A compact round chartplotter from a Slovenian aviation instrument maker has claimed the top prize at the 2025 DAME Design Awards, held overnight at METSTRADE in Amsterdam. The LXNAV E360 Round Chartplotter, designed and built by LXNAV, emerged as the overall winner from a field of 146 entries, outpacing strong competition across navigation, propulsion, and electrical categories.
The result is a strong win for a product that takes the traditional marine gauge as its starting point, then rebuilds the concept around aviation-grade thinking, touchscreen usability, and a visual character that feels both classically familiar and thoroughly contemporary.
At just four inches across, the LXNAV E360 Round Chartplotter is a capacitive touchscreen instrument with an IPX6 waterproof rating, engineered to replace a whole cluster of conventional dashboard gauges. Its round face fits neatly into existing gauge cut-outs, making it just as relevant to a refit project as to a new build, with no major cutting or rewiring required. Despite the modest footprint, the E360 operates as a fully capable chartplotter, arriving with OpenSeaMap charts preloaded, Navionics compatibility via SD card, and both GPS and Wi-Fi built in.
Navigation is only part of what the unit offers. Connected via NMEA 2000, the E360 can draw together engine diagnostics, battery condition, fluid levels, depth, speed, rudder angle, and trim data, presenting everything in real time on a fully customisable display. A function called FloatBox allows users to configure their own screen layouts, resize data panels, and decide which information sits front and centre. Optional jog wheel control, also connected via NMEA 2000, gives an alternative input method that proves particularly useful when conditions turn rough.
The jury at the 2025 DAME Design Awards singled out the way LXNAV had brought aviation precision together with smartphone-style interaction, delivering a product that feels intuitive from the first touch. The interface operates with the same logic a modern phone user would expect, including double-tap to zoom and a tactile menu button that keeps operation straightforward. A built-in anchor watch, complete with user-defined drift alarms, adds a layer of practical safety value. The panel described the E360 as a "market-realistic" product with wide appeal, noting its ability to pack a comprehensive feature set into a form that demands neither vast helm space nor a superyacht budget.
Beyond navigation and data, the LXNAV E360 Round Chartplotter includes integrated audio control for Fusion and VDO systems, so music playback and tuning can be managed directly from the screen. Its brushed aluminium bezel and minimal installation profile allow it to sit naturally within both performance helm stations and more refined, luxury-oriented cockpit layouts.
The win for LXNAV points to a broader shift taking place across the marine electronics sector. Boaters are increasingly looking for instruments that consolidate functions, reduce clutter at the helm, and draw less power, and the E360 addresses all three. For a company whose reputation was built on flight instruments for gliders and light aircraft, the DAME Award marks a significant step into the marine market and hints at what may become a new direction in display design.
