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Best Watches for Sailing: The Regatta Timer Explained

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Best Sailing Watches in 2022 (From Budget to Luxury)

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Table of Contents

Best Sailing Watches

Garmin quatix 6 multisport – premium sailing smartwatch.

Read Amazon Reviews | See on Garmin

Tissot “Sailing Touch” Watch – Swiss-Made  

Casio Tide Watch (WS-1100H-4AVCF)

Optimum Time Sailing Watch: Simple Budget Pick

Garmin Quatix 5 

See the  quatix® 5 on Garmin.com | Read Amazon Reviews that mention “Sailing “

If you’re looking for a watch with multisport functions, this should be at the top of your list. Garmin is a trusted brand when it comes to smartwatches for sports, so you’re sure that you’ll have some of today’s best technology. The Garmin Quatix 5 is built on the powerful Fenix 5 platform, a smartwatch designed for use in the water. This is a good option if you want a more affordable version of the Quantix since the price has dropped since the release of the newers version 6.  There really are too many features to name here. If you want a closer look at what’s changed to see which is a better fit – check out this comparison of the Quatix 5 and 6 on Garmin. This powerful GPS marine smartwatch has a heart rate monitor (it’s wrist-based, so you don’t need to use a chest strap). Aside from the boat features, this model also has functions for a wide array of sports (i.e. running, hiking , biking , swimming, etc.) Garmin has dozens of models for different sports and fitness activities, but the reason why the Quantix model made our list is that it has Garmin SailAssist™ Capabilities that allow the user to have a virtual starting line. There is also a tack assist and a race countdown timer. This one is excellent on water, but it’s equally efficient on dry land too. Its simple design is also perfect for daily wear.

SUUNTO Core – All around value

The brand’s sailor-specific watch, the Suunto Elementum Ventus , was one of our top picks in the past but this one is not made anymore, but you may still find second-hand models on the market today. Occasionally one will pop up on eBay . The Suunto Elementum Ventus is a smartwatch with a sleek and sophisticated design, sapphire crystal glass, stainless steel case, and leather strap. The sailing features include a sailing timer, chronograph, compass, and weather predictions.

Garmin MARQ Captain (010-02006-06)

Read Reviews | See on Garmin.com

The Garmin MARQ Captain is an impressive luxury smartwatch filled to the brim with fantastic features for various activities. Along with Garmin’s staple features such as GPS, activity tracker, smart notifications, and Garmin Pay support – the MARQ Captain also provides Driver, Aviator, Expedition, Athlete, and Captain modes. This smartwatch is undoubtedly a masterclass in what these devices can achieve. Design-wise the Garmin MARQ is more oversized than your typical smartwatch. However, this bulkier appearance makes sense considering the MARQ’s build quality and feature-packed design. Also, despite the larger build of the Garmin MARQ, it is surprisingly lighter than you would think, at only 94 grams. In terms of features, the Garmin MARQ offers similar functionalities to the Garmin Fenix 6, and I would even dare say that the MARQ is simply a flashier version of the Fenix 6. However, one of the most notable features in the Garmin MARQ is undoubtedly the Athlete mode. This feature comes with layers of functionality that cover a vast selection of sports such as running, swimming, cycling, skiing, and golf. Besides the variety of sports features, MARQ also offers nifty functions such as a heart-rate sensor, stress tracking, and incident detection that sends notifications to your emergency contacts about your location. I also want to highlight the Recovery feature, which helps you keep track of your rest which can significantly help if you are nursing an injury. For sailing, I have to say that Garmin MARQ provides an unbeatable collection of features for sailors. The MARQ comes with a Regatta feature that helps you formulate the optimum route. The Tack feature also gives you real-time updates on wind shifts. In addition, the Garmin MARQ comes with a Man Overboard function that enables you to track a person who accidentally fell off the boat, which is one of its unique features. Garmin MARQ is undoubtedly one of the top options available in the market as a sailing watch. The Garmin Fenix 6 is a solid sailing watch, but the MARQ Captain is undoubtedly the more stylish of the two.

Ronstan ClearStart Sailing Watch – Budget

Corum Admiral AC One 45 Tides

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II

Ulysse Nardin Marine Regatta

Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta

Bremont Regatta AC

[instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BDRRISat_Ld/ hidecaption=true width=320] The Bremont Regatta AC (America’s Cup) is a limited edition model (the company only produced 235 pieces) and is no longer in production. However, you can still try your luck searching for sellers on eBay. It was priced at around $6,800 when it was still available, this is relatively more affordable than the two luxury brands above. This series and a partnership with Oracle Team USA (OTUSA) were released in Baselworld 2016 with much acclaim. A Blog to Watch quoted Oracle Team USA Skipper Jimmy Spithill as saying (about both AC and OTUSA):

“Naturally, we have a central digital clock on the boat but every sailor still likes to have the time on his wrist, and before a race the countdown to the start is critical. It’s a really tough sport both mentally and physically, and not only does the team need to make decisions under immense pressure but we need to have equipment that allows us to do so,” Spithill said. “With the countdown function being so crucial when racing out on the water, we are really delighted that Bremont has invested in this for us and it’s incredibly special for me that the watches also incorporate some of our winning AC72 which I skippered in 2013.”

Some of the main features of the AC include a titanium case material, automatic movement, sapphire glass, and a rubber bracelet. This chronograph timepiece’s sleek, classic design exudes elegance without being flashy.

TNG Classic Tornado Sailing Chronograph

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Nautica Yachtimer Manuals

Nautica Yachtimer Instruction Manual (16 pages)

Table of contents.

• Set the Time - Hour, Minute, Date 3
• Set the Date (Quick Correction) 4
• Set the Alarm 5
• Alarm On/Off 6
• End of Life (EOL) 6
• Alarm Repetition 6
• To Set the Count down Timer 7
• Count down Function 8
• Activation of Count down 8
• Count down Progress Beeper 9
• "Second Chance" Count down Adjustment 10
• Chronograph Starts Automatically after Count down 11
• Chronograph Start/Stop 12
• Count down Reset 13
• Chronograph Reset 13
• Reinitializing the Chronograph Hands 14
• Reset of the Small Counter Hand at 10H 14
• Reset of the Central Counter Hand 15

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Published on May 11th, 2016 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez

Nautica NMX 15 Digital Yachtimer

Nautica Watches introduces the NMX 15 Digital Yachtimer, a new digital watch with a sophisticated modern look. Housed in an impressive 55mm case, this timepiece is rugged in look, yet lightweight in feel. The soft silicone strap wraps neatly around the wrist, making it comfortable to wear both for a day out at sea or on a stroll through city streets. Fitted with a digital chronograph module featuring a yacht/sailing mode, this timepiece offers multiple levels of precise timing for the water sport enthusiast, including a countdown timer, an automatic count-up timer and data recall.

