Suunto Observer SR Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass (Black)

by Suunto

Product Features

• Rugged outdoor watch with built-in altimeter, barometer, and compass
• Altimeter displays current elevation, shows ascent or descent, and records session
• Barometer helps you predict changing conditions; 4-day barometric memory
• Compass offers declination adjustment function and cardinal directions
• Stainless-steel housing with elastic strap; weighs 2.82 ounces; 2-year warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Offering full outdoor functionality in a stylish, moderately sized housing, the Suunto Observer SR wrist-top computer watch is ideal for almost any wilderness activity. The watch is outfitted with such features as a built-in altimeter that measures your vertical ascents and descents, a barometer that provides reliable information on the air pressure, and a digital compass that will keep you on the correct path. Add in a timeless design that's wearable in any casual situation and an easy-to-read, wide-viewing display and you have a terrific watch for your next backcountry ski trip or three-day hike.

The Suunto Observer SR watch comes in a stainless-steel housing with an elastic strap.

The Observer SR's feature bundle starts with the altimeter, which displays your current altitude, vertical gain or loss from the start of a hike or climb, and your vertical ascent and descent rate. With a range of up to 29,500 feet (with a 1-meter resolution), the altimeter is an extremely valuable tool for mountaineering, off-the-beaten-path skiing, and wilderness travel. The altimeter contributes to your excursion in several ways. If you're standing on or near an obvious geographic feature, such as a ridge, trail, or creek, the altimeter can alert you to your current elevation and help you find your position on a topographic map. Similarly, if you plan on climbing a slope to a certain elevation and then traversing, the Observer SR can help you stay on course. Perhaps best of all, the altimeter offers a memory function that lets you store logs of your most exciting mountain adventures. The logbook lets you record total and cumulative vertical ascents and descents, as well as the number of runs skied. To access the logbook data during the activity, just hit the appropriate button.

The Observer SR also includes a barometer, which measures and records air pressure to help you predict changing conditions--from sunny skies to hair-bending electrical storms. The barometer helps you decide whether to bring a soft shell or rain shell jacket when the skies look ominous, or even when to high-tail it back to the car. In general, low pressure brings inclement weather, while high pressure brings stability and clear skies. If you've arrived at camp and notice the pressure starting to plunge, it's probably a good idea to secure the tent and crawl in. Likewise, if you were on a climb, it would be prudent to find shelter and retreat. In addition to reading current barometric pressure and temperature, the barometer also provides pressure-related data for the previous four days, with the first six hours in one-hour intervals and the remainder in six-hour intervals.

The Observer SR's versatile, rugged design is ideal for backcountry skiing and mountain climbing.

And to keep you from veering onto the wrong path, Suunto added a built-in compass. The compass shows abbreviated cardinal or half-cardinal points, and indicates the north direction with an arrow. You can also set the compass to track a certain bearing, and then graphically show the difference between the set bearing and the actual bearing. This is a particularly valuable tool when you're trying to get back on track after minor or major detours in the terrain. In addition, the compass offers a declination adjustment function that allows you to correct the difference between true north and magnetic north.

Other features include a calendar clock that's preprogrammed to the year 2089; three daily alarms; a dual time display; a stopwatch with lap and split time measurement (the stopwatch stores up to 99 laps and split times for one run); a water-resistant housing to 330 feet.

Specifications:

• Construction: Stainless steel with elastic strap
• Vertical speed (altimeter): Yes
• Temperature compensation: Yes
• Total ascent/descent: Yes
• Quick access to logbook: Yes
• Altimeter/barometer lock: Yes
• Altitude resolution: 1 meter
• Altitude range: -1,600 to 29,500 feet
• History memory: Yes
• Stopwatch: Yes
• Lap time scrolling: Yes
• Max split times in memory: 99
• Compass north-south indicator: Yes
• Heading in degrees: Yes
• Declination setting: Yes
• Cardinal directions: Yes
• Bearing tracking: Yes
• Time: 12/24 hours
• Calendar clock: Yes
• Dual time: Yes
• Daily alarms: 3
• Absolute barometric pressure: Yes
• Temperature range: -5 to 140 degrees F
• Temperature resolution: 1 degree F
• Weather memory: 4 days
• Trend indicator: Yes
• Altimeter/barometer lock: Yes
• Temperature: Yes
• Sea level pressure: Yes
• Barometer range: 300 to 1,100 mbar
• Barometer resolution: 1 mbar
• Low battery warning: Yes
• User-replaceable battery: Yes
• Water resistance: 330 feet
• Selectable metric/imperial units: Yes
• Backlight type: Electro-luminescent display
• Weight: 2.82 ounces

