When you’re out on the ocean as a sailor, you know how important precision is. It’s all about the timing. From countdown timers to battery life, there’s a lot to think about. As a result, selecting a sailing watch is a crucial decision. No sailor’s essentials are complete without a sailing or dive watch, whether you’re speeding across a regatta course or just sailing around the world. But how can you choose among so many watches on the market nowadays? Well, in this article, I’ve compiled a list of masterpieces that every boat enthusiast should check. So, keep reading if you want to find the one that suits you best!

What Makes a Good Sailing Watch?

When using a watch on the water it is usually exposed to harsh conditions. Even if you’re just cruising overseas, racing, or just living on your sailboat your watch has to withstand almost everything. Firstly, a good sailing watch must be equipped with a digital readout with large numbers, instead of an analog face with many internal small dials. However, some watches have both digital and analog readouts. Most watches are made of synthetic, soft, or rubber wristbands. These are considered more sustainable than leather or stainless steel in the sailing environment. Rubber straps are also lighter than stainless, easier to adjust and come in many different bright colors. 

Moreover, consider buying a digital watch with marine features like a compass, barometer, and tidal data. Also, remember that the watertight integrity of a dive watch often promises better life spanning on a sailboat. Finally, interactive smartwatches are now available in the market, such as Garmin’s Quatix. Smartwatches can be of great help if you’re a gadget person and they offer great functionality and features, all combined in a small device.

Best Sailing Watches

So, let’s get to the point and see some of the best sailing watches. Below you’ll find both old and new brands, as well as different price ranges from affordable ones to luxury options. That’s why I’ve gathered up some of the most efficient models on the market today, just for you!

Garmin Instinct Outdoors Watch

Garmin’s Instinct is an all-around watch and also an ideal watch suitable for outdoor activities. Sailors could benefit from features such as GPS placement on charts, barometric pressure, and a compass. It can also link to a smartphone, receive e-mails and texts, and control music from a smartphone. A thermometer and a heart-rate monitor are included. Moreover, the Garmin Instinct comes with a whopping 20 distinct colors and styles. The visible face is 32mm (1 1/4”) in diameter, however, the real diameter is 47mm (1 13/16”). The Instinct is 16mm thick (5/8” in) and weighs 53 grams (2 oz). Lastly, the watch features a variety of start sequence choices for the racing community.

Although it can be used to track simple steps, sleep, and activity like more basic Garmin fitness trackers, this is a serious sport watch that misses just a few important capabilities found in its more costly siblings, such as complete mapping, a color screen, and cycle power meter compatibility. In any case, there’s nothing else that comes close to the Garmin Instinct’s combination of features, performance, and sturdiness for £270.

Optimum Time OS Series 2JL

The Optimum Time OS Series 2JL is an entry-level watch that is surprisingly well-featured even though it has a low price, around 80$. Other than its compact and lightweight case, it comes with a large, single-line display and a usefully adjustable strap. It is water-resistant to 30 meters and has specialist sailing functions, like a pre-programmed ISAF start sequence with audible warning signals and a one-touch Sync button.

Gill Race Watch

This sailing watch is built from shock-resistant and carbon-reinforced ABS plastic. In addition, it has a stainless steel case back and 30-meter water resistance. It comes with a countdown timer with a Sync button, plus an audible alarm and alert sound in order to better preserve battery life. It comes in multiple colors for a customized feel and costs approximately 90$ from Amazon.

Optimum Time Series 12

This watch is quite affordable (around 120$), has a large display, a silicone strap, and a stainless steel buckle. It has the option of using its three-row display for easy viewing of the time and the timer. The shock resistance OS Series 1231R has specialized features such as a sharper display and a high contrast dot matrix display. It also has a USB-powered charging and is water-resistant up to 5ATM. It’s not a really durable watch but it is a budget watch with good features. Check out the price on Amazon.

Garmin Instinct Sailing Watch

The Instinct is Garmin’s all-around watch and has great features for sailors like GPS positioning on charts, barometric pressure, and a compass. The Garmin Instinct costs around 169$ and is available in 20 different styles and colors. The watch is 16mm (5/8” in) thick and weighs 53g (2 oz). This is probably the best all-around watch for the money. Link to Amazon.

Suunto Core Deep

This basic Suunto wristwatch is suitable both for sailing and for racing. Features include tidal data, barometric pressure, a compass, temperature, digital bearing, dual time and countdown timer, and a digital thermometer. An interesting extra feature is a storm alarm and weather trend information. This is another beautiful sailing watch, however, I would like it to be solar-powered at this price point.

Ronstan ClearStart RF4055

This watch is suitable for racing and costs no more than 99$. Its features include World Sailing 5-4-1-0 match racing timer, multiple start sequence options, and re-synchronization for an early or late start. At 50mm wide you can’t exactly call it a small watch and you should have pretty big wrists to pull this one off. However, I do believe there are better sailing watches out there if you are willing to spend a bit more but this is a great choice at this price point.

Citizen Analogue Automatic Watch

This is a proper action watch! It features big bright digits that are uncluttered and easy to read at a glance. In addition to the comfortable strap, which is durable and comfortable than any other typical metal bracelet, you get a plain black dial and date/date function, and water resistance to a depth of 200 meters. It is also an automatic watch which I like and it also means that you will never run out of battery. Also, this watch is more versatile than some of the other options on the list. You could also go with the Seiko Divers Automatic Watch SKX009K1. They are very similar and you simply can’t go wrong with either.

