Do Compass-Watches work in Cities?
 

Anyone have experience with the watches with a built-in digital compass?......Do they work well inside a dense city?

I'm asking since the instruction books for the watches give directions to set the compass by going to basically an empty field, far away from buildings, cars, metalic objects, electromagnetic radiations from TVs, phones, etc.......so I'm not sure if the direction-finding gizmo inside the watch works well in an urban setting (or are they better designed for forests or deserts?)

The watch-compasses are now in the Timex/Casio ranges around $40..... considering getting one for first-time trip to Rome, Tokyo where it will be convenient to pop up from tube/metro/subway and get oriented quickly to map......

thanks!

yes compasses work fine in such environment unless ferric material are right next to it. though it shouldnt be something to rely upon for navigation - dead reckoning is a better technique

My experience with non-digital compasses in cities is that they usually work adequately if you move away from the buildings (toward the curb). But it's wise to walk a few paces and check the reading again, because sometimes buried utility lines or subways or ??? can cause weird local disturbances.

You don't need much precision in a city, since you typically can only walk in 4 directions (along the street, or take a cross street).

Hi...let me clarify.... I'm asking about the compass-type device built-in to some $40 digital watches....it's not the usual magnetic needle-type compass.....it's some inside-the-watch sensor (not GPS) which has to be calibrated when you get the watch, then provides a direction read-out on the watch face.

Just wondering if this sensor works well in urban areas...or is actually made for nature areas.....

I'm thinking this type of watch would be helpful when coming out of the subway in Tokyo or other cities which have random street directions (rather than a Manhattan-type grid) to get oriented to a street map...... but if these types of watch-compasses don't work well, I'll get a more stylish watch for less money to wear.....and get a little magnetic needle compass to keep in my pocket!

Thanks for any experience!!!!

yes ABC watches like suuntos or casio pathfinders or advanced g-shock work fine in urban environments

ABC = altimeter barometer compass

...excellent....good to know....I'll get one this week.....they will be great for our trip to Rome, Instanbul and Tokyo..... all places where the streets are not on a grid!.......thanks!

I have one on my Casio. IMO it's not a good compass. I have compared it with my military lensatic compass and my Silva compass for orienteering. The watch compass doesn't yield the same azimuth as the real compasses.

I thought about getting one of these. Usually I just rely on the position of the sun and the time of day but I've gotten lost when it's overcast or at dusk.

Now, I just try to use my iPhone, connected via a Mifi with a prepaid local data SIM. That way I can use mapping apps, even augmented reality apps.