How to use a compass bezel.

[@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.

[@AntCar-z4s]

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

[@FranchisePapi]

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!

[@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

[@AntCar-z4s]

Or just use your phone!!!

[@1dgram]

​@@AntCar-z4sa phone runs out of power after awhile and you need to put it into a bag if you'e going through enough water

[@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.

[@VMIyanks04]

Your phrase about a feature on a watch makes it easier or quicker to tell that information is spot on. Loved your videos with Harrison to Banff!

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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).

[@davesrc_crawling8349]

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

[@bretkindsvatter3574]

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

[@AdamRLincoln]

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

[@BarkandJack]

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

[@kareemmansur5512]

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

[@simong6855]

I love anything with a clicky bezel😂

[@ramoverde4133]

Jup 😎😁

[@fajarkurniawan9434]

yeah it can be purposed as fidget toy

[@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.

[@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.

[@natedogg5386]

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

[@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

[@thomaskhourey97]

I probably use my divers bezel, to track time up to an hour, almost every day. Boss tells you 20min break? set your bezel. Meet me back here in 10 minutes? set your bezel. 45 minute workout? set your bezel. way more uses than just time under water

[@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.

[@snubRadar01]

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

[@impyrobot]

@@snubRadar01 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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@spencerhalse]

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

[@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.

[@suttersenesac]

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

[@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.

[@petelightedge7399]

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

[@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”

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Jessejesselewis]

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

[@LayronPK]

If the hour hand is at 10 o'clock, you should place South at 11, or at 5?

[@statlerwaldorf7130]

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

[@michaelh8275]

Congrats on the concept of these videos… Great stuff

[@robertoalvarez3533]

Question… if you live in the tropics let’s say 15N what happens when the sun comes over you and goes few degrees to the north?

[@TaLeng2023]

Silly question: What if it's not a compass bezel? Can you still us it to find directions?

[@MaartenAnna]

Stunning watch! Cool bezel (is it a complication? Not really)! I only knew this, using a dive bezel or GMT bezel, using the triangle up top to point out South in the Northern hemisphere; I didn’t know there was a compass bezel.

[@marceld6061]

That triangle up top is called the 'pip' in case you wanted to know.

[@MaartenAnna]

@@marceld6061 I thought the "pip" was the lumed (often round shape) insert inside the triangle on a dive bezel. The GMT, more often than not, doesn't have a "pip", only a triangle.

[@marceld6061]

@@MaartenAnna You may be right. I have only known it to be called a pip- all but one of my watches have them, dive or otherwise. The one that doesn't has no lumed markings.

[@gstuart0770]

Great video! I am glad to see you back!

[@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.

[@gotenianiki]

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

[@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?.

[@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)

[@benjaminforsyth182]

Your new staging is brilliant 🤙🏻

[@russellmoore8187]

Does a bezel really count as a complication though?

[@zwatotem]

I learned how to use it. I didn't learn why it works (that's okay though, considering time constraints). But crucially, I'm concerned with the precision of your chronograph.

[@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.😎

[@nobody2021]

For everyone on Earth except for a tiny handful of people, stuff like the diving bezel or a compass bezel is a little more than a fidget toy built into your watch, which I like. Sometimes I like to mess with stuff like that, and if it doesn't have that there's not much to fidget with on a watch.

[@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...

[@ChrisRogersTheAngryChef]

That cut to Switzerland, effort... subscribed.

[@BarkandJack]

Thanks a lot mate 🙌🏻

[@aronhegedus]

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

[@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...

[@siddhipatel2317]

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

[@DeadReckoner]

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

[@mizanahmed1174]

If you have to use the sun then can't you already tell where north is without even using the watch compass? Seems easier than having to do all of that

[@MrZanzibar123]

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

[@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.

[@Mrcxlixo]

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

[@grahamliggat7193]

Another use is to set it to the bearing that you are heading on. You do all your map work and figure out which bearing to head on but bearings aren’t always intuitively easy to remember so then set the bezel to the bearing you need to follow (I use the 12 hour mark) and using your compass find the bearing and head off. When you’re knackered and yomping over tough ground, rather than needing to recheck the bearing you were supposed to be on, just read it from your watch.

[@Adwnpinoy310]

Does the compass bezel save time over a dive or gmt bezel for the same function? If not, then it’s a gimmick.

[@Sabrermk42]

I use the dive/compass bezels on my watches to time myself during my clinic when seeing patients. I can give a quick glance at my watch to see how I'm doing time wise without appearing rude or dismissive of the fact I have another human being sat in front of me, compared to how it would look checking the time on a computer or phone.

[@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.

[@felixloewenich2202]

I don't get it. You already know south is in the middle between the hour hand and the 12 o clock mark. What does the bezel accomplish?

[@pureounce.9184]

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

[@Gerryb92]

Magic

[@huyhuynh9523]

How do you turn the bezel if you are about the equator?

[@nolongeramused8135]

The Boy Scout handbook used a variation of that trick, no compass bezel required, over 50 years ago.

[@davidm3954]

“And we have a a sun” 😂

[@KristianAlvestad]

Wait a second, how did you go to Switzerland and back in three minutes?

[@raymond-thecrumpledlecturer]

Nice feature, Adrian. Hope it takes off.

[@BarkandJack]

Thanks mate. 👍🏻

[@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.

[@robertbeirne9813]

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

[@johnnybforbacon1097]

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

[@stoundingresults]

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

[@blairphelps7215]

You also need to take in considering daylight saving or standard time.

[@jeanlefranc3817]

Adrian. Great to have you back in real watch nerdery

[@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.

[@omerio911]

I think there is a fundamental difference between the GMT hand or the diving bezel and the compass bezel. With the first two, you only have to set it once and then whenever you want to access this information (time at other location or time spent diving) you just have to look at the watch. With the compass bezel it doesn't work, spinning around will make you lose the north, and if you want to access that information again you have to set up the watch again. I've learnt to find the north in the same way, but was told to imagine the watch instead of using a physical one, so I don't see the benefit of using the bezel.

[@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!

[@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 ❤

[@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.😂

[@isekaiexpress9450]

But can you use the watch, the moon and the sun to calculate your latitude and longitude?

[@jaswingrove]

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

[@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.

[@GuyVanderAa]

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

[@ramoverde4133]

Apsolute! 😎😁

[@SergioGomez-qe3kn]

In the Southern hemisphere, the 24 hour hand of a GMT watch always points to the South when the 12 hour index is pointed towards the sun.

[@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.

[@HenryChinaski614]

Excellent analysis, thanks!

[@grahamdavidson639]

Is love it od hamilton released a version I'd this with a dive bezel, calk it a skin diver due to its 100m water resistance, same case and everything else though

[@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!

[@mikesomerset6338]

You can use a watch as a sun compass without a bezel of course. However, I have used the technique on occasion as an additional check to my compass, phone. Maybe something that bloke leading flight 19 should have done.

[@mickeynissan9887]

I was taught how to find the north with a watch and the sun (and a twig to cast a shadow) at a pretty young age. No bezel is needed, and honestly the compass bezel is just another bezel - it just has NWSE on it instead of numbers. In other words - you can achieve the same results - A. with any bezel, just assign "S" in your mind to any number on it. B. Without a bezel at all if you can get a twig to use as a sundial hand. So, yes, it is a gimmick.