Customer Reviews

Suunto Observer SR Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter, Barometer, Compass

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

outdoor oriented lad, grew tired of purchasing thirty dollar timex watch only to fall apart in three months. purchased this watch upon its inception around year 2001 or so. great watch, puts up with my inability to tender gently while being worn. my only piece of advice-spend the extra bucks and purchase the stainless/titanium band. the elastomer band does not last and is nothing more than a futile effort to stay affixed to wrist. great customer service, excellent & accurate features, and rarely do i endorse items but this one warrants lavish praise.

This watch is really a great watch. I was issued this while in the military and it worked like a champ for the 5 years I owned it. The backlight is very unique in the sense that instead of the back of the face lighting up and the readings staying black it is the opposite which is something I really appreciated while out on missions. The compass was good enough to give you a good sense of direction and keep you going on the right vector, but I still relied on my pocket compass to do my land nav. I never really used the barometer or altimeter settings, so I can't really comment on those. The thermometer was really pretty accurate and if you look at temp reading while on your wrist I had to remember that it wasn't going to be spot on due to my body temp.

The worst thing about this watch was it's strap. I'm talking in the past tense because I just lost the watch yesterday. I have already replaced the strap (about a year and a half ago) and it broke again. The only problem is I don't know when/where and I can't find the watch anywhere. So my advice would be to inspect your strap about once a month or so to look for cracking, etc. The strap should last a good 2-5 years depending on how often you wear the watch. A new strap will run you in the neighborhood of $100, but as another commenter wrote there are no options for a full titanium or even stainless steel strap.

Almost from the beginning this so-called instrument has given me different elevation gain readings for the same hike with the readings varying as much as 50%. When I called their so-called customer service I was treated with no concern, like I was some kind of idiot. In adddition this instrument is very complicated and the manual as well as very detailed and not easy to deal with. Their customer service person could use a basic course in "how to treat people with dignity." Or find a job where she only deals with rocks and other inanimate objects. Finally I ended up talking with a supervisor and they replaced it. Less than xix months later the replacement also gave bogus elevation gain readings --- now off by 1000%. I must now send my intrument in for them to check manually. However as the back of the so-called watch is plastic, not metal, it is impossible to get inside any longer. So much for a $200+ purchase. Into my junk drawer. A complete rip-off.

The Observer was my second purchase from Suunto. I bought it because it had many of the features I loved on my Vector, yet the Observer is smaller and I find it more comfortable to wear. For day-to-day use the watch is perfect. Having used the Vector extensively, I found the menu easy to navigate and the watch is easy to set. This is one of my more accurate watches. Drift is inevitable with instruments, yet I have not noticed any issues with time, altitude/pressure or temperature. The watch is equipped with a compass as well, but I rarely use a watch compass. I know of no electronic compass that can replace a good baseplate compass. I have worn the watch sport climbing, alpine climbing, backpacking, hiking, mountain biking and skiing. I am of the opinion that this is a better "touring" watch than a hard-core back country instrument. I wear the Observer more, yet I still prefer the Vector when I am out in the wild.

Buttons work great in the office and around the town. On two occasions skiing, the running log in the "log book" function was prematurely terminated when buttons were pressed by coat/glove material. The band does not fit over my gloved wrist. I no longer wear this watch skiing.

Another item of note worth describing is the independent altimeter/barometer function. On the Observer, the watch is either in altimeter mode or barometer mode. I originally thought this would be nice because the altitude would be locked down when I am stationary, and the barometer would be locked down when I'm on the move. The feature works great if I know I'm going to be on the move and if I remember to change over to the altimeter. Since I live in the mountains, I change elevations every time I get in the car. On occasion, I am curious to know my approximate elevation, but I don't change over every single time I head out the door. Over time, I have found that I prefer the "floating" format for pressure that the Vector has. Even with changes in the atmospheric pressure, I can have a pretty good elevation estimate.

Pros:

- Great looking watch

- Functions work properly

- Rugged. Only the tiniest of scratches on the crystal after seven years or so.

- Altimeter resolution is 1m/3ft. The resolution is not finer than the instrument's ability to measure.

