How to Use an Analog Watch as a Compass

Hold the watch flat. This method works anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere during daylight when the sun is visible. Position the watch horizontally in your hand, ensuring its face is parallel to the ground.

Point the hour hand towards the sun. Adjust the watch, your hand, or even your whole body so that the hour hand is facing directly at the sun. The specific time on the watch doesn’t matter, as long as it's showing the correct time.

• If aligning the hour hand with the sun proves challenging, try using the shadow of a narrow object to help. Insert a stick or small post into the ground to create a clear shadow, and align this shadow with the hour hand on your watch. Since shadows are cast away from the sun, this method will give you the same result as directly pointing the hour hand at the sun.

Find the midpoint between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark to determine South. This step requires some precision. Locate the center of the angle formed between your hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark. If it's before noon, measure clockwise from the hour hand to 12 o'clock. In the afternoon, measure counterclockwise from the hour hand to the 12 o'clock mark. The point midway between these two marks is South, while the opposite point is North.

• For example, if it’s 5:00 PM and you've aligned the hour hand with the sun, South lies halfway between the 2 and 3 o’clock positions, while North is directly across from it (between the 8 and 9 o’clock marks).
• Note: During Daylight Saving Time, your watch may be one hour ahead or behind the actual time. In such cases, substitute 1 o'clock for 12 o'clock when determining your North-South line.

Place the watch horizontally. Similar to the Northern Hemisphere, lay your watch flat in your hand in a spot where the sun is visible.

Align the 12 o'clock mark with the sun. The key difference between using a watch as a compass in the Southern Hemisphere is that here, it’s the 12 o'clock mark that should be directed towards the sun, rather than the hour hand. This adjustment in orientation compensates for the shift in the sun's position between the two hemispheres.

• If you're struggling to align the 12 o'clock mark precisely with the sun, you can apply the shadow technique mentioned earlier to help with the alignment.

Find North by bisecting the angle between the hour hand and the twelve o'clock mark. The exact midpoint between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock mark on your watch indicates North, with the opposite point across from it on the watch face marking South.

• For example, if it's 9:00 AM and you've aligned the 12 o'clock mark with the sun, the midpoint between the 10 and 11 o'clock marks will point to North, and the point across from this (between the 4 and 5 o'clock marks) will be South.
• If your watch is set to Daylight Saving Time, substitute the 1 o'clock mark for 12 o'clock when determining the North-South direction in the Northern Hemisphere.

Use a map to determine your hemisphere from home. The makeshift watch compass works by leveraging the sun’s position in the sky to establish North and South. Since the sun’s location in the sky differs between the Northern Hemisphere (north of the equator) and the Southern Hemisphere (south of the equator), it’s crucial to account for this difference for accuracy. Identifying your hemisphere is often easy if you know the country you’re in (for example, the Southern Hemisphere includes regions like South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Australia). If you're at home, you can use a map, globe, or online resource to pinpoint your location relative to the equator.

Use the North Star to determine your hemisphere in the wilderness. If you’re truly lost—say, stranded on a life raft in the middle of the ocean—maps, encyclopedias, and the internet may be out of reach. Fortunately, you can still figure out which hemisphere you’re in by searching for Polaris, the North Star, in the night sky. This star is visible from the Northern Hemisphere, but if you’re even slightly south of the equator, you won’t be able to see it.

• Note that the watch compass method works best during Autumn and Spring and may be less accurate near the equator.

• The further you are from the equator, the more accurate your compass will be, as the sun will cast a longer shadow.
• If you have a digital watch, follow the same steps as above to quickly draw out a watch face. Be sure to place the hour digits accurately. If necessary, wait for a quarter past the hour or on the hour to make the process easier.
• If it's cloudy, find an open area away from obstacles. Hold a stick, branch, pole, or other straight object in the air. Even in the worst conditions, you should still be able to see a faint shadow.

• Before relying on any survival techniques, it's essential to first understand how to properly use a map and compass, especially when navigating through unfamiliar and potentially hazardous areas.
• While this quick trick may be useful, never depend on it in life-or-death situations where your safety is on the line.