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

A very thorough review!! After 2 months of use, both in urban settings and backcountry trips in Colorado where I live, and frequently consultation with the included manual, I wish I could give this zero stars, and here is why: The only features that work properly on this watch are: Clock, Stopwatch, Timer, and Alarm. The following do NOT work properly: --Altimeter: needs to be recalibrated FREQUENTLY, and at anything below like 1,000 feet, mine simply reads "LO ft". Also, it's a pain to calibrate it to anything like 500ft and up (and I live near 6,000ft!) because it will ascend the first digit for 5 or so seconds, then start ascending by 10's for about 5 seconds, then start ascending by 100's, then 1,000s -- it's VERY easy to overshoot, what a pain!!! --Barometer: very inaccurate readings with the actual barometric pressure. Also, currently mine has read "HI" for the past 2 weeks, what the heck help does that give me in predicting if a storm is about the hit??? --Outside temperature: I'm confident in assuming the watch is reading the temperature of the skin on my wrist. I've been on backcountry trips where it is in the low 30s and 40s and the outside temp, according to the watch, will be in the 70s, and I always think, yea...I wish!! --Compass: Needs to be recalibrated CONSTANTLY. There have been times where I've pointed the watch towards the sunrise or sunset, and it either is nowhere close to the right direction, or says "OFF CAL". Just think about this...Why in the heck would a compass ever need to be calibrated? I can understand the altimeter and barometer, but how can a company NOT set up the compass to consistently read magnetic north to keep the compass accurate? Also, to calibrate it you have to rotate, by hand, the watch face at least 2 full rotations, and the watch face is INCREDIBLY hard to turn (and it is way too difficult to do with cold hands, and fully impossible with gloves on). ****If you're looking for a watch that tells time, has a stopwatch, timer, and alarm setting, then order away (although these are SWEET, I've owned two of them, and they each lasted me nearly 2 years, and they're cheaper and don't have an oversized, nerdy looking face like this LaCrosseXG55 http://www.amazon.com/Timex-T53151-Ironman-Traditional-30-Lap/dp/B000B4ZXV6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370954915&sr=8-1&keywords=timex+ironman+watch). ****If you're buying this watch for the added altimeter, thermometer, barometer, and compass, DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY LIKE I DID. (Again, I gave this watch 2 months before writing a review, and frequently used the manual to make sure it was not simply user error.)

Found this watch to have cool features and easy to setup. Easy to use. Only problem is the information it gives was not always right! Altitude was close but varied from 30' to 170' OFF. Barometer was never right and calibrated correctly. maybe works better staying outside. Commercial buildings are pressurized, could be the issue??? Temp was as instructed, must be removed from wrist for several minutes to get ambient temperature; that was accurate. Compass was jerky and hard to settle down, not fluid-like movement but accurate outside. Compass was also too sensitive, would not work near metal i.e. in the vehicle or aircraft, near other electronics. Oh and the watch keeps good time :{) I returned mine to upgrade to better quality and accuracy. If you're just looking for it to be close, this is a good watch for the price.

I bought La Crosse XG-55 2007 and I am still using it. Overall quality: good. I have changed the batteries for three times. It functions for most of functionality. Yes, it is painted plastic and now it lost almost all the paints on the watch. La Crosse should consider to improve this. The water proof is working for me. I wear it washing dished, taking showers, even swimming in first couple years. No problem. Recently after last changing battery, I do not wear it for shower any more. The most useful function for me is the altitude. I relied on it in most of my hiking, it has accompanied me to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Whitney and many high elevations. Although the accuracy is general off 100feet, but, I can adjust it. Although I had other elevation equipments with me during the hiking (such as Garmin and iPhone), I read most on this watch. I cannot imagine that you can operate iPhone when you hike on glacier with ice ax on hand. Garmin one is handy but the battery life is horrible (it can only last about 24 hours), I do not want to carry additional batteries. This watch tell me my altitude gaining speed and allow me to estimate how far I have still to go. I use it also in my exercise to measure my climbing speed by checking it every minute when climbing. Second feature I like is temperature, I hang it on my backpack while I am hiking, it tell me the environment very good. In Mt. Kilimanjaro summit, I was in snow storm and it told me the temperature to 9F. I really appreciated it hard work when I was almost brain dead in such bad situation. The barometer function is good. I do not really use it. Two time zones are also good when I am traveling internationally. Well, it is not that critical since I have cellular phone. The time accuracy is ok. It got about 20 seconds faster every month. It will be good if it can have radio sync up function. The bad part: the compass never works for me. It seems always off big. Thanks god I do not need to use it so far. Second part went bad is the background light. It cannot lit on any more since 2 years ago. Overall, it is a good watch and definitely worth the price.

