The Ultimate Survival Watch

In this tutorial I'll show you how to make the ultimate 5-in-1 survival watch for around $20.00. This masculine gadget boasts five utilities: a watch with the date and time, a compass, a fire starter, a whistle, and a knife blade. Be prepared for whatever life/ nature throws at you by wearing this handy survival accessory.

Watch The Video:

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Besides the fun of making and posting this instructable, this project is an entry for the Outside Contest, Safety Challenge, and Survival Contest. I would really appreciate your vote! Please click on the orange vote ribbon in the upper right-hand corner of this page if you enjoyed this Instructable.

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Parts/Materials

1. Watch $14.20
2. 10 ft. of 550 Paracord(I used Desert Camo and Black) $3.75
3. Compass $1.00
4. Survival Buckle $1.00

Total Cost: $19.95

Tools/Adhesives

• Scissors
• Lighter
• Needle Nose Pliers
• Measuring Tape

First, start by wrapping a length of 550 paracord around your wrist. Make sure that it is snug but not too tight. Pinch it off where it meets the end of the strand, then measure the length of the pinched-off section with a measuring tape.

For example my wrist size is 7 inches. Make sure to add an extra 1 inch to that measurement for comfort. So, the final length of my watch band will be 8 inches. Don't forget to include the buckle into your measurement.

Take the 10 ft. of 550 paracord and cut it directly in half, making two 5 ft. lengths of paracord. You can use one or two colors, I chose desert camo and black. Take one of the 5 ft. lengths of paracord and pinch it in half. At the half-way point, attach the paracord to the female-end of the buckle with a cow-hitch knot. Needle nose pliers are useful to pull the paracord through the slot in the buckle. Repeat this process for the other 5 ft. length of paracord.

To install the watch and compass to the watch band, take the two inner strands of the paracord that are attached to the female-end of the buckle and feed them through the two bars of the watch and the slot in the compass. Next attach the male-end of the buckle to the two inner strands of paracord by feeding them up through the first slot and down through the second.

Next, adjust the watch band length by pulling on the two inner strands of paracord (to shorten) or the male-end of the buckle (to extend). Check the length with the measuring tape, then try it on your wrist to test the fit. At this point, the fit should be loose enough to snugly fit your index finger under the watch band. After the watch band is at the right measurement and fit, finalize the length by feeding the two inner strands up through the first slot and down through the second on the male-end of the buckle (like we did earlier). Then, tie the outer strands to the inner ones with an overhand knot. Finally, cut the excess paracord strands off with scissors and melt the ends with a lighter. Needle nose pliers are useful to flatten the molten paracord.

Now, we are ready to start the cobra weave. Start by making a loop with one of the outer paracord strands (strand 1). Next, take the other outer paracord strand (strand 2) and place it over the looped paracord strand. Then, feed strand 2 under the watch band and through the loop formed by strand 1. Pull the knot tight and you have created your first cobra weave knot. Start with strand 1 for each knot. Make sure that the tightness of your knots are consistent across the weave so that the watch band is uniform. Continue this process until you reach the half-way point, where the watch is centered on the watch band. Then feed the two strands through the two bars on the watch (like we did earlier). Then, continue the cobra weave until you reach the compass, where the compass is centered between the watch half-way point and the male-end of the buckle. Again, feed the two strands through the slot on the compass and then continue the cobra weave until you reach the end of the watch band. Lastly, cut the excess paracord strands off with scissors and melt the ends with a lighter. Use the needle nose pliers to flatten the molten paracord. Now your ultimate survival watch is finally finished! Also, you can make extra paracord watch bands that can be easily interchanged with the watch.

Enjoy!

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Thanks,

KyleTheCreator

This is a gallery of the survival watches that members of the community have made by following this instructable. If you would like to have your survival watch featured, click the "I Made It!" button to post it in the comments and I will add it right here, in the "I Made It! gallery".