The NMX Digital Yachtimer also has two time modes in addition to the alarm, timer and chronograph functions, making it the ideal watch for day or night, land or at sea.

Technical details Case: Ø 55mm steel case with matte blue coating and six screws on the top ring Dial: digital with time and date logo at 12 o’clock WR: 100m – 10 ATM (328ft) Movement: digital chronograph Functions: countdown, chronograph functions, timer, alarm Strap: matte blue, slotted – tongue buckle

About the Author

Daniel Sherman Fernandez www.dsf.my is a service to the public and other website owners. www.dsf.my is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within the site www.dsf.my. While the information contained within the site is periodically updated, no guarantee is given that the information provided in this website is correct, complete, and up-to-date. www.dsf.my is not responsible for the accuracy or content of information contained inside.

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Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Best sailing watches: 16 options for racing and cruising

• October 17, 2023

Fox Morgan, Phil Sampson and Roger Hughes test and review 16 of the best sailing watches available with functions for racing and cruising sailors

The best sailing watches can offer a multitude of functions, from MOB alerts to tidal calculations and large faced race count down timers. And yet still there’s utter simplicity of a waterproof self winding timepiece.

Just as tablets and even smartphones have revolutionised how sailors use multifunction displays and instruments, so the latest smart watch technology has now firmly filtered into sailing. While we’re now familiar with using our watches to give us directions, make calls and send messages, and act as a repeater screen on our wrists ashore, so the latest sailing watches also make navigation, data and comms technology wearable afloat.

You’ll see that Garmin have several entries in our best sailing watches guide and if you’re specifically after a Garmin, we have 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.

At the other end of the scale,  luxury horology brands – including Rolex, Panerai, and Omega among others – have long been closely associated with sailing, seeing it as the perfect sport to demonstrate their style, waterproof and ruggedised qualities, and accuracy.

In making our selection of the best sailing watches, we’ve chosen those with features specifically suitable for wearing aboard. That doesn’t mean, however, that they float, so be sure to do the clasp up securely and be wary of pulling off jacket sleeves in a hurry and losing your prized timepiece overboard!

Editor’s top choices at a glance

Best sailing smart watch – Garmin Quatix 7 Best premium sailing watch – Garmin MARQ Captain Best value sailing watch – Casio Lithium Quartz Best racing sailing watch – Ronstan Clear Start Race Timer

Best sailing watch for multifunction use

Garmin quatix 7.

Best sailing smart watch

Specifications: Apple or android smart phone compatible,  Sizes: 47mm / 51mm, Weight 70g, Battery life: up to 16 days with screen on by demand, GPS tracking, waterproof to 10 ATM

Reasons to Buy: Large easy to read face | incredible versatility for an array of lifestyle activity | healthy wellbeing and boat interactivity | customisable to suit individual needs Reasons to Avoid: Battery life not as good as the Quatix 6 if screen is always visible | bright facia can be distracting | touchscreen is pointless without the additional kit it interfaces with

Garmin’s latest sailing smartwatch includes improvements to strengthen integration with onboard electronics.

It’s a touchscreen model that can, for instance, be used to control MFD displays or Fusion audio systems, as well as Garmin autopilots.

You can also pay for things with contactless payments, but you’ll need to use an intermediary app, such as Curve if you are in the UK as British banks haven’t signed up for that function directly yet.

So let’s address the major change for the Quatix 7 over the Quatix 6, and that’s the display. Plenty of folks complained about the darkness or difficulty seeing the Quatix 6 screen, so they’ve addressed that with a much brighter lit up style of screen.  It is very bright even when turned to its dimmest setting. To save the battery from being drained unnecessarily at night, there’s a night time version of the watch screen where you can view it as a digital numeric mono display, on demand, otherwise the screen is completely blank. This brighter clearer display does come at a compromise of battery life or screen saver settings.

The extra screen size in the same outer bezel size though is really very nice. Maps and other tracking options can be easily seen.

High end Sapphire models add a new ultra-clear AMOLED touchscreen.

The watch can output directly to Strava and myfitnesspal along with other apps according to your preference. We like this watch very much indeed and it is currently the best smart sailing watch for all round functionality. Pricey though, but worth it.

Garmin MARQ Captain

Best premium sailing watch

Specifications: Type: Smart | Size: 46mm

Reasons to buy: Weather and tidal data | MOB and GPS functions | Stream boat data to your wrist Reasons to avoid: Full extent of capabilities is governed by the onboard technology it’s connected to | Premium price

Tested by: MBY Editor, Hugo Andreae

Our top priced pick comes from wearable tech-specialists, Garmin. The MARQ Captain sailing watch comes packed with marine-relevant features.

Functions include weather and tidal data for your home port, a regatta timer to pinpoint starting times, a ‘tack assist’ function to determine whether you’re on lift or a header, a man overboard button and GPS.

The full extent of its capabilities is governed by the onboard technology to which it is connected, but possibilities include streaming boat data direct to your wrist wherever you are on the boat and controlling products from the Garmin-owned Fusion range of audio systems.

Garmin Instinct 2S Solar

Specifications: Type: Smart | Size: 40mm / 45mm / 50mm, weight 53g(2oz)

Reasons to buy: GPS positioning on charts | barometric pressure and compass | Smartphone connectivity | An incredible amount of styles and colours | A single charge lasts 14 days Reasons to avoid: Premium price without a premium design

Tested by: Tech Editor, Fox Morgan

The Instinct 2, launched in February 2022 is Garmin’s all-round watch, which they call their outdoors watch. Features that are particularly relevant to sailors include GPS positioning on charts; barometric pressure and a compass.

It has smartphone connectivity, receives emails and texts, and can control music via a phone. This watch also has an inbuilt thermometer and heart rate monitor.

The Garmin Instinct is available in no fewer than 20 different styles and colours. It’s actual diameter is 47mm (1 13/16” in) but the viewable face is 32mm (1 1/4”). The Instinct is 16mm (5/8” in) thick and weighs 53g (2 oz).

For racing sailors, it also has multiple start sequence options. We have an indepth review from long term testing of this watch coming soon.

The Garmin Instinct watch is a good alternative for anyone seeking a more moderately priced alternative to the Quatix 6.

Garmin Quatix 6 Multisport Marine Smartwatch

Specifications: Apple or android smart phone compatible,  Sizes: 47mm / 51mm, weight 82g, Battery life: up to 16 days with screen always visible, GPS tracking, waterproof to 10 ATM

Reasons to buy: Suits a multitude of water activity | Highly customisable | An incredible amount of data available on your wrist | A single charge lasts 14 days Reasons to avoid: High level of functionality is not for the technologically phobic

This watch I tested comprehensively for several weeks/months – it is a very smart design, with functions for every type of pastime on the water and off it.

