The 13 Best Sailing Watches For Serious Sailors 2025
Looking for the best sailing watches?
The best watches for sailing have to tick a lot of different boxes in this day and age. Gone are the days when you just wanted a sailing watch that could tell the time accurately.
We’ve lived aboard our sailboat for over 7 years now and in that time we’ve seen dramatic changes to the quality of sailing watches out there. I can’t begin to imagine what you’ll be able to get your hands on in 20 or 30 years time!
Adam is obsessed with new technology, and he keeps a very close eye on the sailing watches out there. Unfortunately, we haven’t tested out every single watch on this list, but either us or close sailing friends have, so we have a pretty good idea of the best watches out there. We can’t wait to share them with you.
If you’re shopping for yourself or looking for the perfect sailing gift for someone else, then we have a range of great options that cater to both style and function.
Let’s have a look at what the best watches for sailing can do for you.
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Table of Contents
- The best watches for sailing
- Garmin Quatix 6
- Suunto Core
- Garmin Instinct
- Timex Intelligent Quartz Watch
- Ronston Clear Start
- Tissot Sailing-Touch Watch
- Omega Speedmaster Racing Automatic Chronograph
- MARQ™ Captain Modern Tool Watch
- Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Automatic Chronometer
- Panerai Luminor Marina
- Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra
- Bulova Marine Star Chronograph
- Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown
- What makes a great sailing watch?
The Best Watches For Sailing
🏆 Our top pick for liveaboards – The Suunto Core
We’ve found the best watches for sailing in the market. These make the perfect present, or why not treat yourself? They all come with great features that will make sailing even more fun and enjoyable.
#1 Garmin Quatix 6
Although being one of the most expensive sailing watches on our list at nearly $600, we had to include the Garmin Quatix 6, as it really is one of the best currently on the market.
This really is a whole lot more than just a watch, with features for every type of sport on the water including diving.
Bluetooth functionality means you can connect it to a Garmin chartplotter using the free Garmin Connect app. You can also connect it to other makes of plotter using the Garmin transceiver for $150 extra.
This allows all the features of your chartplotter to be displayed on the watch, including charts and even autopilot control if that’s connected to your chartplotter.
It comes with preloaded apps for boating tides and many features for race sailors including a race countdown timer. It even includes preloaded topographic maps, including ski maps! We told you this watch really does have it all.
The Quatix 6 has a choice of displays to you can customise your sailing watch, and can also be switched between analogue and digital. You can get it with a plastic strap or stainless steel, but we prefer the plastic as it’s a lot lighter!
It receives e-mail and texts just as any smartwatch, can be used to control music on board, is waterproof to 100 meters, is sunlight-readable, and comes with night light. The Quatix 6 even monitors your heart rate (great for showing your other half just how stressed you get when mooring the boat!)
The battery version lasts around 14 days between charges or you can get a solar-powered version for double the price. This is a do-anything watch perfect for anyone serious about sailing and adventure sports.
#2 Suunto Core Watch
While not quite as fancy as the Garmin sailing watch above, the Suunto Core is still packed with a wide range of features that make it a practical and useful tool for days out on the water (and with a much softer price tag of around $150!)
If you’re looking for a more affordable watch for sailing then this is a great choice.
It comes with a compass, barometer, and weather forecasting features like a storm alarm to keep you in the know of current conditions in your area.
It has duel times for long-distance sailing and useful extra features like predicted sunrise and sunset times. This watch is suitable for freediving, recording depths accurately to 30 feet.
Suunto watches have a great reputation among adventure lovers. These Scandinavian designs are made to last even in tough conditions.
It’s not a small watch but this actually makes it a lot easier to use, and we like the fact it isn’t too heavy. For a sailing watch on the cheaper end of the spectrum, you can’t go wrong with the Suunto Core.
#3 Garmin Instinct
Garmin’s more affordable product to make our best watches for sailing list is the Garmin Instinct watch. Garmin call this their outdoor watch, and although it doesn’t have as many fancy features as their Quatix 6, it’s still a fantastic sailing watch.
It’s constructed to U.S. Military standard 810G for thermal, shock, and water resistance (rated to 100 meters) so it will withstand being thrown around at sea. It has a built in 3 axis compass and barometric altimeter, plus multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, Glonass, and Galileo).
It also has smartphone connectivity so can receive e-mails and texts, and can control smartphone music. It has a thermometer and a heart rate monitor.
#4 Timex Intelligent Quartz Watch
This might not be up there with the smart sailing watches but for anyone wanting a bit of old-fashioned class from their sailing watch the Timex Intelligent Quartz is one of your best (affordable) choices. This watch will look good both on and off the water and comes with some useful sailing features too!
The tide tracker counts down to high or low tide, it has a thermometer to measure air & water temperature and an analog compass. The dial lights up for night sailing and it’s water resistant to 100m (though note that they recommend it for snorkelling and swimming rather than diving).
#5 Ronstan Clear Start Sailing Watch
The Ronstan Clear Start Sailing Watch is designed with race sailors in mind and is a popular choice for those wanting something reliable and purpose-built.
The textured buttons are easy to locate and the numbers are big enough to see at a glance. The multi-line display enables you to see the time and timer together and there’s a backlight option, which is useful in bad lighting or adverse weather conditions.
The SYNC feature quickly synchronises the timer if it’s missed the count-down sequence by a few seconds and the pre-programmed race audible sequence provides a count-down signal so you don’t have to look down.
#6 Tissot Sailing-Touch Watch
The Tissot Sailing-Touch is designed with sailors in mind. Its stainless steel case and rubber strap make it rugged and it’s water-resistant to 200 meters.
