Reviews > Electronic Devices > Watches > Highgear Axis Altimeter Watch > Curt Peterson > Field Report

Highgear Axis Field Report

June 2004

Product Information: www.highgearusa.com

 Below you'll find:

1. Special Note On Test Unit
2. Highgear Axis Overview
3. Highgear Axis Field Report
4. Testing Plan and Location
5. Contact and Background Information

1. Special Note On Test Unit

My first report on the Axis originally appeared in October 2003. While initially the Axis performed almost flawlessly, it did develop incredible altimeter drift and barometer problems over the course of a few months. Highgear recognized this issue in some watches, and the decision between BackpackGearTest.org and Highgear to put the test on hold was made. This report evaluates the new version of the Axis only! While very similar in appearance, there do seem to be functional differences in some units. The simplest way to distinguish the two versions of the Axis is by the weather prediction icons. The new version has an open-circled sun icon (as pictured on the Highgear website), while the previous version has a solid, filled-in sun icon.

2. Highgear Axis Overview

The Highgear Axis watch is an altimeter/barometer/digital compass watch marketed towards outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to the altimeter, barometer, and compass, the Axis features the standard digital watch capabilities of dual time zone time keeping, chronograph (stopwatch) functions, and alarms. The graphite colored Axis that arrived at my home for testing is identical in appearance to the watch on the www.highgearusa.com website. For a feature-by-feature detailed description of the Highgear Axis, please refer to my Initial Report.

3. Highgear Axis Field Report

Features

I have come to know the Highgear Axis watch quite well over the past few months. I have hiked in it, skied in it, showered in it, even slept in it virtually every minute of the test period. Overall, I am impressed with the Axis. It is not a perfect watch, but for the way I use it, the Axis is an almost ideal backcountry timepiece. In following the format of my Initial Report, I will comment on how the Axis has performed to date on a feature-by-feature basis:

1) Time: The Axis has kept perfect time. Compared to other regular time data based on atomic clock accuracy, this watch has not slowed or sped up to any appreciable degree. I continue to be totally impressed with the fact that the user has easy access to the calendar, weather, barometer, and temperature data - all without leaving time mode. I have no worries about this most essential of watch functions with the Axis.

2) Compass: This has proven to be the biggest problem with the Axis so far. After doing the original calibration of the Axis (exactly as described in the user manual) the compass worked just fine for a few weeks. Sometime after the third or fourth week, however, it "flipped". North became south. I recalibrated, but no matter what I tried, the direction indicated between 180 and 195 degrees south when it should read almost exactly north (360 or 0 degrees). At first, I thought somehow everything was reversed and east would be west, northeast would be southwest, etc., but this is not the case. Now the compass – no matter what direction I'm oriented – displays a SE to SW range of 155 to about 210 degrees. It does not go out of this range. Essentially, the compass is a useless feature for me at this point.

3) Barometer: This continues to be the most impressive feature of the Axis. For the entire test period now, it has been at least 90% accurate and continues to outwit the weatherman on television. The Axis continues to offer weather patterns in about 4 to 8 hour cycles almost without fail. I have become so confident of the prediction powers, that I now trust it to base comfort decisions on in a mountain environment. I'm not sure I would put my life at stake based on its predictions, but I certainly would continue up a ridge with clouds approaching and risk an afternoon hailstorm or something like that if the Axis indicated things were just fine. This really does have the potential to change my backpacking experience by allowing me to predict weather. At the very least, it will help in gear and clothing selection for a given day on the trail. The temperature reading remains high because it is influenced by skin temperature of the wearer. So far, it is about 13F (7C) that I need to subtract to get the actual temperature. I've noticed that Highgear has updated their website to reflect this fact, and uses a similar compensation number. For backpackers curious about nighttime temperatures, it is possible to hang the watch inside a shelter and get a temperature reading not influenced by skin temperature.