Garmin is well known for superior boating instruments and they have now managed to squeeze all the data of a ten-inch chartplotter into a 1.3” inch round sailing watch. Bluetooth functionality means you can connect it to a Garmin chartplotter using the free Garmin Connect app, and to other makes of plotter using the Garmin transceiver (a $150 extra).

This allows all the features of a chartplotter to be displayed on the watch, including charts and even autopilot control to allow you to change heading or follow a GPS route – provided it is also connected through the chartplotter.

The Quatix 6 also offers more typical smartwatch functions including the ability to receive email and texts, can be used to control music on board, and monitors the user’s heart-rate.

It’s simple to switch between ‘boat display’ and ‘stylish watch’ modes, as hundreds of different watch faces that can be downloaded to customise it to the wearer’s preference, including an antique style face and even a copy of Big Ben. The Quatix 6 can also be switched between analogue and digital.

It’s overall diameter is 51mm (2” in) with a 36mm (1 5/8” in) viewable face, and it is 17mm (11/16”) thick. The Quatix 6’s weight is 83g (3oz) with the plastic strap or 156g (5.5oz) with the stainless band, which is quite a bit heavier than a conventional watch.

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.

Spinnaker haas automatic.

Specifications: Type: Analogue | Size: 43mm

Reasons to buy: S mart styling | easy to read day and night | electronics free | self winding Reasons to avoid: Due to self winding mechanism the watch is not as slim as a quartz movement watch which might mean that cuffs on shirts and foulies are tight.

Tested by: Professional TopSail Schooner Skipper, Phil Pryor

The joy of a traditional analogue watch is right here in this stylish all metal timepiece from Spinnaker.

Spinnaker Watches collaborated with the Marine Conservation Society to produce this limited edition model that’s a tribute to marine biologist and pioneering diver Hans Hass.

If you want to ditch the computers and keep it simple then this is definitely worth a look.

It feels reassuringly sturdy with it’s all metal band and easy to read rating bezel.

It’s waterproof to 300m and requires no batteries as this watch self winds from the motion of your hand through every day movement.

The winder unscrews to allow time, day and date adjustment and that my friends is all there is to this gorgeous watch. At least as far as the wearer is concerned. Behind that metal back is the smooth Japanese workings of a self winding watch. When it arrived in the box the watch was still and inactive. But the moment I removed it from the box it started to self wind. With just a small amount of movement, the second hand was moving.

For sailors who want to a sleek non electric time piece and for those divers who like to go under the water as well as on it.

I love this safety yellow colourway as it really stands out and is easy to read. This might not be to everyone’s taste though which is fine because the Spinnaker Hass comes in 9 different colourways.

Buy the Spinnaker Hass now on eBay

Buy Spinnaker Hass from Spinnaker

Casio Lithium Quartz

Best value sailing watch

Specifications: Type: Digital | Size: 48mm

Reasons to buy: Great value | Highly functional | 2 year warranty Reasons to avoid: Lacking in design | Lacking extensive features of premium alternatives

There’s no question that when it comes to affordable innovation, Casio is right up there.

Despite being one of the lowest-priced watches in our selection, the Casio Tide Watch Orange is a highly functional piece of kit which, in addition to all the usual time, day and auto date functions also features a tide graph and lunar phase display.

More conventional sailing watch functions include a timer, stopwatch and LED might. It is water resistant to 100m/10 bars and has a 2 year warranty, all packed into a 48mm diameter, 13 mm thick case.

Best sailing watch for racing

Ronstan Clear Start Race Timer

Best racing 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.

Buy the Ronstan ClearStart Race Timer now from West Marine

Optimum Time Series 14 Rechargeable 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.

Buy the Optimum Time Series 14 now on Amazon

Timex Intelligent Quartz Yacht Racer watch

Best analogue racing sailing watch

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.

Buy the Timex Intelligent Quartz Yacht Racer now on the Watch Shop

Optimum Time Series 3 sailing watch

Best all-round racing sailing watch

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.

Buy the Optimum Time Series 3 now on Amazon

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.

Buy the Ronstan Clearstart RF4055 now on Amazon

Buy the Ronstan Clearstart RF4055 now on eBay

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.

Buy the Optimum Time Series 12 now on eBay

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

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.

Buy the Limit ProXR Countdown now on gooutdoors.co.uk

Ulysse-Nardin The Ocean Race Diver

Specifications: Type: Analogue | Size: 44mm

Reasons to buy: manufacturer with a strong history in watch making | ‘green’ credentials | classy and collectible Reasons to avoid: Lacks features/functions of more sailing-specific watches | you’ll need deep pockets

Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin sourced discarded fishing nets to upcycle into the base material for this watch, highlighting the 640,000 tonnes of nets that are discarded at sea each year.

In addition, 95% of components for the mechanical movement are sourced from within 30km of Ulysse Nardin’s site.

Buy The Ocean Race Diver now on ulysse-nardin.com

FAQ: What makes the best sailing watch?

The ability to read the time, countdown or data in a hurry or at an angle is key, so look out for digital readouts with large numbers – some sailing watches have the ability to switch from digital to analogue readouts – and screens that can be viewed in different qualities of daylight. Backlit functions are essential for anyone heading offshore, whether racing or cruising.

A well-fitting wristband or strap with a secure clasp is vital to keep the watch on your arm. Most sailing watches have soft rubber or synthetic wristbands, which are more durable in a marine environment, and safer than steel. Rubber straps are also lighter and easier to adjust.

If you plan to use your watch for race start timing, look for programmable start sequence options, a sync button, countdowns that switch to seconds in the final stages. A loud, clear alarm or ‘beep’ function that tells you time to the gun is particularly useful, so you can keep watching your course, trim and other boats around you during the final approach to the line rather than having to glance at your wrist.

You can read more about other types of GPS enabled and waterproof fitness trackers and smart watches at YBW.com

Didn’t find what you’re looking for? Head to Amazon’s dedicated boating page for more marine products.

• Christopher Ward
• Grand Seiko

Yachting Timers & Watches

At worn&wound we’ve long been fascinated by watches that were designed specifically for individual sporting events. This is part of a series on these unique timepieces.

Yacht timers – also referred to as regatta timers, yachting chronographs, or sailing watches – are watches specially designed and made for the countdown to the start of a sailing race. As you can imagine, starting a race on water, with entrants powered by the wind, is not as easy as lining up on a grid, Formula 1 style, or lined up like sprinters at a track meet, waiting for the starting gun. As we just saw in the recent America’s Cup races in San Francisco, the yachts (we use the term loosely in the case of the America’s Cup boats) are already at speed as they approach the starting line. The trick for the skipper is to NOT cross the starting line before the starting gun goes off. If they do, they’re penalized quite heavily (how and how much depends on the rules in effect for the specific race).

