Watches
Today’s increasingly sophisticated outdoor sport watches can have an amazing array of useful features, but how can you make your way through the maze of choices available? The following pointers will be sure to save you time in finding just the right model for you.
Buying an outdoor sports watch
The time is long gone when a watch simply told the time with two hands and had to be rewound once a day. Watches can now not only record a host of data about the people wearing them, but also act as their personal trainer, guide them in hostile or unfamiliar environments, and even forecast the weather!
Whether you prefer the classic look of a traditional analogue dial or a more futuristic digital style, an outdoor sport watch should above all be sturdy, watertight and have a face that can be read easily in the dark. As for the rest, it all depends on the type of activity you want to indulge in—jogging, training for a marathon, high-altitude trekking, diving, wilderness hiking?
If the time you spend outdoors involves only a minimum of activities, it will be of little use to buy a wrist-top computer with a multitude of functions, since the more it has, the more expensive it will be and the more complicated to use.
On the other hand, if you are extremely active and like to engage in a wide variety of outdoor pursuits, you can find all of the following features nowadays in a single watch:
- a chronometer, ideal for dedicated sprinters
- an altimeter, for always knowing the altitude of your location
- a thermometer and barometer, with or without a weather alert feature, to let you know if bad weather is moving in, and it’s therefore time to pitch your tent
- a pedometer, which indicates the distance you’ve covered
- a speedometer, for evaluating your performance
- a depth gauge, for knowing how deep a dive has taken you
- a clinometer, for estimating the degree of inclination of a slope you’re about to climb
- a compass, particularly handy for determining your location in a forest
- a GPS device, even more useful for finding your way
- a tide compass, great for kayakers
- a cardiometer, for monitoring your heartbeat
- a calorimeter, for measuring the number of calories burned during a particular activity
- a multiple-time-zone display plus a satellite sensor, for ensuring you have the right time—anywhere in the world
- a sunrise and sunset indicator
- a solar battery for lifetime power
- and, of course, a clock and an alarm!
An increasing number of watches also enable you to program an outing or short trip according to the result you want to achieve, whether it be an hour’s training with different levels of difficulty, a day’s hike out in the woods, or even the last stretch of a steep, high-altitude climb.
Other styles include a computer that records a certain amount of data (speed, heart rate, etc.) and then compiles and analyses it before producing a report at the end of the exercise session. Such a report is subsequently entered for consultation into an electronic notebook, whose content can be transferred onto a PC.
A final word about watch construction. More often than not, both cases and straps are made of stainless steel, which is stronger, or of synthetic materials such as plastic, resin or silicone, which are lighter.
Some top-of-the-line models also incorporate carbon or titanium (for performance fanatics), as well as leather and rubber (for straps, if the watch is not intended for use in wet environments). For its part, the watch crystal may be made of treated glass, scratch-resistant sapphire or mineral crystal, among other materials.
Use
Before using your watch or wrist-top computer for the first time, be sure to study its instruction manual carefully, so as to avoid having to read it when you’re out in the rain on the top of a mountain!
If you have an analogue model, check that the crown (the knob on the side of the watch used to set the time) is properly closed before, for example, taking a dive or heading out for some whitewater kayaking. Furthermore, if your watch has one or more chronometers, make sure they are not running constantly so that the battery won’t be worn out needlessly.
If you plan on using your watch in a setting where there’s a risk its crystal could be scratched (when out on a rock climb, for instance), wear it under your sleeve.
Maintenance
If your watch has been exposed to seawater, be sure to remove any salt deposits by rinsing it in fresh water, or wearing it in the shower.
If you have an analogue watch with a mechanical movement, take it to a watchmaker for cleaning and a checkup every few years.