I bought this watch mainly for the altimeter function. It works quite well, as well as can be expected for any barometric altimeter. That means you need the actual altitude now and then so you can correct for barometric pressure changes. The watch is very sensitive to altitude changes down to individual feet. Getting used to accessing the different settings can take time and patience. The watch comes with a DVD to help you with that. My main gripe is the display contrast. The background color of the display area is so dark that it's hard to read the numbers. If you don't have perfect vision and use the watch anywhere but outdoors in bright light, seeing the display is difficult. Adjusting the contrast is no help. Look at the picture of the watch here on Amazon and you'll see just how dark the display background is. I've noticed other watches people are wearing, and some of them can be read from five or six feet away because the background is light or white. The dark background on this La Crosse is simply bad engineering. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't buy this watch. If you plan on using it indoors and don't carry a flashlight around with you, I'd advise you not to buy it, either.

This watch is a great product. It is so sensitive that it registers a difference in going up or down stairs in my house or just walking up the street. It is also amazing how a change in the weather affects the "altitude" by over a hundred feet when compared to the Google maps terrain feature. Therefore, before relying on a reading, be sure to establish a baseline for that given day's conditions. For those of you complaining about accuracy, remember that this is a barometric device. To put it rudely, It's the weather stupid. On a sunny day, your "altitude" will differ significantly from a rainy day. If a front moves into your area, use common sense and rebaseline. I have seen swings of 150 feet for any given area on different days, but the relative change is the same from one place to another. So don't reach for the DVD. Use your head and allow for weather conditions from day to day and you will enjoy this fine product. In my area a barometric reading of 29.7 versus 28.7 is a 950 foot difference. Same place, different day. So enjoy. You could strap a GPS to your wrist, but this watch is more convenient and a lot more comfortable. LOL

The cost-benefit ratio in this watch is excellent, you have a triple sensor watch for less than 100 usd, trying to compare this watch with some of the casio triple sensor or some others like suntto, is not fare, it is clear that if you pay more, you will get more. This watch looks nice, maybe the case material is not the best one but if you compare it with a casio or suntto watch, anyway the watch is solid, the screen shows all the information very clear, especially I liked much the sharpness of the screen or display, buttons works softly, volume for the alarm sound is excellent. For me the operation is easy but I am those who likes really read the owners manual, those who does not like read the instructions or are not fond to technical gadgets will find this and similar watches very difficult to handle. Another thing: before judge the features on this watch (barometer, altimeter, compass and thermometer) first you need to understand that atmospheric pressure never is the same, it changes every day every hour everywhere, those who wants accurate altimeter and barometric data are looking in the wrong place, also those who wants in this watch an accurate compass device are looking wrong, even the mechanicals or traditionals compasses are not accurate, they also are influenced by buildings, big metal objects, electromagnetical disturbances caused by high voltage sources, etc. If you look for an accurate positioning system and accurate altitude data, get a good GPS system, it is the most accurate system so far for orientation and for altitude, in this systems calculation of the altitude does not depend on the atmospheric pressure. Best regards. Gabriel Gutièrrez Guadalajara México.