So some sort of a count-down timer is useful to the pilot and tactician. Horns signal the start of the countdown period and a skipper can start his yacht timer by the audible signal. He then has an on board measurement of progress to the start of the race, and can sail his yacht accordingly – hopefully to reach the starting line, at speed, just as the starting gun sounds.

Over the decades there have been numerous yacht timers and specialized chronographs produced by the world’s watch companies. Perhaps the most well-known yachting timer today is the Rolex YachtMaster, but there are others, past and present. Current and recent pieces include those from Tutima, Alpina, Atlantic, Omega, Panerai, and IWC, as well as electronic offerings from TAG Heuer, Suunto, Tissot and others.

But the vintage timepieces – the regatta timers of old – are what really get our juices flowing. Sailing chronographs like the Heuer Autavia Skipper, the Regate (sold under three different brand names – Aquastar, Heuer, and Tissot), Heuer’s Yacht Timer (both wrist-mounted and stopwatch form factor), the Breitling Chronomat and SuperOcean (both in regatta timing trim), the Memosail (two are on eBay as we write this), Lemania’s self-branded Regatta Yacht Timer in handheld stopwatch format, and the wonderfully busy Wakmann.

Regatta timers have various ways of indicating the countdown time. There’s typically a multi-colored or numbered disc rotating beneath the dial with the colors or numerals showing through windows similar to a date disc. Five vari-colored dots – usually blue followed by red (Alpina, Regate), numerals against colored backgrounds (Memosail), or a separate chrono hand coupled with colored zones on the watch’s bezel (Tutima, Bretling, Heuer) or indicating time remaining to the start via a separate scale within the dial (Rolex).

Heuer’s Autavia Skipper was part of the legendary Autavia line in the 1970s. It featured the Autavia’s classic tonneau shaped case, a red, white, and blue countdown sub-dial at 3 o’clock, a small seconds at 10 o’clock, and date at 6. Chrono pushers were in the classic locations at 2 and 4, but the crown was positioned at 9 o’clock. The watch featured a 60 minute rotating bezel, and examples are often see with a blue dial & bezel combination.

Heuer’s Yacht Timer from the 1960s came in both a wrist-mounted version and a handheld stopwatch form factor. Color-wise, regatta timer dials are never shy, and the Heuer is no exception. This watch was basically a fifteen or thirty minute stopwatch (there were at least two versions) with a multi-colored dial formatted and printed for the countdown function.

Aquastar’s Regate, also branded and sold as Heuer, Tissot and other brands such as “Racing”  in the early 1980s, used a Lemania movement with a classic five-dot/ window format, with a tri-colored rotating disc beneath the dial. five windows for five minutes, and once the timing started the colored wheel would progressively show thru the windows, changing them one at a time from blue to red to white (or silver).

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Breitling produced watches in regatta timing trim in both the Chronomat and SuperOcean lines. The Chronomat featured a center mounted minute with a multi-colored inner chapter ring. The SuperOcean used the center-mounted totalizing hand with a multi-colored bezel. These black-cased watches featured Venus 178 or 188 movements, modified to handle the unique needs of a yachting chronograph.

Lemania’s self-branded Regatta Yacht Timer is another handheld stopwatch format timer. The timing function is the familiar series of five windows with a colored disc beneath, but with the letters S-T-A-R-T replacing the third color (similar to the Memosail).

The Wakmann , yet another 1970s piece, looks almost too nice to have been a working watch. To us, it looks more like a dress watch for the Yacht Club awards banquet (but then, so does the current Rolex Yachtmaster II). The timer’s motor is a Lemania Caliber 1341 automatic with hour sub-dial at 6 o’clock and running seconds at 9 o’clock. Countdown chrono minutes and seconds are indicated by center mounted hands with orange tips. The display has a lot going on, with a date window at 3 o’clock, a white stationary chapter ring with days of the month, a multi-colored chapter ring with days of the week (moveable via a secondary crown at 10 o’clock – line it up with the correct day of the week for the current month), and a third multi-colored chapter ring outside the first two, this one with 15 countdown minutes in the first quadrant and a tachymeter over the following three quadrants. We’d be concerned about reading this in the heat of racing battle. That said, we love this watch for its center minutes totalizer, its unique display of day of the week and month, and it’s cool 1970s cushion styling.

With ultra-modern quartz-based timers available (TAG Heuer produced what was effectively a dedicated smartwatch, specifically to be worn by members of the America’s Cup Team Oracle, which relayed real-time data stream of boat performance to each crew member), and the inevitably harsh conditions of sailboat racing, these wonderful vintage racers have probably seen their heyday (one can’t imagine a skipper actually wearing a Rolex Yachtmaster II in a modern race). But their unique styling, and sheer mechanical timing abilities are works of wonder in any age. We’d wear one, even if it’s only to sail our desk into next week.

by Ed Estlow

special thanks to our friends at analogshift.com for lending us the Wakmann

and Francesco B for use of his Racing Regatta images

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11 Nautical Watches For Sailing Your Next Regatta In 2021

Sailing requires precision, so a watch that’s designed to have accurate timing is one of the most important things in a yachtsman’s outfit.

Watchmakers have focused on this art for centuries. A company like Breguet, for instance, has been specializing in nautical watches over 200 years, making chronometers for the French Royal Navy. There’s the Marine Équation Marchante 5887, which is currently priced at over $200,000.

More brands soon followed and evolved, maintaining craftsmanship, precision, and hefty price tags. Some of the first brands that stand out include Aquastar, Breitling, Tag Heuer, Omega, and Rolex.

One of the most important things to look for in a sailing watch is a countdown timer. It is extremely important for a skipper to measure the interval that leads to the start of the race/regatta, which can be extremely challenging due to the wind conditions and current.

Ideally, you want a countdown timer that automatically converts to a race chronograph when it hits zero, like the one on the Tissot Sailing Touch Watch.

This article will feature both old and new brands, as well as different price points from affordable ones to luxury options. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most efficient models on the market today.

Best Sailing Watches

Optimum time series 12 sailing watch: budget pick.

If you are looking for an affordable yet functional sailing watch, one of your best bets is the Optimum Time Series Sailing Watch.

This watch has a silicone strap (which can be personalized with different highlight colors), a stainless steel buckle, and a large display. You have the option to use its three-row display for easy viewing of the time and the timer at the same time.

The shock resistance OS Series 1231R has new and improved features like a clearer display/contrast and high contrast dot matrix display. Its USB-powered charging is convenient too. This one has a more casual, laid-back design, and is water-resistant up to 5ATM. It also has the Sync Button which allows you to get back to the race if you miss the gun. It’s not the most durable watch on the market, but it is priced as a budget watch.

Timex Intelligent Quartz Yacht Racer Watch

The analog Timex Intelligent Quartz Yacht Racer boasts of a pre-programmed date feature that only needs to be set once—you don’t need to adjust it for decades thereafter. This one was built especially for the sport, timing the race from start to finish.

