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How to Make Your Clock Into a Compass

Use your watch to tell cardinal directions whenever you're outside and don't have a compass available. This is especially helpful when you're out hiking and become disorientated or lost. A compass has a magnetized needle that automatically points north toward Earth's magnetic field. Instead of a magnet, use knowledge of the Sun's path through the sky during the day to make a compass out of any analog watch.

Instructions

- 1
  Lay a clock on a flat surface outside during daylight hours, when there is enough sunlight to cast a shadow. If you're wearing a wristwatch, hold it parallel to the ground. If you have a digital watch, draw an analog watch face on the ground or on a piece of paper and mark the hour hand.
- 2
  Place a match in the center of the clock vertically. Only the tip of the match should be touching the clock, with the rest of the match sticking straight up. A small twig or any other object with a shape similar to a match will work in the same way.
- 3
  Turn the clock until the shadow from the sun lines up with the clock's hour hand.
- 4
  Draw an arrow halfway between the hour hand and the 12 o'clock point on the clock. The arrow points toward north. Extend the arrow in the opposite direction to point south. Your clock now acts as a compass.

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