Customer Reviews

Suunto Yachtsman Wrist Top Computer Watch with Barometer and Compass

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

 

 

I want to like this watch a lot, but I am having to admit that my inexpensive Timex Ironman (now at the bottom of Lake Michigan ticking away) did the basics better. The baro and compass features are cool, although I don't use them that much.

I find it odd that in "Time" mode it doesn't show the seconds digitally, instead preferring to show the day of week, month, and day of month. You can get it to show seconds by pressing one of the unlabelled and not particularly intuitive buttons, but only for ten seconds, then it's back to the day (or date, I can't remember which). I generally want to know seconds, not what month it is, on the race course. There is a 36 element ring that does some stuff as seconds elapse but it isn't easy to read at a glance.

The countdown timer is odd too. There is no repeat mode, which I used to set to five minutes and just let roll during starting sequences. Instead there is a one shot timer that, once started, it seems that no force in the universe can reset, although you can get it to jump (either up or down, I can't remember which) by pressing one of the buttons.

Finally, I am reasonably intelligent but I'm no good at this thing's interface. Navigating through functions involves pressing one of three buttons either once, twice in two seconds, or holding it down for two seconds. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to when you do what.

In all, I'm disappointed with the lack of flexibility for displaying the time (you'd think they could splurge for a six digit display for the time, it is a watch, after all). The timer is "use it our way or not at all" as well. I could fight through the interface by reading the manual every night for a week, but really, it's not supposed to be that hard.

I have been sailing for some time now and received the watch as a long awaited sailing gift.
It is a little big, but I got over that very quickly. I had the watch for about 9 months and was preparing for an ocean voyage. I was looking forward to the compass feature. Two days before the voyage the compass went crazy and has not worked since.
The really annoying thing about the watch is the necessity to look "directly" into the face. If you look at an angle, you might see any array of numbers imaginable, fives are sixes or eighths, and ones become eleven. The date 9-15 becomes 8-16. It is really maddening.
I admit I haven't been back to the manufacture yet, but these problems should not occur to begin with.
Be advised.

I can't tell you how frustrated I am with this Yachtsman watch. I sail over 10,000 miles per year on average and really need to have a watch with the features that this Yachtsman provides. However, I cannot afford to keep replacing watches and bands.

I have owned THREE Yachtsman's. One of these was a warranty replacement. I have four sailing friends who also bought Yachtsman because I owned one. Would you believe that all of us have had problems with this crappy watch?

My third watch is now dead due to water leakage. Prior to that I have had the following problems with Yachtsman watches:

* Multiple wrist band failures
* Sticky buttons
* LCD backlight out
* Display turned black in sun light
* Resetting by itself
* Foggy display
* Poor customer service

I have purchased two Sunntos and I PROMISE YOU there will not be a third.

I have been looking for quite some time at different sailing watches. As a bowman, I compete quite heavily in sailing regatta's and have tried several different watches. I have now had this watch for a few months and I must admit it is the best watch I have ever used. It is very user friendly and has an excellent countdown timer. Having the temperature and pressure is nice, but okay... they are extras. It is a nice looking watch, good display, and very easy to use. I would highly recommend this watch for anyone who truly competes in sailing regatta's.

I ordered this watch a few days before New Years Eve as a present to myself and for wearing to President's Club celebration at the Ritz Carlton Resort in South Beach FL and I wanted a watch specifically meant to get wet without worrying about it being damaged from exposure to the elements.

This watch fits comfortably around my wrist. The striking aqua green dial face gets me plenty of comments from folks around the office. The one thing that is kind of odd about this watch, and that is confusing from the get go when you're setting the time initially for the first time, is that it uses the European style of date formatting, DD/MM/YY instead of what we do here in the US, MM/DD/YY.

I am not really a sailor but wanted something good looking and different and this watch really fit the bill. If you're looking for an actual sailing watch, from all of the reviews I've read online, you should get this watch as Suunto put a lot into it.

If you're like me, and want a fashionable, purposeful watch, then get it too.

Hope this helps!

This is the 2nd Sunnto yachtsman i have owned (lost the 1st one after several years). For sailboat racing you cannot beat the race timers as well as the compass which allows you to give a heading to a mark rather than pointing or using clock face postions. The barameter lets you know when things are building or lightening up at a glance.

First off the watch looks great and it is a quality product. Smooth alloy, black matt plastic, mineral crystal glass and an excellent band make it an unusual looking watch and it's comfortable to wear. The dial read out is BIG and very clear. Some of the indicators are tiny by comparison but after a while you get used to the layout. Commands via the four buttons are easy once you master the 'tree' of settings. The buttons are not marked on the watch (anywhere) so you need to remember the sequences but again it's not that hard. The temperature read out is not correct when you are wearing the watch (it's about 4c higher) but it quickly moves down when taken off. All the other features appear to work well. I've taken the watch out on my boat and the compass function is great. Took off for a swim (salt water) with no issue. The really cool thing is the back light which has an light green haze to it. In conclusion (and I should say I didn't buy the watch as a serious sail/boat racing tool) I purchased the watch because I liked the look and the features and I'm not disappointed.

Difficult to use functions. Sequences are odd and not intuitive. Barometer and compass functions are imprecise. The last straw was the battery failure, and inability for a new battery to work reliably with this watch. It is now sitting dead on the shelf.

Replaced it with a Citizen Eco-Drive Titanium Stars and Stripes -- well worth the difference. Now also using a Tissot Sailing Touch, really the ultimate for a luxury sailor's timepiece.

I like this watch a lot. Picked this up in order to give my Omega Seamaster a break (needs to be sent back to switzerland to get polished up). This watch is big, but very, very light. At the store where I picked mine up, I had the Seamaster in one hand and the Yachtsman in the other. The Yachtsman has probably twice the mass, but less than half the weight. It is good looking, and will be a conversation piece when worn with a suit at business meetings.

The good: Time, stopwatch, barometer, thermometer, compass, and race timer. The race timer is essentially a countdown (you synchronize with race committee gunshots) followed by a stopwatch, with split time viewing and one-race memory. A couple good features: it can only be stopped by hitting the stop button twice in two seconds - good for those of you that wear sailing gloves. Beeps are audible unless the wind is howling above 20 knots. If you aren't a racer, you might do just as well with the x-lander, which excludes the racing timer but includes an altimeter, all within the same aesthetic package. The barometer includes a 1 hour interval memory (remember, 3 mbar change in under an hour and you're probably in trouble) and a thermometer. All units can be changed between imperial and metric. I haven't changed the battery yet but the compartment is opened with a coin, and looks very easy. Also, its a great looking watch if you can pull off the large size, and its relatively inexpensive.

The bad: The contrast could be a little darker, and the backlight could be a little brighter. No seconds display on the standard time view. You can toggle seconds display briefly via pushing a button. Reading the manual (twice or three times) is an absolute must, because the buttons are unmarked. The thermometer doesn't take accurate readings while strapped on due to the heat from your wrist. The compass reading is a little jumpy (though in my experience, accurate). Lastly, I already knicked the aluminum bezel reaching into a closet... when I'm rolling around on the foredeck and trimming sails, its probably going to get pretty beat up.

Overall, good product. Well done Suunto.

This watch was a disappointment for what you pay for it. It is hard to read at an angle, the countdown timer you would use to start a race is difficult to use and nearly inaudible. The concept behind this watch is neat, it looks nice, but Suunto should update this product and stop selling this particular watch. For a simpler, more user friendly Suunto sailing watch I recommend the M3.