This watch is water-resistant up to 330 ft, so it can also be used for swimming and snorkeling, and the newer models also have the Indiglo feature.

One of the things that a number of users have pointed out is the size of the watch. It’s 46 millimeters in diameter and is 14 millimeters thick, so it is usually preferred by users with bigger wrists. The price tag is very reasonable, making it an excellent entry-level watch for a first regatta.

Tissot Men’s Sailing Touch Watch

One of the most important features of the Tissot Sailing Touch is a countdown function, which turns into a race chronograph once it reaches zero. The watch also has a compass, barometer, and a tide feature (informs you of the time of high tides and low tides, and if they are coming in or going out).

This watch can assist you when competing in regattas, as it has a regatta timer that will let you position yourself on the starting line.

Some of the other design highlights include luminous markers and hands, a sapphire crystal interface, a backlight, and two time zones. The time is analog, which can also be displayed on the LCD. It also has a perpetual calendar. You can choose from a number of bezel colors too (red, blue, and silver).

Garmin Quatix 5

If you’re looking for a watch that has multisport functions, this should be at the top of your list. Garmin is a trusted brand when it comes to smartwatches for sports, so you’re sure that you’ll have some of today’s best technology.

The Garmin Quatix 5 is built on the powerful Fenix 5 platform, a smartwatch designed for use in the water.

This powerful GPS marine smartwatch has a heart rate monitor (it’s wrist-based, so you don’t need to use a chest strap). Aside from the boat features, this model also has functions for a wide array of sports (ie. running, hiking, biking, swimming, etc.)

Garmin has dozens of models for different sports and fitness activities, but the reason why the Quantix model made our list is that it has a Garmin SailAssist™ Capabilities that allows the user to have a virtual starting line. There is also a tack assist and a race countdown timer.

This one is excellent on water, but it’s equally efficient on dry land too. Its simple design is also excellent for daily wear.

Suunto Ambit

Another powerful multisport watch, the Suunto Ambit3.

Suunto is another brand that you can count on for use both on water and dry land. If you’d like a brand new Suunto for sailing, this multi-sport watch is compatible with sailing-specific apps available on the Movescount, a website and community that helps Suunto users to customize their watches.

A Suunto model that is excellent for these apps is the which relatively more affordable than the previously-discussed Garmin Quatix.

The Ambit 3, an outdoor and adventure watch, has ABC features (altimeter, barometer, compass), GPS, route navigation, heart rate feature, and weather information. It is also known for its excellent battery life, with 200 hours and 1-minute accuracy. Design-wise, the all-black design is much more subdued than some of the bright, luxury sports watches on this list.

The brand’s sailor-specific watch, the Suunto Elementum Ventus was one of our top picks in the past but this one is actually not being produced anymore, but you may still find second-hand models on the market today. Occasionally one will pop up on eBay ( if you’re in the UK/EU you could also search watchshop.com).

The Suunto Elementum Ventus is a smartwatch with a sleek and sophisticated design, sapphire crystal glass, stainless steel case, and leather strap. Some of the sailing features include a sailing timer, chronograph, compass, and weather predictions.

Now that we’ve got the more affordable models covered, it’s time to focus on the luxury brands.

Corum Admiral AC One 45 Tides

This brand also has a rich history. Swiss brand Corum has been around since the 1950s. It’s a prolific company, regularly producing new, limited-edition models. One of its most popular releases is the Admiral’s Cup line of watches, which started production in the 1960s.

The Admiral AC One 45 Tides, the updated model. has gone through a number of updates but stays true to its original design.

Its CO 277 caliber movement, which was meticulously developed for years with the Astronomic Observatory of Geneva and the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Services of the French National Navy. This CO 277 caliber is a unique movement that is specialized for tide indicator is what sets this watch model apart from the competition.

This one has a distinct 45mm dodecagonal titanium case, a brushed titanium bezel, an anti-reflective sapphire crystal case, and a vulcanized rubber strap. What makes this model special is the tides indicator: tide time and strength, lunar cycle, and strength of the currents/ height of the tides.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master, a regatta watch, is one of the most popular luxury yacht watches out there. The brand boasts of being “the only chronograph in the world with a mechanical memory,” a watch for water sports and sailing.

TheYacht-Master caliber 4161, is a “self-winding mechanical chronograph movement” developed by the company. The first-ever model of this Rolex was released in 2010. The movement, which comprises of 360 parts, took approximately 35,000 hours to create.

The Yacht-Master II is made of Oystersteel (developed by Rolex), which is powerfully resistant superalloys used in high-technology industries, which makes it exceptional in harsh environments. Users can program the countdown for a duration of between 1 and 10 minutes that returns to its previous setting at reset.

It’s waterproof up to 330 feet or 100 meters, is scratch-resistant and has a power reserve of approximately 72 hours.

Ulysse Nardin Marine Regatta

Another popular name in luxury regatta watches, the Swiss Ulysse Nardin Marine watch. This regatta chronograph has meticulously designed kinematics to ensure that it’s extremely precise.

One of the of highlights the Ulysse Nardin is the way that the chronograph starts. In most watches, the sailor activates the countdown, stops the countdown at the start of the crossing line, and then start the chronograph.

The UN Marine Regatta is designed to automatically switch from countdown to chronograph at the start at the end of the countdown. The company also assures an extended five-year warranty (which started in 2017) for anyone who buys a brand-new model.

Ulysse Nardin has been making precision marine chronometers since 1846, pioneering innovative products that continue to stay relevant today.

Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta

Panerai has an interesting history. It is an old brand that entered the civilian market in the 90s, but prior to this, it created dive watches for the Royal Italian Navy’s underwater missions during World War II.

This history, and of course its precision, utilitarian features, and beauty has gained the brand passionate fans and collectors to this day.

Made especially for sailing, this classic dive watch has a professional regatta countdown.

The Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta features a  47mm brushed titanium case with a rubber bracelet, the bezel is polished titanium, and the dial is black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers.

Bremont Regatta AC

The Bremont Regatta AC (America’s Cup) is a limited edition model (the company only produced 235 pieces) and is no longer in production.

You can still, however, try your luck searching for sellers on eBay.

Priced at around $6,800 when it was still available, this is relatively more affordable than the two luxury brands above. This series, along with a partnership with Oracle Team USA (OTUSA), were released in Baselworld 2016 with much acclaim. A Blog to Watch quoted Oracle Team USA Skipper Jimmy Spithill as saying (about both AC and OTUSA):

“Naturally, we have a central digital clock on the boat but every sailor still likes to have the time on his wrist, and before a race the countdown to the start is critical. It’s a really tough sport both mentally and physically, and not only does the team need to make decisions under immense pressure but we need to have equipment that allows us to do so,” Spithill said. “With the countdown function being so crucial when racing out on the water, we are really delighted that Bremont has invested in this for us and it’s incredibly special for me that the watches also incorporate some of our winning AC72 which I skippered in 2013.”

