Suunto Altimax Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter and Barometer

by Suunto

Product Features

• Watch, altimeter, and barometer in 1
• Stylish design, waterproof to 100 feet
• Altimeter with 24-hour memory and log book
• Barometer with 4-day memory
• Dual time display, 1-button access to altitude information

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Vital data you need hiking, climbing, or skiing is just a glance away with the Suunto Altimax Wristop Computer. Get all the functionality of a watch, altimeter, and barometer in a stylish red design. The Altimax looks like a high-end wristwatch, with an ABS plastic body and resin wristband with a buckle closure. The body is black, with a ring of black around the dial and an oversized, backlit LCD screen. The Altimax is made tough, built to be waterproof even when submerged up to 100 feet.

The watch displays day, time, and date with three programmable alarms plus a stopwatch and countdown timer. The dual time function allows you to stay on time even when traveling in a different time zone. The Altimax also offers a combination of altimeter and barometer functions.

The altimeter allows you to view the current altitude with a range up to 29,500 feet and a resolution of 10 feet. Also view your ascent/descent rate in feet per minute. (All measurements are also available in metric units.) One-button access allows you to see immediate information about vertical ascent/descent and the number of runs skied.

The barometer allows you to measure the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, absolute pressure, and a difference measurement to follow changes in barometric pressure and temperature. The automatic four-day memory keeps track of atmospheric pressure information. Another feature is the adjustable sea-level pressure function.

The Altimax comes with a user-replaceable battery, which lasts up to 18 months, and a low-battery indicator. It is covered by a one-year warranty.

Product Description

Altimeter (29,500'), barometer, watch and logbook, dual timefunction, elastomer strap, and velcro strap.

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Product Details

Product Manual [619kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 2 x 0.5 inches ; 1.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000051SER
• Item model number: SS004787110
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 88 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good choice for mountaineers, skiers, July 29, 2002

By 

Stefan T. Wennik "stw" (Mass. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suunto Altimax Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter and Barometer (Apparel)

This watch has many great features, and few shortcomings. The bad first, and then the good: First; It is quite big. At first it seems like a hockey puck has been strapped to your wrist. Second; it uses a barometer to guage altitude, and therefore it requires some study, attention to detail, and monitoring and adjustment to get the most out of it.

Now the mitigating factors on these shortcomings: First (large size); while it is a bit large on your wrist, it is quite lightweight, and after a while, you get used to it. Overall, it is quite comforable to wear. The large control buttons are easy to use in winter with gloves on. And, the large display makes the data easy to digest. Second (barometer-based altimeter); all the other altimeter watches on the market work in much the same way, so this shortcoming should not disqualify this watch in comparison to other climbing/skiing watches.

Now the good: First; it has the features you need and not a lot of others you don't. Timekeeping, altitude, barometer. That's it. No other gadgets to confuse and add to the cost. Second; it's very rugged. I've abused mine heartily and it's stood up very well. Third; the features it does have are comprehensive and well executed. Fourth; assuming you master the arcane science of tracking altitude with a barometer -based altimeter, this one is quite accurate compared to some others I've tried (like the casio models).

Quick summary of features: the basic timekeeping functions are great! Time, date, multiple alarms, countdown timer, stopwatch, dual time zone -- all work easily and intuitively.

In Altimeter mode, the main display gives you your current altitude and a quick display of your recent trend. After this, it get complicated. The feature set is robust, and you'll have to spend some time with the manual to master it. It will measure just about anything related to going up or down a mountain that you could ever think of. It can also log these things and remember them for your future use. It can be changed from measuring feet per minute skied (for example) to feet per hour climbed. You name it, this thing can record and measure it.

What I use it for mostly, is just to show me where I am on the mountain in terms of altitude. To do this, you'll need to know what the actual altitude is where you start (parking lot, for example) and use that to set the altimeter. From there, the watch will keep an extremely accurate account of where you go from there. The only problem will be if a new weather pattern moves in. This will cause a change of barometric pressure and will affect the accuracy of the altitude reading.

In barometer mode, this watch will also give you a very accurate warning of a new weather pattern moving in -- as long as you are not changing your altitude substantially. As with the altitude mode, you can ask it to log data into memory to see trends and keep track of pressure over time.

In summary, it is an excellent tool for mountaineers and skiers. Used properly, it is a very accurate tool for navigation and weather forecasting. However, expect to spend some time with the user manual to master the features before you ask it to help save your life. I've tried several of the other watches on the market (Casio, Avocet, Nike) with similar features and this is the best of the bunch.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars two year owner of altimax, June 30, 2003

By 

peter clahr (Edgewood, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suunto Altimax Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter and Barometer (Apparel)

an excellent watch that could use some downsizing, but its size gives the advantage of an easily readible face. could use a mineral crystal lens...even though plastic and inset, ...but the best feature is the fact that the easily obtainable battery is so easy to replace that the wearer is not discouraged from using the features as often as necessary. Unlike many other digital watches, the band still fits my 6 inch wrist with holes to spare. Although the operational functions are laid out well, I was lost in trying to remember how to operate the watch after storing it away for several months...after all, to download the manual is 50 odd pages. Still I think this is an excellent product that could be made better with the additions I mentioned.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice and Solid Watch, January 21, 2010

By 

K. Kaya "Palmtek" (San Francisco CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Suunto Altimax Wrist-Top Computer Watch with Altimeter and Barometer (Apparel)

This is very nice and good quality watch but I had to return it because of its size. It is too large and I didn't feel like wearing daily.