- The "log book" feature is outstanding. I love it and use it.

- The display (standard Black on white) is easy to read.

Cons:

- Alarm is not very loud.

- Stopwach resolution is 1/10 second. Not a huge deal, but most digital watches are 1/100. This "con" flies in the face of the altimeter resolution "pro" because my finger presses are less precise than a 1/100 reading anyway.

- Every digital watch should have a timer! The Observer does not.

- I prefer the floating altimeter/barometer as found on the Vector.

- Battery cover is quite difficult to remove. I have always managed to do it without digging up the back of the case, but the cover is sealed in there pretty tight even when it's not locked down.

Bottom line:

Great watch. Very useful features for the outdoors enthusiast, but probably better suited to hiking and biking than skiing or climbing. I would buy it again.

I've had my Observer since 2002. It's been with me from the depths of La Jolla Cove to the heights of Pike's Peak. The functions are all very cool and it's a great looking watch.

HOWEVER: There are many times that the watch has sat in my desk drawer waiting for parts while my G-Shock and Timex IronMan carry the load. Today is one of those times. The Observer's wrist strap breaks every 18-24 months - and that occurs even with preventative maintenance on the band on a weekly basis. The replacement straps cost $40. My straps have broken for the 4th time. So, if you think that a $20/year cost of ownership on top of the price of the watch is a good bargain, then get this watch. If not, then get something that is a one-time investment only and doesn't require a hotline to the Suunto replacement parts store.

The watch looks great and has all the features I wanted in a sleek size (for the features it has at least). All the features seemed to work as advertised, though the temperature only works well when you aren't wearing the watch.

I had two reasons for the low review. First, the user interface seems overly complicated. I rarely could figure out how to do anything other then switch screens on this watch without the manual. I've owned other feature full watches before and this was the hardest to use. Second, the band sucks. The first two years I had it the band broke twice and it uses a custom band so you have to pay $$ to get another one, just to have it break again. After the 2nd time it broke I threw it to the back of the drawer in digest. I will not put more money into it.

I have owned my Observer since late 2005. It has been a great Watch. I initially wanted one of the cheaper, simpler Suuntos, but found this one discounted so for just a little bit more and have never regretted purchasing it instead. The watch looks good too, it has a nice contrast of the stainless and black band and its not too big and does not look very much like a Dive watch or a GPS on your arm.

Like some other reviewers have noted, the watch does take a little getting used to in mastering the buttons, but it becomes easy with use. Keep the instruction book handy at first.

After about 18 months the battery went dead. The battery is supposed to be owner changeable, but I messed up the back trying to get it off and had to send it back for replacement. This is the only concern that I have ever had with the watch. I noticed today that a battery replacement kit is offered on Amazon for about $9. I'm going to ensure that it will fit my watch and purchase one for next time.

I have had this watch for over 3 years and the only problem I have found is the compass has to be frequently recalibrated. I have had issues with some batteries messing the calibration up. When I try to use the compass while walking in a circle it reads from 95 degrees to 243 then jumps back to 95 degrees.

I have owned numerous watches over the years but this is by far my most favorite, regardless of the compass issue.

The only thing I would change is you can only monitor the barometric pressure or the altitude. It would be nice to monitor both, though not sure if this is feasible due to the watch using pressure to monitor both. This was difficult to keep up with while over seas (the resources to obtain the barometric pressure aren't as readily available as they are here).

This is my second Suunto watch, Everything is as I expected. This time I bought the watch with the metal case; smaller than the previous watch, but the numbers are large enough to see at night with the back light with out my glasses. All in all; I am very pleased with my choice and the product. ub

I love this watch. It is sturdy, beautiful, easy to read, built like a tank and very durable. It is about the right size, unlike some other Suunto watches that resemble dinner plates. The compass is as good as the one in my plane. My only criticism is that the sound of the alarm is so faint that it will not wake me up. If a wakeup alarm is a big priority do not buy this watch or you will be disappointed. The faint alarm is a problem that is a compromise related to the high quality of the case. I am on a multi-decade search for the perfect watch, but this one beats everything so far including my Rolex Explorer.