Some of the main features of the AC include a titanium case material, automatic movement, sapphire glass, and rubber bracelet. The sleek, classic design of this chronograph timepiece exudes elegance without being flashy.

TNG Classic Tornado Sailing Chronograph

This is one of the relatively newer brands on this list, but you can count on the company to produce a competitive product. One of TNG’s founders is Olympic sailor Herbert Dercksen, who has won multiple times at the World Tornado Championships. Co-founder Frans Dingerdis is also a sailor and marketing specialist.

The TNG (Tack & Gybe) Classic Tornado Sailing Chronograph has a full automatic sailing time that’s ready for a five and ten-minute countdown. This Swiss-made model has a simple, classic look that will look good in the water and for daily use.

Some of the other features of this Swiss-made/Dutch-designed chronograph are sapphire scratch-resistant crystal, a power reserve of 42 hours, automatic winding, 28.800 vibrations per hour, and superluminous indexes/hands. The design is a sapphire scratch-resistant crystal, a stainless steel case, and a screw-in crown and case back.

Sailing watches are clearly not cheap, but considering the time and workmanship that goes into every device, they deserve the investment.

Good luck with your search, whether you’re looking for a watch for your first regatta, or looking for a more high-end watch to add to your collection.

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Celebrate The Class of 2024

Our Favorite Nautical-Themed Watches

Most competitive sports require timing of the utmost precision, and none more so than professional sailing. Regatta events actually begin with a countdown to the official starting gun, typically somewhere between 10 and 15 minutes, when yacht skippers are required to maneuver their boats back and forth in front of the start line but without crossing it. Of course, during all that time they are at the mercy of the elements – strong winds or a choppy sea can test every ounce of skill from even the most experienced crews. Understandably, accurate timekeeping becomes critical in that highly-specific nautical situation. Jump the gun and penalties are incurred. Set off too late and risk languishing at the back for the entire race.

There have been a host of timepieces – in particular the Rolex Yacht-Master II  that have taken on the specific challenge of catering to the world’s professional sailors, each employing their own take on that all important countdown timer.  Below we have selected a few of the very best regatta timers with nautical styling.

Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titanio (PAM00526)

Never knowingly under-named, Panerai’s Luminor Regatta 3 Days (maybe we’ll just call it that for convenience) is part of a seven-strong team of watches in the brand’s lineup designed for the expert yachtsman. Launching in 2013, it is most definitely of the Luminor ilk, with its enormous 47mm girth, classic cushion-shaped case, and impenetrable crown guard.

However, thanks to the in-house P.9100/R movement, it also features an automatic chronograph with a flyback function, allowing the wearer to immediately synchronize the watch with a regatta’s official timer.  That is a lot of information for any one piece to display effectively, but Panerai’s effort is certainly one of the most legible around, thanks in no small part to the sheer expanse of real estate they have to work with.

The main hands are the regulation Luminor batons, but the countdown timer uses another pair of centrally mounted pointers; orange for the minutes and blue for the seconds. That use of color not only makes the whole thing extremely readable, it also works on an aesthetic level, giving the model a distinctive nautical style compared to its contemporaries.  

A trio of pushers control all aspects of the chronograph and timer; the start and stop button at the 10 o’clock, the flyback feature at the eight, and the regatta countdown at the four. It allows for split second coordination between the race clock and the watch and the ability to adjust instantaneously if needed.

For the rest, the case is forged from lightweight and extremely tough titanium, and the elegantly set up dial is protected by a sapphire crystal, second only to diamond on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.  With not much change out of $20,000, the Luminor Regatta 3 Days is certainly not the cheapest model out there, but its blend of utility, strength, nautical style and just pure size means you are getting a whole lot of watch for the money.

Bremont Regatta AC OTUSA

With their manufacturing headquarters in Henley-On-Thames, U.K., home of the incredibly posh Henley regatta, it stands to reason that Bremont would know their way around a nautical watch. Couple that with the fact co-founder Giles English trained as a naval architect, and it is obvious why the brand jumped at the chance of becoming both the British Official Timing Partner of the 35 th America’s Cup in 2017, and also the sponsors of the champion Oracle Team USA.

As a result of the collaboration, Bremont released a fleet of new watches within the Regatta AC family. While all models are well setup in terms of functionality, some options are significantly more dressy and sober of the two, doing away with the scale for the countdown register on the dial – something still present and correct on the sporty (and thoroughly nautical) OTUSA, alongside the pair of five minute counters and the 12-hour chronograph sub-dial.

It is a very different take on the yachting timer complication than the Panerai, offering even more information on a reduced canvas, although at 43mm, it is still by no means a small watch. Especially impressive are those dual five minute counters, displayed in asymmetrical apertures at the 12 o’clock. On the right hand side, a red disc marked 5-4-3-2-1 counts down in 30-second intervals after it is activated by the two o’clock pusher, while the blue arc on the left slowly reveals the word START as time ticks on. 

Behind it all is the Bremont BE-17E movement, based on the Valjoux 7750, heavily customized by longtime partners, La Joux Perret in Switzerland. Self-winding and with a 42 hour power reserve, a display case back shows it off, including the America’s Cup branding on the rotor.

All of the Regatta watches were released as special editions, with the OTUSA available with either a black or white dial housed in titanium three-piece (Trip-Tick) cases and limited to 235 units each. Handsomely efficient and with a novel approach to the problem, Bremont’s yachting duo are particularly impressive contributions from an under-the-radar manufacturer.

Rolex Yacht-Master II

The start of Rolex’s cautious dalliance with more advanced functionality, the Yacht-Master II first was announced back in 2007. It was a massive departure from Rolex’s existing Yacht-Master watch, in both feature set and aesthetics. As a result, it was a somewhat polarizing effort among fans, something which has been tempered a little over the years with the release of some more underplayed color combinations. 

The original, in solid yellow gold with a screaming blue bezel, was perhaps just a little much for some potential buyers. However these days, there are Everose Rolesor versions and all stainless steel models that are significantly more subtle, as well as a platinum and white gold piece which is positively monochromatic.

Even those who recoiled at the visuals couldn’t criticize the engineering behind it. The Yacht-Master II featured the Rolex Ring Command Bezel, which links directly to the movement to unlock the watch’s various functions.  Rotating the surround, engraved with numerals 1-10 (as well as the name of the watch in enormous letters in case you’d forgotten), opens up the programmable countdown timer. The wearer sets the duration of the countdown via the winding crown, and returning the bezel to the starting position locks, and (crucially) memorizes the setting. 

