Best Altimeter Watches

Accuracy

Quartz movement and precision Swiss engineering make this one of the most accurate watches on the market today. Whether you are watching the elevation change as you hike up the mountain or keeping track of the number of laps in the pool, this watch is known for keeping things precise.

Wearing Comfort

Designed to fit comfortably on the wrist, the Tissot Unisex Touch Collection Analog watch features a 45 millimeter case size, that is only 13 millimeters thick. In addition, the easy to open and close butterfly clasp makes it easy to put on in the morning and set off for your day. It can easily fit most adult wrists, and is only slightly large for a more slender wrist. Either way, it’s comfortable enough to forget about until you need it.

Durability

This watch features a PVD coated titanium case and bracelet, which makes it one of the most durable in the industry. Add to that the fact that it is water resistant up to 330 feet and a scratch resistant sapphire crystal face, you’ll be hard pressed to find a way to damage this beautiful watch.

Readability

While this particular watch may look fashionable and elegant, make no mistake – you won’t be having any trouble reading the clock or the information from one of it’s many functions. Whether your making use of the compass, altimeter, barometer, or simply trying to see if you’ll make your lunch time appointment, the easy to see marks for time and the luminescent hands make it an easy read.
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Price:

It’s true that the Tissot Unisex Analog Swiss Quartz Watch will set you back quite a bit of money. However, considering all the features you get, and the renowned quality, if you can fit it into your budget, you won’t be disappointed.

Summary

Whether you're hiking through the back country, or meeting with a client for lunch, this altimeter watch can handle nearly everything you can throw at it. Accurate, elegant, and tough as nails, this is one watch that is hard to beat.

Accuracy

Not only can you tell time with precision, but this watch also features a high sensitivity GPS/GLONASS positioning system with automatic calibration for the altimeter, barometer and a three axis compass. As long as the watch isn’t damaged or misused, it will be able to tell you exactly where you are down to a few feet, and the time as well.

Wearing Comfort

Designed specifically to be used in the outdoor environment, this watch certainly takes the idea of rugged comfort to a whole new level. While it may be a little bulky for some tastes, the comfortable silicone band, and easy to use and read watch face make it very simple to use and wear.

Durability

If an altimeter watch is designed to be used in the great outdoors, it better stand up to a bit of abuse. Thankfully, this isn’t a problem for the Garmin Tactix Bravo watch. Featuring a black, non-reflective surface that was inspired by the tactical gear used by personnel who rough it in the great outdoors for a living, a diamond-like carbon coating to help prevent abrasions, and PVD coated stainless steel buttons, this watch nearly defines the words rugged and dependable.

Readability

With all the different features and display options for this watch, one might think that its readability would suffer. Thankfully, Garmin has done quite a bit to help alleviate that problem. For starters, the watch has a two-inch high resolution that is designed to be readable in direct sunlight. It also features a domed lens that can easily switch between a day friendly use of a night one that won’t interfere with night vision goggles.

Price

While this watch will set you back a fair amount, the rugged and tactical design will easily meet the needs of most outdoor enthusiasts.

Summary

If you’re looking for a rugged watch that can easily handle just about everything that you’d encounter in the outdoors and keep you oriented with state of the art GPS, this is one watch to consider.

Accuracy

While some customers have reported so inaccuracy in the barometer and altimeter features, for most people the watch provides fairly good precision when it comes to time-keeping and the built-in thermometer.

Wearing Comfort

While the watch itself is somewhat on the larger size, the carbon fiber watch band is one of the most comfortable on the market today. While some with smaller wrists or larger wrists may find the one size fits all a bit uncomfortable, the average person won’t be bothered much at all.

Durability

When it comes to durability, this watch is one of the best on the market today. Designed for extreme outdoor use in nearly any environment that a person can encounter.

Readability

This watch has a standard LCD display that is fairly easy to read, although it does become slightly unreadable in direct sunlight.

Price

Of the watches reviewed here, the Casio G-Shock Master is perhaps one of the more affordable available on the market today. While not exactly budget friendly, it is certainly more affordable than most.

Summary

The Casio brand is well known as a quality watch maker, and this rugged durable altimeter watch is certainly well suited for their brand. If you’re looking for a watch that is a great choice for the weekend warrior, this is it.

For starters, this Suunto offers accurate, stable weather and altitude information. Along with this it delivers full navigation with robust casting to ensure accuracy. How does it do all this?

Well, it has a built in altimeter, barometer, compass, and GPS. And did we mention that this watch also has a 100 meter water resistance? Not to bad for such a sleek looking watch.

As far as battery life goes, this watch offers 200 hours with 1 minute accuracy, which is quite a competitive number as far as the market of altimeter watches goes.

For full usage value, you can sync this watch up with your smartphone for activities.

All together, this watch offers a pretty powerful little package for a reasonable price.

Accuracy

As expected, accuracy is where this altimeter watch truly shines. It features Swiss quartz movement, it manages to measure elevations in both feet and meters with nearly pinpoint accuracy. Add to that a superb compass, calendar, barometer, and thermometer, you’ll be hard-pressed to get lost or out of sorts with this watch nearby.

Wearing Comfort

While not as comfortable in an outdoor setting as some watches on this list, the Fenix 5X altimeter watch does serve very well in most everyday places. With a metal band or silicone option.