Suunto Core Alu Deep Black

The Suunto Core Alu is equipped with a barometer, tide data, a Storm Alarm, a compass with semi-automatic calibration and digital bearing, and weather trend information. It’s better designed than the basic Suunto because it benefits from a depth meter, digital thermometer, dual time, and sunrise/sunset times for more than 400 worldwide locations.

Garmin Quatix 6 Marine Smartwatch

This is a watch for everyone who enjoys sports and adventure. It’s serious business. Garmin has crammed every smartwatch feature they can think of into the 2020 Garmin Quatix 6, making it a watch that can do anything. When it comes to sailing, it checks all the boxes. You can create a virtual starting line with the Garmin SailAssist technology. This means you have perfect timing and can know whether you’re headed or lifted. You can also use the watch’s extensive connection to connect it to other devices and view statistics such as wind and water depth right from your wrist.

It also has a lot of great marine features. A Fusion-Link audio app can operate the onboard entertainment system, and autopilot control allows you to steer the boat without having to take your hands off the wheel. It’s also waterproof to a depth of 100 meters, which is crucial for sailors. For all sports, this watch competes with other smartwatches. It has the same features as the Garmin Fenix 6, including preloaded sports apps for tracking sport activities. A wrist-based heart rate monitor (which works underwater), topographical maps and ski routes, and GPS navigation are among its top features. Check out the price on Amazon.

Best Sailing Luxury Watches

Omega Sea Master Planet Ocean

This fairly expensive luxury timepiece comes with a steel case on a bracelet or an Omega Seamaster rubber strap, which maximizes the traditional toughness and reliability of the Seamaster; however, you could also get it on a steel bracelet. Moreover, it features a black dial with a date window, a uni-directional bezel, scratch-resistant domed sapphire crystal, and a helium escape valve. It’s 45.5mm stainless steel case, with a transparent back, enables you to view the Co-Axial Escapement. Equipped with anti-reflective treatment on both sides of the glass, plus water-resistance of 600 meters, it’s an excellent sailor watch that deserves to invest in. This watch will last for years to come and it comes in many different designs that you can choose from. Check out all of Omega Seamaster’s variations on Amazon.

Rolex Deep Sea

This is the place where the brazen pomp gives way to uncompromising performance and comes in the form of the Deep Sea model. Its 44mm case built from a steel/titanium alloy designed with a helium escape valve to make this watch waterproof to 12,800 feet! This is the most expensive choice on this list; however, if you want a watch that will have a lifetime of use on the sea, then this is the most suitable model. This watch is thick, heavy and it is built like a tank. The good thing when buying a Rolex sports watch is that it will never lose its value. It comes in two color variations; one with an all-black dial and one with a blue color variation on the dial which is beautiful.

I once had this model (in the all-black dial) that I received as a gift. I was wearing it every day for around 10 years and then I was able to sell it for $12,500 when at the same time a new one goes for around $14,000 (and when the watch was originally purchased the list price was lower). Hey, I know this is crazy expensive but I am a watch geek and since I know what to shop for, I can tell when a watch will hold its value and you can’t go wrong with a Rolex sports model. Check out today’s prices on Amazon.

>>Also Read: Best Clothing Brands For Sailing

Features of a Reliable Sailing Watch

Sailing timepieces come in a variety of styles and are primarily used to calculate speed and distance. They used to have chronographs and countdown timers to measure speed and distance, and they were usually enclosed in a tough, water-resistant shell to endure weather conditions. Compasses, barometers, and tachymeters are sometimes found on sailing watches. When racing or sailing in rough weather, a reliable sailing watch that withstands various conditions is what you should look for.

As a result, having a digital readout with large numbers, rather than an analog face with many internal little dials, may be advantageous. Note that some timepieces can switch between digital and analog readouts. For a watch worn on the water, the bracelet (strap) is equally vital. This is because it can keep the watch from falling or getting damaged. In the sailing environment, most watches feature soft, rubber, synthetic wristbands, which are regarded more sustainable than leather or stainless steel. Rubber straps are also less expensive than stainless steel, are easy to adjust, and come in a variety of vibrant colors.

Best Watches For Sailing – Final Thoughts

As we know, sailing requires precision, so a watch with specialized features for sailors is one of the most essential things in your outfit. Generally, sailing watches are definitely not cheap, but given the time and workmanship that goes into every model, they totally deserve the investment. I hope that this article was helpful and will facilitate your research for your first, or second, purchase.

In general, the sailing watch shares the athletic, hefty, water-resistant characteristics of the diver watch. However, sailing watches feature more intricacies that are valuable to sailors. Many mechanical models include smart countdown timers, while digital models are jam-packed with esoteric features to help a skipper plot the course. Watches with such timers, assist skippers racing in regattas in coordinating clean starts at good speeds. Any experienced sailor with an eye for detail will simply enjoy the cut of a reliable sailing watch.

Above all, remember that investing in a sailing watch will either cost you a fortune or just less than $100. It all depends on what you need. But, even a $100 sailing watch like the Casio SGW-100 will perfectly do its job if you need it for simple sailing. So, it’s important to know what exactly you’re looking for and then make your purchase. I hope that by reading this article you will now have a better image of the best sailing watches in the market; for offshore sailing or racing.