The timer is started with the top pusher, the elapsed seconds indicated by the sweep seconds hand, and the minutes by the red arrow on the horseshoe-shaped meter at the top. But the really clever part comes should the need arise to adjust the countdown. The lower pusher causes the second hand to reset and the arrow hand to synch to the nearest minute instantly, making the Yacht-Master II the first watch in the world with mechanical memory and flyback functionality. 

Key to it all is obviously the engine. The original references used the Cal. 4160, a heavily-reworked version of the Daytona’s Cal. 4130. Post-2013, the YMII has been granted a movement with a different name – now the Cal. 4161 – however functionality remains unchanged. With 360 separate components, it was the most complicated caliber Rolex had ever built, until obviously developing a taste for it, they brought out the Cal. 9001 for the Sky-Dweller’s GMT and annual calendar functions, which had an extra 20 bits shoehorned in.

While it may have split opinion, and continues to do so to some degree, the Yacht-Master II has become something of a celebrity favorite in recent years. NBA legends LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are both avowed fans, as is Mark Wahlberg and Conor McGregor, who are often seen sporting their 18k yellow gold models. 

How much time any of those luminaries spend sailing in competitive regattas is unclear, but the unorthodox styling is clearly enough for them. Unquestionably among the largest, and definitely one of the most technically impressive showstoppers from Rolex , the Yacht-Master II makes a real statement whether on deck or shore side.

About Andy Callan

Andy Callan is a luxury watch writer for us here at Bob's Watches. His passion for the aesthetics of high-end mechanical watches, and the beauty of a hand-finished movement, has given him a lifelong obsession with all things horological.

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In the past month, Vladimir Putin has had five top generals arrested on corruption charges. More are likely to follow in what looks like a gathering purge by the Federal Security Service (FSB). ‘There is a fierce clean-up under way,’ a source close to the Kremlin told the Moscow Times last week. ‘There is still a long way to go before the purges are finished. More arrests await us.’

Without doubt, the FSB will find plenty of the corruption it’s looking for. Timur Ivanov, Russia’s deputy defence minister – the first senior general arrested – was hardly shy about flaunting his wealth.

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An investigation by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation in 2022 found ample evidence by looking no further than the social media accounts of Ivanov’s wife. They featured a stream of photos of the couple on luxury holidays, as well as a birthday party featuring a three-tiered cake decorated with gold hand grenades, bullets and diamonds.

Several photos show Ivanov drinking with Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov (bizarrely dressed in a bear costume) along with his former boss Sergei Shoigu, the veteran defence minister ousted soon after Ivanov’s arrest. Digging a little deeper, the Navalny team found pictures of Ivanov’s neoclassical estate outside Moscow, as well as a bank transfer for €90,000 for a week-long charter of a yacht in August 2013 (presumably a celebration of Ivanov’s appointment to head the Defence Ministry’s construction division, Oboronstroi).

The epic scale of the theft by Russia’s government officials – and the vulgarity and shamelessness of how they show off their ill-gotten gains – is beyond parody. Massive graft has also long been considered standard operating procedure for the Kremlin’s kleptocratic elite. Corruption is the glue that holds Putin’s so-called power vertical together. What’s unusual is for the Russian President to turn on his underlings so publicly. Ivanov and his fellow accused face jail terms of up to 15 years, and their perp-walks and arraignment hearings have been widely publicised on state TV. If embezzlement and bribery are suddenly impermissible, no government official or army general is safe.

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Putin has no intention of dissolving the pyramid of graft on which his regime is built. That would be political suicidal. Rather, his purge of the army will be highly selective, and aimed at eradicating the most egregious offenders pour encourager les autres .

Corruption was a major factor in the army’s failure to seize and hold northern Ukraine in February and March 2022. Over the previous five years Shoigu was given vast resources – up to 6 per cent of Russia’s GDP – to build up and reform the Russian army into a (regionally, at least) invincible fighting force. Shoigu’s big innovation was the Battalion Tactical Group (BTG), a small and integrated force that combined motorised infantry and artillery. The problem was that while hardware was not in short supply, soldiers were. But rather than admit failure to fulfil the Kremlin’s orders, generals solved the problem by simply reducing the strength of units. Motorised rifle battalions shrank from up to 539 personnel in 2017 to around 345 on the eve of the Ukraine invasion.

The estimated 120 BTGs that attacked Ukraine all went in at far from full combat strength. And that shortfall told, especially in the wooded countryside and city suburbs of Ukraine. Each infantry fighting vehicle needed a commander, a driver and a gunner, leaving four men to dismount and act as actual boots – and, more importantly, eyes, ears and rifles – on the ground.

Without conscripts, each platoon was left with perhaps two fighting infantrymen per vehicle. Ukrainian forces reported attacking Russian armoured vehicles manned by their three-man crew alone. ‘With no dismountable men you’ve got a motorised infantry unit that doesn’t have infantry,’ said a senior British military source I interviewed in Kyiv in spring 2022. ‘Everyone’s stuck in their vehicles. You’re not going to have situational awareness. You don’t have the numbers to do common infantry tasks like stacking up [advancing to contact in single file], clearing buildings or providing security for an element.’

Corruption has continued to plague the Russian army as the war grinds on – as evidenced by regular video complaints by troops posted on social media revealing a lack of food, basic equipment and logistical support which they typically blame on corrupt senior officers. Collecting bribes from citizens for avoiding conscription has become a major cash-cow for officers across Russia. Massive state funds allocated to post-war reconstruction of occupied areas have reportedly gone astray – including into the pockets of Ivanov, who was responsible for the restoration of devastated Mariupol.

Army corruption is nothing, however, compared with the corruption of the FSB in the lead-up to the war. FSB Colonel-General Sergei Beseda was given his own brand-new directorate with the purpose of softening up Ukraine for invasion by distributing bribes in the hundreds of millions of dollars to Kyiv’s military, government and security elite – an operation that offered vast scope for skimming and embezzlement. On the eve of the war, Beseda confidently passed on his agents’ predictions that the fix was in and that Kyiv would fall in three days. Beseda was reportedly arrested in May 2022, though later released. If the FSB was truly looking for men guilty of misleading the Kremlin with rosy predictions and of stealing state money, they should first look to themselves. But the FSB is Putin’s parish, his power base and his chief enforcer. And they have chosen the army as their scapegoat.

Clearly, a less corrupt army is a more effective army. But could Putin’s purge hinder the war effort by throwing the military leadership into disarray at a time when Russia is seeking to take advantage of Kyiv’s munitions shortages? It’s worth looking at the last major purge of Russian military top brass, undertaken by Stalin between 1937 and 1940. During the Great Purge nearly 80 per cent of general officers were arrested, confessed to outlandish crimes, and shot. The practical result of Stalin’s paranoia was that the Red Army was gravely weakened and was beaten by the Finns in the Winter War of 1939-40 – and again by Hitler in 1941.