Manufacturer's Warranty
Two-year warranty

About Suunto
Suunto was founded in 1936 by outdoors man and a keen orienteering enthusiast, Tuomas Vohlonen, who had long been bothered by a problem: the inaccuracy of traditional dry compasses and their lack of steady needle operation. Being an engineer with an inventive turn of mind, he discovered and patented the production method for a much steadier needle, better readings, and a new level of accuracy. By 1950 the company was exporting compasses to over 50 countries around the world, including Canada and the United States. In 1952, Helsinki was hosting the Olympic Games, and the torches carried to light the Olympic flame were Suunto products. The next step was improving the stability and accuracy of marine compasses. The first marine compass, the Suunto K-12, was launched onto the market in 1953. In 1957, Suunto started manufacturing hypsometers, which measure the height of trees.

In the 1960s, the compass range grew further and Suunto introduced its first diving compass--initiated by the divers themselves. A British sports diver attached a Suunto compass to his wrist and found that the device also worked underwater. Thanks to his feedback and initiatives, the new business category was found. Suunto's exports and business grew steadily and Suunto then focused on combining its strength in precision mechanics with new skills in electronics. Accuracy, reliability, and ruggedness have been Suunto's key values from the very beginning of the company history.

Today, Suunto is a leading designer and manufacturer of sports instruments for training, diving, mountaineering, hiking, skiing, sailing, and golf. True to its roots, Suunto is today the world's biggest compass manufacturer. Prized for their design, accuracy and dependability, Suunto sports instruments combine the aesthetics and functionality of watches with sport-specific computers that help athletes at all levels analyze and improve performance. Headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, Suunto employs more than 500 people worldwide and distributes its products to nearly 60 countries. The company is a subsidiary of Helsinki-based Amer Sports Corporation with the sister brands Wilson, Salomon, Atomic, Precor, and Mavic.

Product Description

Suunto Observer measures your vertical ascents and descents, as well as the total number of runs skied and shows all that easily with one press of a button. Its timeless design makes it wearable in any casual situation, and because of its moderate size and stylish design it is perfectly suitable for both men, as well as women. Altimeter Suunto Observer's altimeter has a range up to 9 000 m/29 500 ft with a 1 m/3 ft resolution. It features an altitude alarm as well as memory function for storing logs of your most exciting mountain adventures. The logbook allows you to record total and cumulative vertical ascents and descents, as well as the number of runs skied. The logbook data is quickly available during the activity with one button press. Barometer The Suunto Observer and its barometric functions provide you with valuable information for forecasting weather changes. Information on the present sea level pressure helps you read and understand the barometric pressure at high altitudes. In addition to current barometric pressure and temperature, the barometer function of Suunto Observer gives pressure related data for the past four days: the first six hours in one hour intervals and after that in six hour intervals. Alti/Baro lock This unique feature allows you to use your Suunto Observer as a weather station, or an altimeter. When Suunto Observer is used as an altimeter, the sea-level pressure reading is locked. When the altimeter function is activated, all pressure changes are interpreted as altitude changes, and the sea-level pressure reading displayed will not change, although the absolute pressure reading does. When Suunto Observer is used as a weather station, the altitude reading is locked. When the barometer function is activated, all pressure changes are interpreted as weather changes, and the measured changes will therefore only affect the pressure reading in the barometer mode. These changes will not affect the altitude reading, thus e

