.😂

[@statlerwaldorf7130]

Cheers Adrian, great peice for learning and admiring the watch, keep up the great work mate

[@cameronturner7475]

It's useful if you use it. I work outdoors in central and western Texas and it is handy to have a quick compass.

[@robertbeirne9813]

“Looks cool and serves a purpose” is why we love watches.

[@coronetmag]

Useful! Great video. Thank you!

[@richfrommitch]

I've got this weird mental block where I always get East and West confused. Every time it comes up I have to point up, right, down, left and say 'north, east, south, west' to remind myself. And it comes up a lot because I'm involved in construction. So really I could probably do with this.

[@ScottLuvsRenFaires]

For those uncertain why this works, here is the explanation for when you are north of the Tropic of Cancer: If the Earth were transparent you could observe the Sun move in a circle completely around you in 24 hours. If we used a watch with a 24 hour face, we could aim the hour hand at the sun, hold that position, and observe the hour hand track the sun perfectly for a full 24 hours (or as long as we wished to observe). We wouldn't have any need for the bezel. Just aim the hour hand at the sun any time of day and the noon position on the dial will be pointing south and the midnight position will point north. Unfortunately, we chose to use 12 hour watch faces so our hour hands make two circles for every one the sun makes. That is where the bezel becomes useful. It simulates a 24 hour hand. So, if the standard time is 4:00pm, you set the bezel south point to 2:00pm. That point is where a 24 hour hand would be at 4 o'clock. You could then rotate the watch so the bezel south points at the sun and that would make the 12:00 point face due south just as a 24 hour watch would do, but since the angle on your watch face from noon to 2:00 is the same as the angle from 2:00 to 4:00 you can just keep the real hour hand pointing at the sun and the bezel south will be pointing at due south. For morning hours, it is the same except the bezel south will be set to the left of noon: if the time is 9:00am, set bezel south to 10:30. At 5:00am (7 hours before noon), set bezel south to 8:30 (3 1/2 hours before noon). At 6:30pm (6 1/2 hours after noon) set bezel south to 3:15 (3 1/4 hours after noon).

[@davidm3954]

“And we have a a sun” 😂

[@TIWofficial]

glad you`re back

[@mariog7213]

It’s a useful gimmick. It’s possible and probable that you might never need it. But if you ever do need it, you’ll be glad you had it.

[@omertito4223]

that was a great explaination thank you

[@suty2144]

I used to love about effing time but there was one issue, we never really got your content as much, loving the fact you’re giving us more content, keep it going mate

[@johnnybforbacon1097]

Thanks mate. Never had a compass bezel but its now locked in the suede incase i do!

[@abelsauvaneix3951]

There are also super cute mini compasses to put on the strap. I might get one some day (don't need it, just cute)

[@dicewrites]

I went to a music fest in an unfamiliar city, my phone at the time was grossly out of date and the map program wouldn't work properly. But the festival had physical maps of the city with all the venues and streets clearly marked, so I went to a store, paid 10 bucks for a compass and got around that way. So I don't think its to terribly gimmicky. I found it was pretty nice using a map and compass to navigate and on several occasions over the weekend of the festival I oriented and got around better than my friends who were using phone gps.

[@Mrcxlixo]

Love this style os videos. Short and precise... I bet it took more than 3 minutes editing it 😉

[@GuagoFruit]

The most legitimately useful feature I had on a watch is the calendar dials on an orient watch. For some reason I frequently get told the dates for when things would occur but need to check what day of the week that is. It was just a simple lookup table, look for date, look up to find day. Game changing. It also had a slide rule which was absolutely useless for me but it was a cool feature to have.

[@DeadReckoner]

Thanks for answering my question Adrian :) The offer's still there to go flying and talk pilot watches sometime.

[@grzegorzmajewski.]

You don't have to be lost in the middle of nowhere to have a use for a compass bezel. I use a compass in a watch to orient myself in any new city i visit. Knowing the sides of the world relative to some most visible landmarks lets me create a reference map in my mind, a sort of imagined from-the-top view of the area. Thanks to that I'm never lost in new places and don't have to constantly check my position on google maps.

[@gotenianiki]

What is the camera used in the alps? That video clip looks amazing.

[@libertarian1637]

I have used a dive bezel a lot. I’ve also used the watch/compass trick but never needed a bezel to do it; in fact this would just add more time and reduce utility. The dive bezel serves a purpose, beyond jut diving, of setting a starting point in time that can be easily referenced and which doesn’t change; your relative position to N/S can change regularly.