Putin’s purge will of course be less dramatic. But with half the top brass covering their backsides and the other half seeking to denounce their way to the top, there is potential for much disruption in Putin’s war plans. On the other hand, if he succeeds in scaring the military into stealing less money allocated for the war effort, the Russian army could very well end up leaner and – if it’s possible – even meaner.

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Optimistic About the War in Ukraine, Putin Unleashes a Purge at Home

Despite years of criticism, President Vladimir V. Putin has only now changed his defense minister and allowed high-level corruption arrests.

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By Paul Sonne and Anatoly Kurmanaev

Reporting from Berlin

Periodic outcries over incompetence and corruption at the top of the Russian military have dogged President Vladimir V. Putin’s war effort since the start of his invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

When his forces faltered around the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the need for change was laid bare. When they were routed months later outside the city of Kharkiv, expectations of a shake-up grew. And after the mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin marched his men toward Moscow, complaining of deep rot and ineptitude at the top of the Russian force, Mr. Putin seemed obliged to respond.

But, at each turn, the Russian president avoided any major public moves that could have been seen as validating the criticism, keeping his defense minister and top general in place through the firestorm while shuffling battlefield commanders and making other moves lower on the chain.

Now, with the battlefield crises seemingly behind him and Mr. Prigozhin dead, the Russian leader has decided to act, changing defense ministers for the first time in more than a decade and allowing a number of corruption arrests among top ministry officials.

The moves have ushered in the biggest overhaul at the Russian Defense Ministry since the invasion began and have confirmed Mr. Putin’s preference for avoiding big, responsive changes in the heat of a crisis and instead acting at a less conspicuous time of his own choosing.

“We have to understand that Putin is a person who is stubborn and not very flexible,” said Abbas Gallyamov, a former Putin speechwriter who now lives outside Russia. “He believes that reacting too quickly and rapidly to a changing situation is a sign of weakness.”

The timing of Mr. Putin’s recent moves is most likely a sign that he has greater confidence about his battlefield prospects in Ukraine and his hold on political power as he begins his fifth term as president, experts say.

Russian forces are making gains in Ukraine , taking territory around Kharkiv and in the Donbas region, as Ukraine struggles with aid delays from the United States and strained reserves of ammunition and personnel . Top officials in the Kremlin are feeling optimistic.

“They likely judge the situation within the force as stable enough to punish some in the military leadership for its prior failures,” said Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Demand for change at the top of the Russian military has been pent up since the invasion’s earliest days, when stories circulated about Russian soldiers going to war without proper food and equipment and losing their lives while answering to feckless military leaders.

The anger crested with an aborted uprising led last year by Mr. Prigozhin , who died in a subsequent plane crash that U.S. officials have said was most likely a state-sanctioned assassination .

Mr. Prigozhin , a caterer turned warlord who grew rich on state contracts, was an unlikely messenger. But he put high-level corruption on the minds of Russia’s rank and file and the public more broadly, releasing profanity-laced tirades against Sergei K. Shoigu, then the defense minister, and Russia’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov. At one point, Mr. Prigozhin filmed himself in front of a pile of dead Russian fighters and denounced top officials for “rolling in fat” in their wood-paneled offices.

His subsequent failed mutiny showed that the problems festering in the Defense Ministry under Mr. Shoigu for over a decade had boiled over and that the populace craved renewal, said a person close to the ministry who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive topics.

The Russian leader now appears to be moving against the very officials that Mr. Prigozhin had been attacking.

The first harbinger of change arose last month with the arrest of Timur Ivanov , a protégé of Mr. Shoigu and the deputy defense minister in charge of military construction projects whom the Russian authorities have accused of taking a large bribe. He has denied wrongdoing. Mr. Ivanov previously attracted the attention of Aleksei A. Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation for his and his wife’s conspicuously lavish lifestyle, including yacht rentals on the French Riviera.

Then, this month, days after Mr. Putin began his new term as president, the Kremlin announced that he had replaced Mr. Shoigu and chosen Andrei R. Belousov, one of his longtime economic advisers, as the new defense minister. Mr. Shoigu was moved to run the Russian Security Council, where he would still have access to the president but would have little direct control over money.

Mr. Belousov has no military experience . But he boasts a relatively clean image and a long government career untainted by large corruption scandals.

“If you want to win a war, corruption at a larger scale impacting the results on the battlefield is, in theory at least, not something you want,” said Maria Engqvist, the deputy head of Russia and Eurasia studies at the Swedish Defense Research Agency.

Still, Ms. Engqvist called high-level corruption in Russia “a feature, not a bug.”

“Corruption is a tool to gain influence, but it can also be used against you at any given time, depending on whether you say the wrong thing at the wrong time or make the wrong decision at the wrong time,” she said. “So you can be ousted with a reasonable explanation that the public can accept.”

Ms. Engqvist said the changes also raised questions about how long General Gerasimov would stay in his position as chief of the general staff and top battlefield commander in Ukraine.

The arrests at the Defense Ministry have gathered pace this month, with four more top generals and defense officials detained on corruption charges. Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, denied on Thursday that the arrests represented a “campaign.”

The corruption charges against top Defense Ministry officials have come alongside promises of greater financial and social benefits for the rank-and-file soldiers, an apparent attempt to improve morale and mollify populist critics.

Mr. Belousov used his first remarks after his nomination as defense minister to describe his plans to cut bureaucracy and improve access to health care and other social services for veterans of the war. And on Thursday, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of Parliament, Vyacheslav V. Volodin, and Finance Minister Anton G. Siluanov expressed support for exempting fighters in Ukraine from proposed income-tax increases.

The high-level arrests are unlikely to root out vast corruption in the Russian military establishment, but they could make top officials think twice before stealing at a particularly large scale, at least for a period, said Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“It will introduce a chill into the system and make everyone pause as they try to figure out the new code of accepted behavior,” Ms. Massicot said.

Beyond sending an anticorruption message, at least one of the arrests seemed to be aimed at settling a political score.

Maj. Gen. Ivan Popov, a top Russian commander who led forces holding off Ukraine’s counteroffensive, chided the Russian military leadership in a widely seen recording last year after he was removed from his post. He was apprehended on Tuesday on fraud charges, according to the state news agency TASS. He denied wrongdoing, his lawyer said.

“The bottom line is that the war exposed a lot of different problems — corruption, incompetence and openness to public expressions of insubordination — that the leadership feels a need to address,” said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. “Now is a good time to do this, precisely because there isn’t a short-term acute risk on the battlefield.”

Paul Sonne is an international correspondent, focusing on Russia and the varied impacts of President Vladimir V. Putin’s domestic and foreign policies, with a focus on the war against Ukraine. More about Paul Sonne

Anatoly Kurmanaev covers Russia and its transformation following the invasion of Ukraine. More about Anatoly Kurmanaev

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