You can choose 2 time zones for long-distance sails, it has a tide tracker, temperature, and compass.
For race sailors, the REGATTA function consists of a countdown that can be set from 0 to 10 minutes and is used as a timer for the departure procedure of a regatta. When the countdown reaches zero, it transforms into a racing chronograph.
#7 Omega Speedmaster Racing Automatic Chronograph
This is one classy watch by Omega, who makes some of the best on the market.
In a stainless steel case with a fixed black aluminum-filled bezel showing tachymeter markings, and a black dial with luminous silver-tone hands, you’ll certainly get compliments on this new addition to your wardrobe.
But what about sailing features? This chronograph watch has three sub-dials displaying 60 seconds, 30 minutes, and 12 hours. It is water resistant to 100 meters, so it will cope with all the salt water you can spray at it, and the scratch resistance is a great feature too.
#8 MARQ™ Captain Modern Tool Watch
This watch has all the gadgets but still looks great.
You’ll find a revolutionary regatta timer enhanced with GPS technology which pinpoints the start accurately. There is a tack assist and a man overboard button for the helmsman and it’s water resistant to 100 meters.
It has preloaded marine mapping with GPS navigation, maritime profiles and weather forecasts, including storm alerts and home port conditions.
If the gadgets don’t win you over then the exquisite nautical details will. With a navy ceramic bezel and jacquard-weave strap made by artisans in the south of France, you’re going to look the part no matter where you are.
#9 Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Automatic Chronometer
We love the look of this watch, it’s so classic and timeless. With a stainless steel case and a blue (alligator) leather strap, fixed coin edge stainless steel bezel and blue dial with silver-tone spade-shape hands and Roman numeral hour markers, this watch really looks the part both on and off the water.
It’s water-resistant to 50 meters, scratch resistant and has roughly 60 hours of power reserve. This watch is pure luxury, and perfect for sailors who want to look the part.
#10 Panerai Luminor Marina
The Panerai Luminor Marina is a classic sailing watch with modern features. It looks great whether you’re wearing it out sailing or to work, as it doesn’t have the sporty look of some of the other modern sailing watches.
It has an oversized crown that’s easy to grip, even with wet fingers. It’s water resistant to 100 meters.
#11 Omega Seamaster Aqua Terre
Omega really does make incredible watches, and the Seamaster Aqua Terre is no exception. You don’t need to see this watch close up to know it’s a step above the rest.
The finishes are impeccable and this stylish watch lands somewhere between sporty and classic, so it goes with every outfit.
This watch has a 150-meter depth rating, a 60-hour power reserve, and a resistance to magnetic fields of up to 15,000 Gauss.
If you’re looking for the perfect watch for days out sailing and everyday wear then look no further.
#12 Bulova Marine Star Chronograph
The Bulova Marine Star Chronograph Watch is designed with a gold-tone stainless steel case with a rotating dial ring to measure elapsed time. It has some beautiful details, like the red stitching on the blue leather and silicone strap, and the three-piece buckle closure.
It features a six-hand chronograph and is water resistant to 100 meters, so is perfect for days on or in the water.
#13 Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown
The Frederique Constant Yacht Timer Regatta Countdown is one of the more simple and elegant watches on this list. It has a simple sophistication that goes perfectly from yacht to dinner to business.
Featuring a rose gold-plated polished stainless steel case with a navy blue dial with guilloché decoration and applied rose gold-plated luminous indexes, and hand-polished rose gold-plated hour, minute, or orange second hands, this watch looks good on anyone.
It has an automatic FC-380 calibre with a 48-hour power reserve and a 100-meter depth rating.
What Makes The Best Watches For Sailing?
Rugged Watches For Sailing
A watch used on the water is often exposed to harsh elements for long periods of time. The number one requirement of a watch for sailing is that it can stand up to any weather condition thrown at it.
Look for waterproof and shockproof watches that will withstand the various knocks it’s bound to get out at sea!
Features Of A Sailing Watch
Depending on what you plan on using your sailing watch for (day sailing, cruising, racing), you may not see some of these features as necessary. But here is a range of different tools you can look for in a sailing watch to help you find the perfect one for you.
- Chronometers – For ultimate accuracy.
- Countdown Timers – especially useful for race sailors to help them count down to the start of a race.
- Compass – an essential item on any boat, a compass remains a reliable navigation tool in case your electronic system malfunctions.
- Barometer – this tool shows the variations in air pressure and can help with predicting upcoming weather conditions and storms.
- Tide information – a tool that can help you keep track of the ebb and flow of the ocean.
- Multiple time zones – for longer expeditions when the vessel is crossing into different time zones.
Sailing Watch Strap
This might seem like a strange thing to include, but a decent strap could make the difference between a watch that stays on your wrist, or one that falls overboard! If you’re going to invest in a decent watch for sailing then you’ll want to be sure it will stay on you at all times!
Most watches have soft, rubber, synthetic wristbands, which are considered more sustainable than either leather or stainless steel in the sailing environment. Rubber straps are also lighter than stainless and easier to adjust.
You’ll find that the most expensive sailing watches tend to feature a mixture of leather and synthetic wristbands, to add class for a watch that can be worn both on and off the boat.
Conclusion: The Best Sailing Watches
The best watches for sailing don’t have to have all the modern fancy features and there are plenty of affordable options out there that will provide you with the basic tools you need for a safe and enjoyable day out on the water.
For those among you who spend a little more time out at sea, there are some very advanced watches for sailing out there that should make your life on the water a whole lot easier!
If you’re looking for a more detailed review of sailing gear must-haves then we’ve got you covered!
We really hope you found what you were looking for in this article. If you found this post useful then please do share and check out some more of our sailing articles below.
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