4) Altimeter: If the compass has been the most disappointing feature, the altimeter surely is the most surprising. It has proven to be extremely accurate, and has remained so for the period of testing so far. It dutifully recorded my highest point from a dayhike in May, and has not drifted above that mark, leaving it as a true high point. Drift has proven to be very minimal, and considering that I only calibrate the altimeter once every couple of weeks, it's extremely accurate. I have full confidence that if I calibrated daily while on a backpacking trip or climb, it will indicate my altitude within 10 or 20 feet (3 to 6 meters). As a typical example of the altimeter accuracy during my spring usage, I calibrated the altimeter to 3000 feet (915 meters) at the beginning of a trip - about right on for where I was starting. After 6 hours of hiking and scrambling in snow and changeable weather conditions, I had gained - then lost - around 1800 feet (550 meters). When I returned to the car at the starting point, the altimeter read 3004 (916meters). That's as accurate as I've ever seen an altimeter over the course of a day in consistent weather conditions, let alone in the changeable conditions that can cause altimeter fluctuations. I look forward to getting the Axis into the high country during July, August, and into the fall to test its accuracy over larger elevation changes.

5) Altimeter Data: This is certainly a useful function of the watch, but not the on-the-fly feature I had hoped for. It is easy to record data if I'm stopped for a break or for camp, but either it's not quick enough to easily cycle through or I just haven't become familiar enough with it, because so far it's just cumbersome enough that I don't do it much.

6) Chronograph: The stopwatch works fine, with the small exception of the button controls. Almost every four-button watch I've ever used has the same stopwatch controls: upper right button starts and stops the time, and the bottom right button resets the clock. The Axis uses the upper right button to start the clock, the lower right button to stop the clock, and the upper left button to reset the clock. This is not a big deal if I am keeping track of time over longer intervals, but for quick measurements, it's less than ideal. I guess I'm just used to always hitting the same button twice to quickly start and stop the watch.

7) Chronograph Data: I have used this feature to log jogging times, but it's even more cumbersome to use than the Altimeter Data feature. Twice I've had to stop the time at the end and leave the number on the screen until I could get inside to look up how to store it in the user manual. Again, this has as much to do with becoming familiar with the watch and its features as it does with the design, but something a little more intuitive could shorten the learning curve.

8) Alarm: The alarm continues to wake me up every morning from my deep sleep. Right on time, nice and loud. I've come to rely on the alarm, and haven't overslept yet!

Other comments

Besides the function features, there are a few notable characteristics of the Axis. The face of the watch is very tough. After wearing it daily – which has included hikes, showers, a home remodel, and everything else I've been doing, it has developed one small scratch in the face. I have not made any exceptional efforts to protect the face, and the fact that it still looks so clear is impressive. The same cannot be said for the rotating bezel. It has seen better days. Many of the numbers and non-cardinal direction labels have worn off. It is still quite usable, just worn. The hard plastic casing of the watch is quite durable. It is beat up when closely examined, with multiple scratches and gouges, but from even short distances, looks great. The plastic Highgear has chosen for the casing handles scratches and abrasion very well. Without close scrutiny, this watch will likely look good for a long time.

The watchband has held up very well. I've always been skeptical of plastic bands because in my experience they inevitably fail. Because the band is so fitted and integrated with the watch itself, I'm curious how after market bands will work. Even if the original band does not fail, I will likely try to replace it at some point just to see if it's possible.

Perhaps my greatest frustration with the Axis so far – even greater than the compass failure – is the "feel" of the side buttons. Originally crisp and solid, they have become kind of mushy, particularly the left side buttons that get frequent use. This is more than just a "feel" issue, too. There are times when the button does not engage. I press it, and nothing happens. I've found that I have to press harder and harder to get functions to work at times. It has not continued to get any worse, so hopefully the watch remains fully functional and the softening of the buttons has run its course. The loss of even one button function would render the Axis nearly useless, in my opinion. Each button serves an important function, and losing one would limit the function of the watch so severely that it would be virtually impossible to use.

