Highgear Altis TI

To start out...The Altis ti and Altis SS are the same watch except that one is made of titanium and the other out of stainless steel. Both watches have heft and are built like a brick. The band is high quality rubber with breath slots cut into them and are fitted seamlessly to the watch.

The Altis Ti Tactical is from Highgear's tactical line of watches for the police and military. It is a large attractive, premium watch from Highgear but much lighter than the Altis SS. It has a crisp and clear negative display (similar to Suunto Core) that wears very nice and can be used for all occasions (unlike a lot of other bulky brand watches with these features). I found the strap to be very comfortable. Excellent looking, accurate, and simple to use once you master the features. I use this watch for hunting and navigation in deep woods.

Somehow Highgear found out a way to take a very complicated watch and make it simple to use in the field and make it look good as well. Display is large and crisp looking with a good back light that has its own designated button. Mineral glass face is very scratch resistant and the altimeter sensor is Swiss made. Water resistant to 50m but is NOT recommended for scuba diving because of the barometer. The compass is very easy to display quickly.

I have tested the altimeter many times with my GPS and found it to be surprisingly accurate. I test the barometer with a my local weather station and it too is dead on. Changing the battery can be done in the field using a coin and cr2032 battery.

This review would go on and on if I were to get into all the features of the Altis. I recommend checking out Highgear's web site to get a full list of features. Don't be overwhelmed when you first get this watch. You will need a few days playing with the Altis along with the manual to get the general layout and features but when you understand how the watch is laid out and how its features operate, it becomes second nature to access them in the woods.

The Altis also has an automatic Altimeter lock. The Altitude lock mode...What this does is when your watch isn't moving for a while, your watch goes into a altitude lock mode. The advantages of this is to keep the altimeter calibrated longer. Let's say you are sleeping in your tent on the side of a mountain and your Highgear watch is at rest. It will hold the current altitude and lock on to it. While you were sleeping a high pressure front moves through quickly. You barometer will record this but your altimeter will still be calibrated. Other watches with out this feature would have their altimeter off by as much as a couple hundred feet.

The way you can get out of the altimeter lock mode is this: if you are in the Time mode, you will have to push any button and the altimeter comes to life and readjust if you have moved since. If you left your watch in the Altimeter mode, it will automatically unlock if you move up or down 25 feet or so or you can press any button and it will unlock. Some HG owner couldn't figure out why the watch altimeter would not unlock automatically. They were not told that the only way it will auto unlock without touching a button is to be in the Altimeter mode. This is no big deal because the Altimeter has a sub screen with the Altimeter in large size font and the time and temp in small font.

IMO, this is THE watch to own for hunters, hikers, climbers, or anyone that goes deep into God's country and needs a serious navigational watch. It's a bargain for its features and price. Highgear is a USA company out of North Carolina.

Update: January 13, 2009

To start out...The Altis ti and Altis SS are the same watch except that one is made of titanium and the other out of stainless steel. Both watches have heft and are built like a brick. The band is high quality rubber with breath slots cut into them and are fitted seamlessly to the watch. The buckle of the strap is made of titanium on the Ti model and stainless on the SS model.

The Altis titanium is much lighter than the Altis stainless steel. It is very well balanced on the wrist.

The Altis Ti is a large attractive, premium watch from Highgear. that wears very nice and can be used for all occasions (unlike a lot of other bulky brand watches with these features). I found the strap to be very comfortable. Excellent looking, accurate, and simple to use once you master the features. I use this watch for hunting and navigation in deep woods.

Somehow Highgear found out a way to take a very complicated watch and make it simple to use in the field and make it look good as well. Display is large and crisp looking with a good back light that has its own designated button. Mineral glass face is very scratch resistant. Water resistant to 50m but is NOT recommended for scuba diving because of the barometer. The compass is very easy to display quickly.

I have tested the altimeter many times with my GPS and found it to be surprisingly accurate. I test the barometer with a my local weather station and it too is dead on. Changing the battery can be done in the field using a coin and cr2032 battery.

This review would go on and on if I were to get into all the features of the ALTIS. I recommend checking out Highgear's web site to get a full list of features. Don't be overwhelmed when you first get this watch. You will need a few days playing with the ALTIS along with the manual to get the general layout and features but when you understand how the watch is laid out and how its features operate, it becomes second nature to access them in the woods.

IMO, this is THE watch to own for hunters, hikers, climbers, or anyone that goes deep into Gods country and needs a serious navigational watch. It's a bargain for its features and price. Highgear is a USA company out of North Carolina.

A great watch/altimeter! Very accurate, especially when weather is stable. Just like any altimeter, the more unstable the weather, the less accurate it is. The more often you calibrate it the better.

Has a lot of great functions to use once you get the hang of it. Built solid with a great heavy duty band. Not too big on the wrist like most other altimeter watches. On my last mountain bike loop, the total feet ascending and descending was dead on to the foot! Like I said, it is a very accurate altimeter.

Only two drawbacks: Ti scratches fairly easy but the light weight of ti makes up for it. Also, the light could be better on it but all in all WELL worth the money!