If you race in a keel boat, regatta or dinghy, chances are you'll be needing an easy to read race timer. I've pulled together some of the best choices on the market for BIG FACE sailing race timers.
The best sailing watches can offer a multitude of functions, from MOB alerts to tidal calculations and big screen sailing watch regatta race timers have easy to use buttons and can be worn over a wetsuit or dry suit.
You’ll see that Garmin have several entries in my best sailing watches guide and if you’re specifically after a Garmin, I’ve rounded up the best of those in this guide to the best Garmin watch for yachting sailing and more.
However, the cleverest watch is not always the best watch for sailing. For racing an extremely simple and speedy to operate model may suit better. Price is not always an indicator of functionality either; even some of the least expensive sailing watches, like the Casio we showcase below, can be packed with features.
In making my selection of the big screen best sailing watches, I’ve chosen those with features specifically suitable for sail racing and regatta use. They are all waterproof, but it doesn’t mean, however, that they float. So do bear that in mind.
Editor’s top choices at a glance
Best Big Screen Countdown Race Sailing Regatta Watches
Gill Stealth Sailing Regatta Race Watch Timer
Specifications: Display: 44 x 30 mm full dot matrix, Water Resistance: Up to 50 meters, Construction: Carbon-reinforced ABS plastic front with a stainless steel case back, Functions: Digital compass mode with Course Shift feature. Four countdown modes, including a vibrate function for silent alerts. Chronograph with 50-lap memory, allowing recall of lap and total times. Time, date, and day display with alarm function.
Reasons to Buy:
Versatility: The combination of countdown timers, chronograph, and compass makes it suitable for both racing and cruising sailors.
Durability: Robust construction ensures the watch can withstand harsh marine environments.
Silent Alerts: The vibrate function allows for discreet notifications, which is beneficial in noisy conditions or when silence is preferred.
User-Friendly Design: Large display and buttons facilitate easy operation, even when wearing gloves.
Reasons to Avoid:
the digital compass can drain the battery
the display can be hard to read in bright sunlight
the watch is priced higher than some competitors
The Gill Stealth Sailing Regatta Race Watch Timer is a solid piece of gear for any serious sailor. It feels durable—the carbon-reinforced ABS plastic and stainless steel back give it a rugged feel, and it holds up well in wet and rough conditions. With 50m water resistance, there’s no worries at all about going for an accidental swim during capsize and this thing can be repeatedly dunked and sprayed all day long without fear of it being waterlogged.
The countdown timer is the strongest feature I think. It has multiple pre-set modes, and the vibration alert is really useful. No need to rely on sound in loud, windy conditions or if you’ve got a helmet on blocking your ears. The large display makes it easy to read at a glance, though it can be a bit harder to see in really bright sunlight. Young eyes wont struggle, it’s mostly the older folks who struggle with the reduction in contrast. The buttons are big enough to press even with gloves on, which is great during cold-weather races.
One thing I’m not overly enamoured with is the digital compass. It’s a great feature, but in reality I’m not so sure of it’s practicality on the watch. It drains the battery quite fast. Speaking of battery life generally, it’s decent but not exceptional. It’s not a rechargeable watch and requires CR2032 lithium coin cell batteries. You can expect about 6 months battery life out of this with regular use, but limiting the use of the compass.
Overall, if you’re looking for a race-focused sailing watch with great durability and useful regatta features, this one is worth considering. That said, if you want something with a longer battery life or better screen visibility in bright light, you might want to look at other options.
Ronstan Clear Start Race Timer
Best Race Sailing watch
Specifications: Type: Digital | Size 65mm
Reasons to buy:Robust design with secure strap | Extra-large | easy to press silicon buttons | Great display
Reasons to avoid: Some consumers report issues with clasp/strap
With wrist, hull, mast or boom mount options, the Swiss-made Ronstan ClearStart Race Timer is aimed squarely at racing sailors.
Made by renowned rigging and hardware company Ronstan, it’s a robust design with a secure elastic strap and substantial ‘bumper’ around the digital display.
The ClearStart Race Timer’s features include extra-large, easy-press silicon buttons, a highlighted start/stop button, oversized 16 mm digits set in a 65mm rotating face and a double line display simultaneously showing the race countdown and time.
In addition, the ClearStart Race Timer offers ‘5-4-1-0’ and Match Racing start sequence programmes, making it a great choice for competitive sailors. Ruggedly constructed and built to last, this sailing watch weighs in at 92 grammes and is water-resistant to 50 metres.
Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Optimum Time Series 3 sailing watch
One of the most popular sailing watches on the market
Specifications: Type: Digital | Size: 65mm
Reasons to buy: Great price | Highly functional | Easy to read
Reasons to avoid: It’s really big
The popular ‘big yellow’ Optimum Time Series 3 is a lower-priced, yet highly functional racing watch. And it truly is big – far too large for my wrist at a gigantic 65mm (2.56” in) diameter and 16mm (0.62” in) thick. It’s also available in colours other than yellow – including white, blue and pink.
An advantage for racing is that this watch is easy to read at a distance thanks to its huge 16mm digits. A bracket is supplied to fix it to a mast. It also has a sync button if you miss the start gun, and can then run a repeat sequence or race timer for handicap competitions.
Robust, and water resistant to 5 ATM, with a wide elasticated strap.
Optimum Time Series 14 Rechargeable sailing watch
Best racing sailing watch
Specifications: Type: Digital | Size: 68mm
Reasons to buy: Rechargeable battery | Packed with features | Suitable for mounting
Reasons to avoid: Basic design
Optimum Time’s bold coloured watches are popular among racing sailors from dinghies upwards, and the new rechargeable design makes it more sustainable for anyone who uses theirs frequently.