Field Report Pros:

• Incredible weather prediction abilities with easy to read icons
• Most accurate altimeter of the 5 digital altimeters I've used over the years
• Tough casing and super-durable and large face
• Big, easy to read numbers
• Date, time, weather, temperature are all on one screen and easily read

Field Report Cons:

• Digital compass is virtually unusable at this point
• Buttons have gone a bit "mushy" and don't always engage on the first try
• Some features almost require the manual to quickly and easily utilize

Field Report Recommendations for Improvement:

• Don't change the barometer/weather prediction setup!! It works incredibly well!!
• Add an altitude "lock" feature for in-camp situations to prevent even minor drift
• Fix the "mushy" button problem
• Fix the compass issues, or – better yet – offer the Axis without the compass feature entirely at a lower price while retaining all other features.
• Develop some sort of menu navigation that could make all features usable without the manual by simply cycling through menu options (i.e. "yes" or "no", "forward" or "back", "cancel" or "select" – functions that most users are familiar with from common digital products.

4. Testing Plan and Location

Testing Plan

I plan to continue to wear the Highgear Axis watch daily until testing is complete. I am eager to test it at higher altitudes, where I have come to rely on my altimeter watch quite a bit. I have taken to using an altimeter watch and a topographical map to quickly find my location. Knowing what general area I'm in or what trail I'm on, this is much quicker and much more accurate for me than using a compass. Of course, a compass would provide reassurance of my location, and having a compass on my wrist that is pre-adjusted for declination and available at a glance is quite attractive. I will contact Highgear to see if there is a way to recalibrate the compass that is more effective than my efforts so far.

I will continue to focus on the following questions:

1) Does it actually work? By work, I mean does it give accurate and consistent elevation and barometric readings? Are they "close enough", or are they as accurate as the manufacturer claims - an incredible 1 foot resolution. So far, the results are very promising. Will the Axis continue to function at this level?

2) Does the elevation drift so significantly as to be unusable? A common complaint of altimeter users is that they wake up higher or lower than they went to bed - without moving! Understanding how the altimeters work explains this, but better altimeters are supposedly capable of minimizing drift to provide consistent data - despite the weather changes that cause drift. The level of drift so far has been minimal. Will higher altitudes affect this accuracy?

3) How accurate is the barometer over time? To date, it is shockingly accurate. Can it handle big elevation changes and alpine weather shifts? Both of these factors affect barometer calculations. Is it accurate both in mountains and in the city? Can it be counted on to help make the big decisions like turning around on a climb or bagging a trip?

4) Does the temperature feature offer relatively accurate readings? Is the "add-on" compensation temperature relatively consistent? Does the watch heat up significantly during a day of hiking or climbing in the sun? Most importantly, does a false temperature rise like direct sunlight affect the barometer and weather prediction functions?

Testing Location:

The vast majority of my usage of the altimeter watch for the remainder of the test period will be in the Central and North Cascades. Weather is quite changeable in this range, so many challenges to the functions of the watch should be available. I will continue to wear the watch daily, tracking the accuracy of the barometer, altimeter, and thermometer during all of my summer trips.

5. Contact and Background Information

Background Information

• Review by Curt Peterson: curt@boopants.com
• Age: 32
• Gender: Male
• Height: 6'3" (1.91 m)
• Weight: 270 lbs. (122 kg)

I played football in college and have been pretty active my entire life, having camped and backpacked in Utah as a child, in Minnesota until I finished college, and here in Washington ever since. I served on the Product Test Committee for Seattle's biggest outdoor gear retailer in the mid-90s, then guided backpacking tours with my wife in Olympic National Park for a few summers.  As a big backpacker, I’m always trying to find well-fitting gear and clothing.  I strive to keep my total backpack weight around 15 pounds (6.8 kg), but am always looking for ways to lighten my load.

Reviews > Electronic Devices > Watches > Highgear Axis Altimeter Watch > Curt Peterson > Field Report