[@thedownwardmachine]

I use the dive bezel all the time for rough timing of anything under an hour. Parking meters and restaurant wait times and such. The compass thing is neat, I like knowing my cardinals and it's easy enough to use the dive bezel for that. Arrow is N, 30 is S, and so on. Just don't forget to correct for daylight savings.

[@txdino6063]

Very handy when walking in a new city to keep you oriented; particularly when trying to follow directions “need to go north on 5th street”

[@lamaludwig1470]

I like the watch but hope for a version with a "time count bezel" and other hands. So much about compass bezel and faux patina hands. Cheers from Switzerland, hope you enjoyed it here.

[@MrZanzibar123]

Cool! Just ordered SLA071, so want to know this! Does Daylight Savings Time screw it up a bit?

[@jeanlefranc3817]

Adrian. Great to have you back in real watch nerdery

[@alanwright3172]

Love the format. As a military man I have used both the dive bezel and a watch as a compass ( to find my ship in the North Atlantic) but to be honest, to the man in the street, a mechanical watch these days is a gimmick.😎

[@m.e.p.r]

At this point, all watches are gimmicks….we don’t need them. So I’m here for complications like this. Sure, a compass bezel is antiquated, but it adds charm and character to the watch and god knows the world needs a bit of that these days ❤

[@aronhegedus]

I like the stopwatch, where's it from? I want to get something similar

[@PsychoPod]

love the 3min idea for videos.

[@bobhutch4554]

Enjoyed that, hopefully see more of this style videos. I love Hamilton but a lot of their watches and the ones I own are 50m water resistant and I’m not actually sure if they’re up to the test of being submerged, would be a good video to learn the actual applications of depth rating (diver watches aside)👍

[@herberar]

Very interesting!

[@jdrhc63we67]

You don't need to be stuck most of use that like hiking perfer map and compass to GPS having a quick check is useful

[@danieltakawi9919]

Its a small but a feature that could prove really important. Better to have something and not need it than need something and not need it.

[@jaswingrove]

Are you shooting the snow footage on the DJI Pocket 3?

[@mattiilli1437]

Great video!

[@Cobb]

Kind of ingenious, and I know how to use one now.

[@MBCGRS]

Once, I was crossing the southern alps, and I had my compass freeze solid in my aircraft. The machine wasn't GPS equipped. By happenstance, I had a pocket compass on me. However, I taught my student how to find a heading using his wristwatch. This can be done with any watch. No bezel required. However, it's the other way around in my part of the world...

[@harryt988]

Where would we be without you ?!

[@agirlwithacat1]

I dream about this watch 🤩 But I also wish the white dial would come on a bracelet 🥲I love your videos and aesthetics btw! I don't know a thing about watches (I own 3 mechanical watches and nothing too fancy) but this one resembles everything I'd actually look for in an everyday watch :)

[@merkury06]

Thank You!!!

[@MrSmith_]

It serves a purpose therefore in my opinion it's not a gimmick. There are definitely situations where it is warranted albeit very few. Explorers will typically have their own compass, but say that breaks then they can rely on the compass bezel of their watch providing their watch is functioning also. Maybe it's not an extremely useful feature given that we have a multitude of ways to navigate now, but I still think it has its uses.

[@justinlouismusic]

That was a cool segue to Zermatt!

[@GuyVanderAa]

It’s fun and it looks cool. Sounds very necessary to me! 😎😅

[@ramoverde4133]

Apsolute! 😎😁

[@jims4539]

Thanks as always.

[@aelux4179]

I actually do use the compass bezel pretty often. I do a lot of hiking and try to minimise gear and weight as much as possible, a watch with a compass bezel means i no longer have to carry a compass and wear a watch.

[@Avidcomp]

As far as I can tell, the only extra feature I like on a watch other than being able to read the time CLEARLY (skeleton watches and messy faces are not for me) is a day date. Many times I forget the date and a quick glance at my wrist is useful - faster than taking my phone out of my pocket. And yes, there have been occasions I've forgotten what the day is. A stopwatch feature is kind of nice, but really I'll use my phone for that, with lap times. I don't travel much, so time zones aren't something I care about. Is there a useful feature you think I might be missing out on? What extra feature do you like having? I just realized one extra feature that I think I'd like to have that I don't have. A power reserve. I think that would be nice. My preference leans towards classic dials I suppose. Care to recommend a watch under £1000 and another below £6000 ?

