Description Keep up with changing conditions! This wrist-top information center tracks direction, altitude and weather as well as the time.. Altimeter function, displayed in either meters or feet, ranges up to...
Summary: I owned several of these. The watch is works fine for hiking etc. The overall durability of the watch is decent but not rugged enough for intensive outdoor use, and within 1-2 years the strap breaks without any cause (the strap is mostly plastic pierced with holes on all versions- stainless steel or titanium). The durability of the strap is very poor and Suunto must know it since it is only under warranty for 1 year as opposed to 2 year warranty for the watch. Strap replacement by Suunto out of warranty is almost $100 so you'd better find a better strap after breaking the first time! I haven't found yet whether non-Suunto straps can be adjusted on it.
The decision is yours whether it is worth the money...
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Summary: I decided to complete my Suunto "Black Collection" with the Observer SR "Black Collection". I wanted a smaller more stealth size watch for under my hunting/fishing gear and it had to be tough and have bullet proof reliability.
It is a much simpler animal than my X6M and is thinner and smaller. It feels solid on the wrist but could be worn without notice for days. Its stainless steel construction is solid and has just the right amount of weight without feeling heavy. Just like the X6M, the Observer is made and built in FINLAND and it feels like it. Button push is silky smooth and the construction is professional quality.
"The Black Collection" This is a special all black collection of ABC watches Suunto came out with in late 2007. It was designed to be a upscale tactical look. The Collection includes The Observer Sr, Observer ST, and X6M. The Observer has a matte black finish on the case. The X6M has a polished black finish on the case. Very tactical bling looking. I absolutely love the look and the wrist presence is awesome!! The pics don't do this watch justice. It marries fine jewelry and tactical tech perfectly.
The Observer "Black Collection" has a flat matt finish as oppose to a satin black finish on my X6M "Black Collection". The Observer reminds me of a stealth bomber with its flat angles and matt black finish. Very cool looking.
I would say this would be the perfect ABC watch I would recommend to any military personnel. It looks more "military special ops" because of its smaller more concealable size than other Suunto models. Its made out of Stainless Steel and has a mineral glass face. The cr2032 battery is user replaceable and can be done quickly in the field. Battery life, I am told by members is excellent (over 2 years!)
Even though the Observer is smaller than other Suunto models, it still is a 45mm diameter watch case. That is about what most large dive watches measure. It sits lower than most ABC models so it wears smaller than it appears. It still is a large watch and has a lot of wrist presents. The functions of the watch are pretty strait-up and easy to work with if you are a Suunto veteran like myself. A good user manual read through would be necessary if you are not familiar with the Suunto set-up system.
The negative display is very easy to read and appears to sit higher up, just under the mineral glass than other models. This makes it easier to see from viewing off angle. The constant second display that travels around the outer face is excellent. I love this feature and it does not disappear after 10 minutes like the Core does. The barometer trend, day, month,year,time,and seconds,AM/PM are all displayed at one time in the main time display. In addition, Alarm notification, Altimeter alarm, log activation and chrono notification can also be displayed in the main time mode in addition to my first list of information. A tremendous amount of information is displayed at a glance. This is what makes the Observer stand out from the rest of the ABC watches.
The light on the Observer is excellent. Its lume is very bright and does not flicker in compass mode like the Core. It is activated by holding the "mode" button down for 2 seconds. The light stays on for a generous 10 seconds after the last button push.
Water resistant is also excellent at 100meters. In typical fashion, Suunto doesn't recommend diving with their ABC watches but swimming,showering,etc.. is fine.
Compass is very good with bearing track feature. It uses a progress graph as you turn the watch when calibrating like the X6M. Why doesn't Suunto have this on the Core? It is a great feature and should be on ALL Suunto ABC watches.
I tested the accuracy of the altimeter and it is typical spot on with my X6M. That means it is THE most accurate altimeter on any ABC watch brand available. Its sensors are all also Thermo Compensated. This means their accuracy will not be effected by temperature change. Its as accurate on the wrist as it is sitting out side on a table. (unlike other brands of sudo tough ABC watches)
The barometer can also be calibrated globally or use its factory default setting. This is another excellent feature and lets the owner sync the barometer to another ABC watch or weather station. This feature should have also been on the Core.
All main displays has the typical sub modes to display the information of your choice.
The strap is also another big plus for this watch. Its very comfortable. The flat black rubber strap is flexible and tapers up in thickness to meet the watch case seamlessly. The buckle is also flat black and completes the over all stealth look.
I really like the Observer for a "do-it-all, "all occasion" ABC watch. It really is very easy to live with and it is easy to see why this was Suunto's professional flagship model. Its also one of the Models Suunto states is "Shock Resistant". Most member will attest it is one of, if not Suunto's toughest models. Its holds up very well to any of the most recent ABC watches and still has a unique personality that sets its self apart from the other Suunto line.
The Observer is the Suunto abc model I am going to recommend to owner that needs, and can only have one Suunto model. It does every thing well and is reliable with bullet proof construction.
The Observer has been endorsed by about every one that owns one and I can see why.
I think the Observer is one of the best kept secrets in the Suunto catalog. I think the Observer might be another professional abc Suunto model that doesn't get much press.
Its "Made in Finland" build quality is excellent. Fit and finish is top shelf. Its just a beautiful Suunto for all occasions and activities. If you only could own 1 Suunto,...This would be it.
Reviewed by: Steve Larne(Unregistered User)
,
Car Camper
Price Paid:
$250.00
at some shop in Zurich
Summary: Had my stainless steel observer for 8 years now. Overall have been very happy with it although there have been a few problems, but then I have had it a long time. It's had it's internals replaced and the casing on seperate occasions, I've gone through a couple of elastomer straps and a couple of batteries but it's still looking good after all this time. I mainly use the stopwatch, alarm (which has NEVER let me down and wakes me up every morning), the compass which has come in handy a few times but does need regular callibration and the thermometer occasionally but the rest is just for impressing my friends!
Customer Service: Always gone through a supplier in Scotland and never had any problems.
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Summary: This watch is very nice. Beautiful, light and confortable. The screen (dark background) is really easy to read, in particular in bright light. What I like the most is the philosophy: the important information is big and readable. For example, in chronometer mode, what is important is the number of elapsed hours and minutes, not the seconds and the tenth of a second. When you are in the action, you are not interested in seeing the seconds. The logic is also very
nice. You have to read the manual a couple of times, but after this initial effort, everything seems natural and you do not have to think too much to do a given operation. One button to select, one button to escape, one to increment, and one to decrease. And there are no exception to this general schema. The light is also great: you push a button during 2 seconds and the light is turned on for at least ten second. This allows you to perform operations (the light is on until you fnish), such as setting the alarm for instance.
The altimeter is very accurate and the compas very usefull.
I have the leather strap. The quality is not very nice. This is the only part that could be improved.
I am very happy with watch.
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Very nice looking watch, I find it really comfortable to wear considering this is the first watch I have worn in years. Its also lighter than I anticipated.
I believe the altimeter is accurate from googling my towns altitude, its about right but I will put the watch to the test when I visit Nepal in November.
This is a very nice watch and am so pleased with it,
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