Suunto Vector Altimeter Watch Review

I have had the Suunto Vector for a little over 2 years and it has become a total part of my skiing and mountain biking adventures. Tracking my total ascent and descent during a ride or a ski day has become a daily challenge to top my buddies or myself. At first I didn’t have such a loving relationship with my watch and I was a bit skeptical because of the watch’s enormous size… it’s HUGE. But, after all the questions die down and comments such as, “What are you wearing a hockey puck on your wrist for?”, stop flooding in, you really get used to the size of the watch.

For one thing, the size of the screen is necessary to show all the great functions available on this watch. The Suunto Vector sports a thermometer, barometer, altimeter, rate of ascent and descent, total vertical logs, digital compass and oh yeah, all that normal watch stuff like dual alarms, countdown timers, stopwatch and the works. Another nice feature is that the battery can be found anywhere and replaced easily by you. Mine ran out in a little over a year and I got a new one at the local Radio Shack.

The watch functions like a charm, but I do have to say that figuring out all its complexities is a bit daunting. For a long time I was reluctant to use the cool Log Book feature because I thought I needed a PhD and my BA just wasn’t cutting it. In reality, the Log Book feature is super easy. When in altimeter mode, all I do is start the log when I begin skiing or mountain biking, then, when finished, I stop the log. It’s that easy.

I can track my rate of descent or ascent. How much vertical I climbed or descended and it keeps that log in the history so I can calculate my total vert for the entire ski season or biking season! Very cool!

The Bottom Line: Suunto Vector

Overall the watch rules, but at a price of $199, it is a bit spendy. Suunto has now come out with plenty of other watches (Suunto prefers the term, Wrist-Top Computers) with different features for different sports such as yachting, hiking, skiing, climbing, etc.

Smaller people or those concerned with the overall size of the watch may prefer the new Suunto Observer, which provides the same functionality in a sleek, titanium shell.

The Suunto Vector really is an amazing watch and I highly recommend it for the tech-geek in all of us.

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