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
- 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 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
- 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
- ⌚️ MOST RUGGED SMARTWATCH EVER BUILT FOR JUST 1/3 OF THE COST OF OTHERS: Experience the perfect blend of durability and high end technology to track your most important stats, no matter the...
- ⌚️ U.S MIL STD 810H CERTIFIED: Fully resistant against hard impacts, scratches, dents and other rough tests or environments. IP69K Rating Waterproof Technology.
- ⌚️ LONG LASTING BATTERY WITH JUST 90 MINUTES OF CHARGE: 14 Days of Battery Military Durable with just 90 minutes of charging. Stay connected on your most important tasks stress-free, this...
- ⌚️ LIMITLESS FEATURES: Social media notifications, Screen flashlight, Countdown timer, Music control, Sleep mode, Waterproof, Shockproof, Make and receive calls, Receive and read texts, +100 Sport...
- ⌚️ AMERICA’S TOP RATED SMARTWATCH FOR FRONTLINE ESSENTIAL WORKERS: We represent the thousands of hard workers who have spent hundreds of dollars on watches that scratched or broke easily, by...
- 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
- 3ATM WATERPROOF + MILITARY STANDARD - Foxhawk military smart watch for men has military-grade certification and has passed 10+ standard tests. It’s a perfect adventure companion and adaptable to...
- 3 MODES LED FLASHLIGHT - Foxhawk military smart watch for men is equipped with a small flashlight on the side. Its flashlight has 3 modes of use: Always On, Fast Strobe, and Slow Strobe. Simply press...
- 1.53” HD SCREEN + 400MAH BATTERY - Foxhawk big screen smart watch features a 1.53” Ultra large screen with up to 360*360 pixels resolution, bringing you the ultimate vivid visual experience....
- 100+ SPORTS MODES + ACTIVITY TRACKER - Foxhawk activity tracker watch supports up to 100+ indoor and outdoor sports modes tailored for those who love sports. It can accompany you to enjoy the fun of...
- COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH MONITORING - Foxhawk fitness tracker watch provides 24/7 heart rate, blood oxygen monitoring and sleep analysis, to help you better understand your body condition, aiding in the...
- 10-year battery life, 100m Water Resistant
- Stopwatch, Dual time, 5 alarms, LED backlight, Wide face
- Countdown Timer, Full Auto-Calendar
- Approx. battery life: 10 years on CR2032
- 【Military Standard & 3ATM Waterproof】- LaNikar military smart watch for men uses aerospace-grade metal, a 9H excellent hardness glass screen, and a fully enclosed 3ATM waterproof design, which is...
- 【Essential for Outdoor & Travel】- LaNikar rugged smart watch is equipped with a bright LED flashlight, with a lighting distance of up to 6-8m, and a built-in 530mAh large battery to ensure battery...
- 【110+ Sports Modes & Health Monitoring】- LaNikar sports waterproof smart watch supports 110+ sports modes such as running, basketball, cycling, yoga, skipping, swimming, surfing, etc. You can...
- 【Bluetooth Call & Message Notification】- LaNikar smart watch with text and call has a built-in high-quality speaker. You can make and receive calls, and you can also receive notifications such as...
- 【Multifunctional Life Assistant】- LaNikar smart watch with LED flashlight is equipped with a 1.45" high-definition screen and 360*360 high-definition resolution, providing you with a perfect...
- 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.
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.