[@HammerK99]

Omega, Tudor, Seiko

[@stoundingresults]

A GMT watch also does this sorcery by pointing the hour hand towards the sun

[@omarbegreen]

A can turn a Sunday into an city exploration only to use the compass of my watch. Very useful

[@ChrisRogersTheAngryChef]

That cut to Switzerland, effort... subscribed.

[@BarkandJack]

Thanks a lot mate 🙌🏻

[@Mo-landro]

As a Muslim it’s really useful when you’re out and about as we have to pray in a certain direction and this can help confirm directions.

[@sprocastersprocaster]

I didn't know that muslims prayed into different directions, interesting.

[@impyrobot]

@@sprocastersprocaster they pray towards Mecca so a compass can be handy finding which way that is

[@stinkstank5177]

God hears our prayers regardless of direction, but it’s still a cool watch!

[@derdummeasi]

​@stinkstank5177 obviously, but you still have to.

[@localblackman427]

​@@stinkstank5177different god

[@Demasx]

This is one of those things I have to re-learn every 3-5 years because I never have occasion to actually use the knowledge 😅

[@siddhipatel2317]

I have a question, do we always rotate the bezel counterclockwise ? Thank you.

[@JeffreyMorgan-ke2cy]

It's been said here before, it is a gimmick to some and a tool for others. Agreed, most people won't be stranded and need to use it, but honestly, it wouldn't hurt a lot of people to learn HOW to use a compass. Like you said, It does look good on the watch and it does serve a function. I think most watch enthusiasts like a watch that is multifunctional.

[@user-jk4oz2eo9w]

My experience with NKUWAN was fantastic. The watch arrived quickly and was exactly as described.

[@Ashfielder]

Got taught this in Scouts as a child, hasn’t come in handy yet but you never know…

[@adamt5622]

Give it a few more years!

[@wiciuwiciu2783]

I HAVE USED IT! It was pretty convinent to me on mountain trail. However it doesn't work on the northern slopes :( But to be honest I didn't knew how to use a bezel (despite having one) but I knew exactly how to use arrow trick! So my adventures are proof that it's a gimmick...

[@malikknows3510]

I like the compass bezel. I think it can be useful. If others don’t, they are free to buy another type of watch. Certainly more useful than a moon phase!

[@rockyrowlands3652]

You forgot to mention that your demo was in the north of the equator and in the northern hemisphere, would the same setting work south of the equator?.

[@schergood7877]

cool video, you should make a series about watch complications and there use, that would be nice

[@FedeLazza]

I use my diving bezel all the time. Putting beer iun the freezer, tiuming a bbq etc. fun stuff

[@DonaldPerley]

Gimmick. I own an Alpinist. I do use the watch to find South when out hiking, but still find twiddling with the bezel is more trouble than it's worth. The marketers wanted a bezel feature, but not a timing bezel. Maybe they need a movie placement where the compass bezel is a plot element.

[@raymond-thecrumpledlecturer]

Nice feature, Adrian. Hope it takes off.

[@BarkandJack]

Thanks mate. 👍🏻

[@andrewscott985]

Isn't a watch that only indicates the time also a gimmick? Thank you sir for your explanation on how to use this great feature that not only makes a watch more useful, but ads to its aesthetics. Cheers.

[@magnificenthonky]

No. A wrist mounted chronometer is a useful tool. It's a type of tool that is designed to measure the passage of time. A useful tool is not a gimmick.

[@MohammedUmrethwala]

After seeing this, I have a urge to buy such watch and get lost, so I come back home safely and tell everyone how watch saved my life.

[@yusufbest4475]

Its a fun and useful gimmick

[@spartan23105]

Finally... This guy explained what that dial is for which I used to mimic the Omnitrix when i was a kid 😂.

[@pureounce.9184]

My question is, how did you a fit three minute video in 2 minutes 23 seconds?

[@Gerryb92]

Magic

[@Rena152]

To be fair, I have used the compass technique (without a bezel you just have to imagine it) when I was lost in the city once, so it could be sorta helpful; maybe not life-saving, but helpful

[@owenmccord5078]

Does it work with a dive bezel?

[@1RunnerDad]

Not a gimmick for me. I like having backup methods to navigate when I frequent the backcountry, and this is handy. But I am a person trying to move to more analog devices and fewer digital interfaces. To me, the compass bezel is a nice feature on a nice watch that in no way detracts from the watch aesthetics.