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000TSDCW6
• Item model number: SS013244110
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great "Gadget" Watch - and looks nice too!, October 17, 2007

By 

Still River Potter (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

I bought this watch for my husband. He loves it and all of its capabilities. He now always knows what the temperature is, where north is, what his altitude is and the time too! He's looking forward to the watch calculating the number of ski runs he'll be doing this winter. Pretty cool watch - and not as big and bulky as some of the other suunto watches with the same capabilites.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suunto professional build quality and unmatched accuracy., July 29, 2009

By 

Mystro (Pa.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suunto Observer SR Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass (Black) (Sports)

I decided to complete my Suunto "Black Collection" with the Observer SR "Black Collection". I wanted a smaller more stealth size watch for under my hunting/fishing gear and it had to be tough and have bullet proof reliability. It is a much simpler animal than my X6M and is thinner and smaller. It feels solid on the wrist but could be worn without notice for days. Its stainless steel construction is solid and has just the right amount of weight without feeling heavy. Just like the X6M, the Observer is made and built in FINLAND and it feels like it. Button push is silky smooth and the construction is professional quality.


"The Black Collection" This is a special all black collection of ABC watches Suunto came out with in late 2007. It was designed to be a upscale tactical look. The Collection includes The Observer Sr, Observer ST, and X6M. The Observer has a matt black finish on the case. The X6M has a polished black finish on the case. Very tactical bling looking. I absolutely love the look and the wrist presence is awesome!! The pics don't do this watch justice. It marries fine jewelry and tactical tech perfectly.


The Observer "Black Collection" has a flat matt finish as oppose to a satin black finish on my X6M "Black Collection". The Observer reminds me of a stealth bomber with its flat angles and matt black finish. Very cool looking.

I would say this would be the perfect ABC watch I would recommend to any military personnel. It looks more "military special ops" because of its smaller more concealable size than other Suunto models. Its made out of Stainless Steel and has a mineral glass face. The cr2032 battery is user replaceable and can be done quickly in the field. Battery life, I am told by members is excellent (over 2 years!)

Even though the Observer is smaller than other Suunto models, it still is a 45mm diameter watch case. That is about what most large dive watches measure. It sits lower than most ABC models so it wears smaller than it appears. It still is a large watch and has a lot of wrist presents. The functions of the watch are pretty strait-up and easy to work with if you are a Suunto veteran like myself. A good user manual read through would be necessary if you are not familiar with the Suunto set-up system.

The negative display is very easy to read and appears to sit higher up, just under the mineral glass than other models. This makes it easier to see from viewing off angle. The constant second display that travels around the outer face is excellent. I love this feature and it does not disappear after 10 minutes like the Core does. The barometer trend, day, month,year,time,and seconds,AM/PM are all displayed at one time in the main time display. In addition, Alarm notification, Altimeter alarm, log activation and chrono notification can also be displayed in the main time mode in addition to my first list of information. A tremendous amount of information is displayed at a glance. This is what makes the Observer stand out from the rest of the ABC watches.





The light on the Observer is excellent. Its lume is very bright and does not flicker in compass mode like the Core. It is activated by holding the "mode" button down for 2 seconds. The light stays on for a generous 10 seconds after the last button push.

Water resistant is also excellent at 100meters. In typical fashion, Suunto doesn't recommend diving with their ABC watches but swimming,showering,etc.. is fine.



Compass is very good with bearing track feature. It uses a progress graph as you turn the watch when calibrating like the X6M. Why doesn't Suunto have this on the Core? It is a great feature and should be on ALL Suunto ABC watches.

I tested the accuracy of the altimeter and it is typical spot on with my X6M. That means it is THE most accurate altimeter on any ABC watch brand available. Its sensors are all also Thermo Compensated. This means their accuracy will not be effected by temperature change. Its as accurate on the wrist as it is sitting out side on a table. (unlike other brands of sudo tough ABC watches)

The barometer can also be calibrated globally or use its factory default setting. This is another excellent feature and lets the owner sync the barometer to another ABC watch or weather station. This feature should have also been on the Core.