Durability
Thankfully this watch is a great example of that tradition. Featuring a titanium case, stainless steel bezel, and a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, this watch also features a fold over clasp, and also has an adequate battery life. It is also water-resistant up to 100 feet, so there are no worries about taking it into the nearby pool for a swim or two.

Readability

The one downside is readability. As I've noted before, the screen does not perform well in bright light which can be a real drawback with little cloud cover.

Price

Like many of the watches on this list, this one is a sizable investment. However, if you take into account the dependability and accuracy of the Tissot brand, it’s probably one that is worth making.

Summary

Everything is nearly perfect on the Fenix 5X, but it's definitely worth noting the display's contrast is below-average in bright light. This can make it difficult to see in sunlight. But that might be one small price to pay for an otherwise great watch.

Not only are you going to be looking super hip in this Casio, but the watch delivers on quality, too.

Know not only the hour, but also the weather with this watch that has been equipped with triple sensors that measure the atmospheric pressure and altitude, as well as temperatures and even, directions.

On this particular watch, the hands indicate the compass bearing and pressure.

Along with this, this watch is also water resistant, which is always a bonus, and it comes with a bevy of other features you are sure to find useful.

Accuracy

Boasting a smaller overall size than most, this watch still delivers on accuracy, claiming to be able to measure elevation to within three feet, and provide compass readings for a continuous 60 seconds versus some that only measure for twenty. Temperature readings of your body temperature or the ambient temperature are accurate to within a few degrees.

Wearing Comfort

This watch is clearly designed for a male wrist, and many females might find it a little too bulky to wear comfortably. It is also designed for outdoor use, and the larger buttons clean lines, and tough as nails exterior makes this watch a great choice when you’re roughing it in the outdoors.

Durability

The case, band, and technology of the Casio Pro Trek watch are specifically designed to be used in the great outdoors. It features a water resistance to around 330 feet, a fairly comfortable, but strong as nails black resin band keeps everything together as you and your watch go out to search or the next adventure.

Readability

While there is a lot of great things going on with this watch, one of the areas that it falters a bit in the readability of the watch face. The digital readout isn’t always nice and crisp in direct sunlight, and there have been reports of the backlight being too bright for the user.

Price

This altimeter watch, even with all the different features often sells for a fraction of the cost of some of its competitors, making it a great buy for those wanting a quality watch to add to their outdoor gear collection.

Summary

This watch is a great choice for those who want all the bells and whistles of a great altimeter watch without spending an arm and a leg. While the display leaves a bit to be desired, it’s still more than enough to gain the respect of outdoor enthusiasts.

Accuracy

Designed with the serious adventurer in mind, this altimeter watch boasts an impressive three feet resolution on elevations up to 29,500 feet, and a powerful memory function stores readings on the hour, every hour if desired so that you can truly track your progress.

Wearing comfort

Unlike some of the other watches on this list, the Suunto Vector watch case is made of a lightweight plastic material, making it virtually weightless against the wrist. While the case diameter is a bit hefty at 5.1 centimeters, it matches easily with the thickness of 16 millimeters to make a surprisingly comfortable watch.

Durability

While the plastic watch case may seem a little less dependable to some, the watch is actually quite durable with a strong buckle clasp and a mineral dial window that can easily stand up to outdoor activity.

Readability

Another great feature of this watch is the display. Not only it is larger than most, but the backlight and convenient control buttons are both easy to understand and use.

Price

The price of the Suunto Vector watch is solidly middle of the road, and considering the quality of the watch, it is a fairly good deal.

Summary

While it doesn’t have as many features as some of the other altimeters watches on this list, what the Suunto Vector watch does, it does very well. If you’re looking for a great mid-priced choice for your next hike, this is one to definitely consider.

Interestingly, Tissot is the official time keeper for the NBA, so in that spirit, they made this watch which has the NBA logo on the case-back.

This watch is a unique piece, as it is a touch screen that is powered by solar energy. The T-Touch Expert Solar NBA Edition watch also offers a bevy of functions, such as being an atimeter watch, of course, but it also forecasts time, has a second time zone, and has a compass.

It is also water resistant for up to 100 meters, and once you get to know the watch in great detail, you will see that the list of features it boasts are many.

Accuracy

Designed with the serious athlete in mind, this watch easily measures changes in elevation, time and heart rate with great accuracy.

Wearing Comfort

This watch is somewhat bulky and oversized, so some users may find it a bit overwhelming. However, for the average person, it’s size isn’t too much of a hindrance.

Durability

While it does have a number of great features, and it is very easy to use, we wouldn’t suggest taking this altimeter watch into the tundra or hot desert with you. However, if you want something that helps you monitor your workout with ease on a daily basis, this is a great choice.

Readability

Thankfully the Tom Tom Multi-Sport GPS Watch is a breeze to read, whether you are in a direct sunlight, or shade. In addition, the one-button control makes it a simple task to cycle through the menus to find exactly what you want.

Price

Reasonably priced for an altimeter watch featuring a GPS unit, this entry on the list is a great choice for those wanting to upgrade to take advantage of some wonderful technology.

Summary

The Tom Tom Multi-Sport GPS watch is a wonderful entry into this for athletes that want to spend some time exploring the great outdoors.