Watches can do everything these days!
Some smartwatches for example can give you all your fitness tracking data, all your social media notifications and provide you with a GPS signal.
Not all watches are suitable to take skiing however. They also have to be durable, waterproof.
We have looked at the best watches for skiing out on the market today, and have identified our Top 5, reviews of which will follow shortly.
After that we have a little buying guide for you, going through everything you might like to think about before buying your watch.
Best Watches For Skiing – Reviews
- Rugged watch featuring round dial with Arabic hour markers, 24-hour time on inner dial, and date window at 3 o'clock
- Also features three-year battery life and accuracy to 20 seconds/month. Velcro fastener
- Water resistant to 100 m (330 ft). date display, 3-hand analog and accuracy: +/-20 seconds per month
- Quartz Movement with analog display
- Nylon fast-wrap band with hook-and-loop closure
- Adjustable black 20mm resin strap with fits up to 8-inch wrist circumference.Band Material : Nylon
- Black dial with date window at 3 o'clock; partial Arabic numerals; 24-hour time
- Black 43mm resin case with acrylic lens
- Indiglo light-up watch dial; luminous hands
- Water resistant to 50m (165 ft): In general, suitable for short periods of recreational swimming, but not diving or snorkeling
- Adjustable black 20 millimeter resin strap fits up to 8-inch wrist circumference
- 100-hour chronograph with 30-lap memory; 24-hour countdown timer
- 3 daily, weekday or weekend alarms; 24-hour military time mode; 2 time zones; day, date and month calendar
- Black 44 millimeter resin case with acrylic lens; black digital display; Indiglo light-up watch dial
- Water resistant to 100 meters (330 feet): in general, suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving
- Adjustable brown 22 millimeter genuine leather strap fits upto 8-inch wrist circumference
- Cream dial with date window at 3 o'clock; Full Arabic numerals; 24-hour time
- Gray 45 millimeter brass case with mineral glass crystal
- Indiglo light-up watch dial; Luminous hands
- Water resistant to 50 meter (165 feet): In general, suitable for short periods of recreational swimming, but not diving or snorkeling
- Large, Bright Display: The AMOLED display can reach peak brightness of 2,000 nits; read your maps and workout data easily in any light. Night mode reduces eye strain in the dark, and Glove Mode keeps...
- Built for Adventure: Endure any challenge with a 316L stainless steel bezel and buttons. The military-grade body can resist 158℉ heat and -22℉ cold. Water-resistant to 100m, wear it while surfing,...
- Over 3 Weeks of Battery Life: The Amazfit T-Rex 3 can last for 27 days with typical use, 42 hours in GPS Accurate Mode, and up to 114 hours in GPS Long Battery Life Mode. With some settings disabled,...
- Free Maps & Advanced GPS: Download free global, contour, and snow maps. Track your adventures accurately with dual-band positioning, backed up by 6 satellite systems for fast connection. Get turn...
- 170+ Workout Modes & AI Training Plans: Explore 170+ workout modes including hiking, strength training, ultramarathon, surfing, skiing, and more. Get personalized AI-generated training plans,...
- [1.85” Ultra Big Screen & DIY Dials] - Foxhawk smart watch for men is equipped with a super large 1.85” screen with an extremely narrow bezel design, providing a wider touch area and more accurate...
- [730mAh Big Battery & LED Flashlight] - Foxhawk military smart watch has a 730mAh battery, which can work normally for 7-10 days with only 2 hours of charging and up to 40 days of standby time. You...
- [114 Sports Modes & Activity Tracking] - Foxhawk fitness tracker watch supports up to 100+ sports modes tailored for those who love sports, including running, cycling, basketball, elliptical, tennis,...
- [Make/Answer Call & Smart Notifications] - Foxhawk military smart watch comes with a built-in speaker and microphone that allows you to make and receive calls, receive text messages from your cell...
- [Personal Health Assistant] - Foxhawk fitness tracker watch provides 24/7 heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring to help you better understand your body condition, especially when working late at...
- Imported
- Military Watches: This is a watch that supports both digital and analog displays. It provides two different time zones for simultaneous setup and reading, with high quality sports and Japanese...