All main displays has the typical sub modes to display the information of your choice.


The strap is also another big plus for this watch. Its very comfortable. The flat black rubber strap is flexible and tapers up in thickness to meet the watch case seamlessly. The buckle is also flat black and completes the over all stealth look.

I really like the Observer for a "do-it-all, "all occasion" ABC watch. It really is very easy to live with and it is easy to see why this was Suunto's professional flagship model. Its also one of the Models Suunto states is "Shock Resistant". Most member will attest it is one of, if not Suunto's toughest models. Its holds up very well to any of the most recent ABC watches and still has a unique personality that sets its self apart from the other Suunto line.

The Observer is the Suunto abc model I am going to recommend to owner that needs, and can only have one Suunto model. It does every thing well and is reliable with bullet proof construction.


The Observer has been endorsed by about every one that owns one and I can see why.
I think the Observer is one of the best kept secrets in the Suunto catalog. I think the Observer might be another professional abc Suunto model that doesn't get much press.
Its "Made in Finland" build quality is excellent. Fit and finish is top shelf. Its just a beautiful Suunto for all occasions and activities. If you only could own 1 Suunto,...This would be it.

Specs:
Vertical speed
Temperature compensation
Resolution1 m Quick access to logbook
Altimeter/barometer lock
Altitude range -500m - 9000m/-1600ft - 29500ft
History memory
Logbook function
Chronograph
Stopwatch
Scrolling of lap times
Max number of split times in memory99 Compass
North-South indicatorNorth-South indicator Heading in degrees
Declination setting
Cardinal directions
Bearing tracking
Watch
12/24h
Calendar clock
Dual time
Daily alarms3
Weather
Absolute barometric pressure
Temperature resolution1°C/1°F Weather memory4 days Trend indicator
Temperature range-20°C - +60°C/-5°F - +140°F Altimeter/barometer lock
Temperature
Sea level pressure
Barometer resolution 0,05 inHg/1 mbar
Barometer range 8,9 -32,4 inHg/300-1100 mbar
Power
Low battery warning
User replaceable battery
Other
Weight75g / 80g / 100g Operating temperature-20°C - +60°C/-5°F - +140°F Water resistance100m/330ft Storage temperature-30°C - +60°C/-22°F - +140°F Selectable metric/imperial units
Mineral crystal glass
Backlight typeElectro-
luminescent Display
__________________

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Suunto Observer - not worth the money, February 10, 2008

By 

C. Clement (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suunto Observer SR Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass (Black) (Sports)

I purchased a Suunto Observer back in '04 for myself. Was tired of the big plastic Casio DW6500 and felt this would be an excellent choice for a replacement watch.
Not one problem with it for 2 years, then it started. At first, I would notice that the time and date were wiped out when I would wake up in the morning, then I started seeing weird things like the light not turning off and the watch flipping through different screens like the buttons were stuck.
Replaced the battery, thinking that it was long overdue, but that only seemed to make the issue worse! I finally sent the watch back to Suunto for repairs, and a hundred bucks later, they sent me a brand new watch. Cool! I'm okay with that, since it was probably just a fluke and I don't have to buy another 400 dollar watch!
Skip a little over a year later, the new one starts doing the same thing! I know its not the battery, but I'll replace it anyways (taking it to a local jewelry store who sells Suunto watches-I figure they know what they're doing!). No dice, its doing EXACTLY the same thing the first one did. Flipping through screens and light stuck on for 15 minutes straight!

Whack it a few times (out of frustration) and its working again-but not for long. Two days later and its back to the same thing, this time I tried to use the stopwatch, now I can't get out of that mode!

After dealing with this for the past 3 months (it will work for a week straight with no issues, then flip out 3 times a day for 2 days!), I've finally had enough with this 400 dollar piece of junk and thrown it away.

I guarantee I will never buy another Suunto product again! Its back to the old Casio DW6500 (which amazingly still works after 15 years!) and my Tissot T-Touch when I feel like wearing a nice watch.