Big digits
The Gill Regatta Master Watch II takes advantage of its large display in the last minute of the countdown, when the seconds remaining until the start take over the screen. If that visual isn’t enough, the countdown is also audible: It beeps every minute up until one minute, then every 10 seconds, then every second in the last 10. You can then program it to either start a timer or roll into the next start. One button will sync the watch down to the next minute or round to the nearest minute depending on your settings, and a double-click of another button resets the countdown.

I was able to calibrate the watch’s compass easily after reading the manual and giving it a couple of tries. The compass has a backward bearing mode and a lock function to save coordinates. You can put the watch in power saving mode with a blank screen after racing. If you forget, you’ll get a low-battery warning when it’s time to recharge. This was the biggest wristwatch of the group (excluding the Ronstan ClearStart Race Timer). However, it was surprisingly lightweight. $175, GillNA.com