Featuring a 36mm diameter LCD display mounted within a bright red and black 68mm ABS case, Optimum Time’s Series 14 watch is a substantial device that is equally suited to being mounted on a mast or boom as your wrist, while the digits are large enough to allow crew to see the same timer as the skipper.
Waterproof to 5 ATM (i.e. capable of withstanding a pressure of 5 bar), the sailing watch is packed with useful features and comes complete with a bespoke USB charger clamp for convenient charging.
Timex Intelligent Quartz Yacht Racer watch
Best for Analogue race sailing watch fans
Specifications: Type: Analogue | Size 46mm
Reasons to buy: Striking analogue display | Countdown timers
Reasons to avoid: Larger than average design | Complex to set up | lacks reset button | Expensive
This is a very striking analogue watch, designed to appeal specifically to racing sailors who don’t want a digital display. It features a racing countdown timers (from 5 mins, 3 mins or 1 minute), then after the start the chronometer automatically starts a race timer for up to one hour.
This is a larger than average design, at 46 mm (1.81” in) diameter and 14mm (0.55” in) thick.
However, this watch is complex to set up, as some functions require three buttons to be pressed in sequence. There is also no ‘reset’ button for anyone who misses their start sequence timer.
Ronstan Clearstart RF4055 sailing watch
Best specialist racing sailing watch
Specifications: Type: Digital | Size: 50mm
Reasons to buy: Multiple start sequence options | Match racing timer | Can sync for early/late start
Reasons to avoid: Larger than average design
This sailing watch is another specialist racing design. Race mode features include multiple start sequence options, match racing timer and the ability to sync for an early or late start.
The Clearstart RF4055 is unusual in that it has a fibreglass case, which is available in striking yellow and red as well as the more subtle black. It has a 50mm (2″) diameter face, which is larger than most watches, with a 13mm (0.5″ in) digital display, and the weight is 74gm (2.61oz), though the buttons have a lower profile than some other race watches making it neater to wear on shore.
Optimum Time Series 12 sailing watch
Best audible racing sailing watch
Specifications: Type: Digital | Size: 26mm
Reasons to buy: Audible warning features | Many colour choices
Reasons to avoid: No GPS or interconnectivity | Small display is hard to read in hectic moments
Another race timer with countdown time and pre-programmed start and audible warnings. Despite its more smart watch-style appearance, there is no GPS or interconnectivity, but you do get a countdown repeat option, World Sailing 5-4-1-0 start sequence pre-programmed with audible warning signals, and a sync button.
The Optimum Time Series 12 is available in many colours, but has a small 26mm (1.02” in) display, with 10mm (0.34” in) figures, which will make it hard to read in the middle of a hectic race start.
Gill Race Watch Timer
Best racing sailing watch for watersports
Specifications: Type: Digital | Size 44mm
Reasons to buy: Water-resistant to 30 metres | Carbon housing | The sleep feature preserves battery life
Reasons to avoid: Basic design and functions
This striking red and black Race Watch Timer is a sailing-specific watch developed exclusively for watersports apparel company Gill. It’s water-resistant to an impressive 30 metres, with the timepiece unit encased in a reinforced carbon ABS plastic housing with a stainless steel back.
As well as telling the time, the sailing watch’s functions include a countdown with synchro, day, date and alarm. There’s a keyboard lock feature to you don’t accidentally change the settings and an electro-luminescent backlight allows the wearer to check the data day or night.
A neat sleep feature preserves and prolongs battery life in a ruggedly constructed unit designed for durability and years of trouble-free service.
Limit ProXR Countdown sailing watch
Best value racing sailing watch
Specifications: Type: Digital | Size: 50mm
Reasons to buy: Large, clear, easy to read display | Multiple design options | Dual time, stopwatch, countdown and pacer functions
Reasons to avoid: Lacks features/functions of more premium competitors | Chunky
Limit has been producing watches for more than 110 years and specialises in offering a wide variety of styles at great value prices.
For a budget-friendly sailing watch option, the Limit ProXR Countdown comes with a large, clear and easily readable display and is backed by a two-year guarantee.
It also has a dual time display and stopwatch, countdown and pacer functionality. No fewer than five alarms can be set and there’s a night time illumination facility.
Available in a choice of orange/black or blue/black, the looks of this chunky 50 mm case diameter sailing watch certainly belie its low price tag.
FAQ: What makes the best big screen countdown watch for regatta sailing and racing
- Large, High-Visibility Display
Opt for a big, high-contrast screen with bold numbers for easy readability in bright sunlight and rough waters.
Backlight or transflective display (like Garmin’s MIP displays) is a plus for night sailing. - Regatta Timer & Start Sequence
Countdown timer with sync function (to adjust if you start late).
Pre-programmed race start sequences (e.g., 5-4-1-0).
Vibration or loud audible alerts to notify you without needing to look. - GPS & Navigation
Precise GPS tracking for race positioning.
Features like waypoint marking, tack assist, and speed over ground (SOG) are useful.
Some high-end watches include coastal charts & wind data integration. - Water Resistance & Durability
At least 10 ATM (100m) water resistance for ocean sailing.
Shock-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials (marine-grade stainless steel or titanium).
Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal for durability. - Battery Life
Long battery life in GPS mode (for long regattas).
Some models offer solar charging (e.g., Garmin Quatix Solar). - Smart Connectivity & Features
Wireless syncing with sailing apps & onboard instruments (NMEA 2000 compatibility).
Wind, tide, and weather updates for race planning.
Smart notifications (calls, messages, etc.) if needed.
You can read more about other types of sailing watch in my buyers guide to the best sailing watches
Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Head to Amazon’s dedicated boating page for more marine products.