La Crosse Technology XG-55 Digital Altimeter/Compass Watch

Altimètre

I bought this watch and it was delivered through DHL. It wasn't working. Even the light did not come on.I sent a complaint to the Lacrosse company. 2 days later, I received this reply: I am sorry that there was no information in the email for me to assist you with XG-55 watch ?My answer was: Yes. It doesn’t work. It’s new and even the light does not come on.I’ll wait 2 days before returning it to Amazon. I’ve already waited 2 days. Very poor service.I still haven't received a reply.(12 days)I've returned the watch and bought one from another company through Amazon.

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.)

I bought my husband this watch a few years ago, and he loved it. It worked really well, but when we bought it this time around it worked only for a week or two before the watch would frequently spazz out and reset all of the numbers. Annoying, when I tried to return in the "return window" had closed already. Now I'm stuck with a watch that doesn't work.