La Crosse Technology XG-55 Digital Altimeter/Compass Watch

So why did I only give is 4 stars? The only reason I gave this item 4 stars is the fact that there is no altimeter button. I'll explain more later. First off, I didn't initially purchase this watch because others reviewed this watch as cheap. NOT TRUE. This watch has a great looking bezel, unfortunately the pics don't do it justice. Yes the band is palstic/rubber but so are other expensive watches. The clasp is metal so it all works together nicely. The features: Altimeter, Barometer, Compass, and Time. This watch is accurate very accurate. You must set it up correctly. I first set up the watch by changing the barometer to change the altimeter. Wrong answer. The barometer is set up from the factory. Leave it alone! Sea Level pressure is 29.92inHG and my local observatory said something different so I changed it and my altitude was all off. Hint, leave the factor settings alone in the barometer. Go to the Atimeter mode and choose sea level and adjust the inHG there. Voila the correct altimeter reading just like my plane. Here is the trick. Everytime we get into a plane we check the altimeter pressure and adjust for changes in the barometric pressure. We do that every time we fly. If not your reading will be wrong. Once you change that under the Altimeter setting you will again show the correct altitude. Exactly the type of control you want. The watch is very sensitive to changes and has 1ft of resolution (it could tell the difference in walking up the stairs with 3ft of accuracy. WOW! The only thing I don't like and the reason I kept a star for myself; no dedicated Altimeter button or no way to restart the sampling process other than pressing the mode button 4 times to toggle through the other functions. The altimeter is active with updates every second for 5 minutes and to conserve battery life after 5 minutes it updates once per minute. I would have liked a continuous real time update option or a way to restart the updates without toggling through all of the functions. Obviously the temp is affected by body heat but that too is adjustable, I have found that reducing the temp by 14 or 15 degrees will give you an accurate reading. Test to see what works for you. Compass is great but like any compass you must have it parallel to the earth for an accurate reading. It even includes a reverse bearing reading that will allow you to find yourself on a map. (given you know how) Bottom line, this is a great watch and is an extreme value at $50. Suggestions for those complaining. 1. Learn to use it (download the manual before buying) 2. Stop Wearing electronics with holes in the case in water no matter who says its water proof. Water and electronics don't mix. 3. A spinning bezel is not suppose to click. It's for accuracy purposes and so it can turn both directions. This is a precision piece you need to be more precise! I have had several brands and you can't beat this watch at this price point, don't even try.

This is the third XG-55 Alt/Compass (and many other features) watch I have purchased, I gave one as a present and have worn the other for five years AND yes, the paint and detail has almost been worn away. To preserve the appearance of this new watch I sprayed on 8 coats of 'clear' -4 horzontal and 4 at 45 degrees in 20 minutes, misted on from 18 inches so as not to get a run- to protect the paint, and before I removed the LCD lenz shipping cover. I have read complaints about this watch, poor battery life but my first one -using the backlite several times a day- operates for over 2 years. This current model watch LCD of course, can be manually shut off. When this altimeter can show elevation change every step you take climbing up a ladder, calling it too 'inaccurate to use hiking' in the mountains needs a bit of insight. If you are on the up-wind side of a hill the baro. pressure will be higher. Walk around your house when the wind is blowing or put you car windows up and turn on the heater fan. This will quickly show baro,/elev. change. Where I live next to a small mountian ranges we can get as much as 500 ft. elev change a day with wind shift. Getting absoulte elevation readings this way is not possible. If you travel you will need to reset the compass declination. Another really good feature is the raised bezzel that protects the lenz. After 5 years of wearing this watch even while working I have only three scratches on the lenz. The watch is thicker than my dress watch and I just learn to be careful. I started out thinking I would need to pay $200 for a good barometer. This watch sheds water but I don't put it under water, I ruined one nice watch while water skiing. This is a very good watch that proviced lots of information: even stylish while the paint lasts. All these features for under $100 -- That is really a deal! HK -AZ

I bought this watch and it was delivered through DHL. It wasn't working. Even the light did not come on. I sent a complaint to the Lacrosse company. 2 days later, I received this reply: I am sorry that there was no information in the email for me to assist you with XG-55 watch ? My answer was: Yes. It doesn’t work. It’s new and even the light does not come on. I’ll wait 2 days before returning it to Amazon. I’ve already waited 2 days. Very poor service. I still haven't received a reply.(12 days) I've returned the watch and bought one from another company through Amazon.

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