Your Watch as a Compass

Any watch can be used as a compass when the sun is shining (and only then). On the GMT and the Explorer II the 24-hour hand works as the compass needle, but it works with any other watch too. Pretty amazing. Here's a how-to that watch collector Georg Burger kindly shared.

Watch with a GMT function

It's easy with the Rolex GMT-Master or Explorer II:

1. Point the "normal" hour hand at the sun.
2. The 24-hour hand is now your compass needle and points exactly north (if you're in the northern hemisphere, otherwise it points south).

Important: the hour hand and the 24-hour hand have to show the same time.

Regular watch without a second time zone

It works with a regular watch too, though you need to do a little thinking that the GMT or Explorer II would otherwise do for you:

1. Point the hour hand toward the sun.
2. In your head, draw a line from the center of the watch to the 12.
3. Half the angle between that imaginary line and the hour hand points south.

Important: during daylight saving time the imaginary line has to run through the 1 o'clock position instead of the 12.