- Multi-function sports watch: with stopwatch, dual-time display, independent alarm, 12/24H time, calendar, LED backlight, waterproof, shockproof and other functions. These features make it the perfect...
- High-quality materials: The soft PU rubber band makes it comfortable to wear, and the durable plastic casing and mineral glass mirrors are extremely resistant to pressure and can be used in any...
- 164 ft / 50M waterproof: wash your hands, bathe, sweat, swim, wash and rain without problems. But don't dive underwater or press any button.
- LED Light, Daily alarm, Hourly time signal
- 1/100 second stopwatch, Measuring capacity: 59'59.99", Measuring modes: Elapsed time, split time
- 1st-2nd place times, Auto-calendar set at 28 days for February, 12/24 hour formats
- Accuracy: +/-30 seconds per month, Battery: CR2016, Approx. battery life: 7 years
- 100M Water Resistant
- Rugged watch featuring round dial with Arabic hour markers, 24-hour time on inner dial, and date window at 3 o'clock
- Also features three-year battery life and accuracy to 20 seconds/month
- Water resistant to 100 m (330 ft). date display, 3-hand analog and accuracy: +/-20 seconds per month
- Quartz Movement with analog display
- Nylon fast-wrap band with hook-and-loop closure
Best Watches For Skiing – Buyers Guide
There are all sorts of watch features that can come in handy when you’re out on the slopes. We’re going to run through what we deem to be the most important features here for you now, and hopefully that will help you decide which watch is the one for you.
Waterproof Rating
To get the most out of your watch for skiing, you’ll want to wear it over your ski jacket, and you certainly don’t want any melted snow to damage your watch. That’s why it’s important that your watch is waterproof as opposed to water resistant. All of the watches in our Top 5 are waterproof to some extent.
Waterproofing is best judged by the IP rating. An IP rating consists of two numbers, the first number representing resistance to dust and the second number representing resistance to water. Higher numbers correspond to greater resistance.
For a skiing watch, we strongly recommend that you get a watch with an IP rating of at least IP67 or IP68. Anything below an IP65 is not going to be good enough. Objects with an IP rating of IP67 are typically described as being protected from immersion in water with a depth of up to 1 meter (or 3.3 feet) for up to 30 mins.
GPS
We would also recommend that your watch is GPS enabled. This means that your watch will give off a GPS signal to a global positioning satellite system, to help you to identify exactly where you are. This is essential should you detour from any set skiing routes, and if there were any possibility that you could get lost.
GPS is the most well known global positioning satellite system, but there are others besides, and it’s better to have a watch that is enabled for more navigation systems rather than just the one.
ABC (Altimeter, Barometer, Compass)
Before the advent of GPS, outdoor sport enthusiasts relied on altimeters, barometers and compasses in their watches. Although they’re not as necessary now, they still seem to be a popular feature, and they can provide more accurate data than the GPS can on certain things.
How it works, is that a barometric sensor within the watch detects changes in air pressure. And since air pressure is lower on higher altitudes,the altimeter is then able to show both your current altitude, as well as the change in altitude.
Normally a barometric altimeter is only able to detect vertical changes, but when this is combined with GPS data you get better, more reliable information.
Should you find yourself without a GPS signal, a watch with a digital compass becomes very handy. One with a 3 axis compass would be best since it gives you accurate information.
The other advantage of a watch with a barometric sensor is that, if there’s a sudden change in air pressure, it can warn you that a storm is coming, in enough time to get you off the slope and find shelter.
Durability
If you’re taking a watch skiing, it’s best to invest in a watch that can take a knock, perhaps with stainless steel or resin in the casing. You’ll also want a clock face that’s scratch resistant, perhaps with mineral glass or maybe even sapphire glass.
Smartwatch Features
There are several apps dedicated to skiing available on both Apple and Android watches. It is beyond the scope of this article to go into any depth comparing the individual apps. If you do decide to go for a smartwatch, you need to ensure that it’s compatible with your smartphone.
If you want a smartwatch that you can make calls from (since you’re unlikely to take your smartphone out on the slopes) then you’ll need a watch with it’s own SIM card slot.
Battery Life
The watch’s battery life is also an important consideration. Using the GPS function on a watch really drains its battery, so ideally you’ll want a rechargeable battery that will last you all day, that you can simply recharge when you get back to the chalet at night.
