NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Vector was not chosen for navigation
From: J Cora
Date: 2005 Apr 27, 21:19 -0700
From: J Cora
Date: 2005 Apr 27, 21:19 -0700
Greetings, I thought that I would mention a few things about the vector which I have owned now for around 5 or 6 years perhaps more. The main requirement I had at the time of purchase was user replaceable battery. My previous watch was an Avocet which I liked a lot, good barometer, nice size, very easy to manipulate buttons, but the requirement to send the watch to the factory for battery replacement became tiresome and I destroyed the watch trying to do the replacement myself. The vector does have a way to display seconds digitally but it requires a button push and the display only shows the seconds and if I recall it falls back automatically after a short time like 30 secs. Overall the vector is a reasonable comprimise but I expect that with time there will be much better watches out there. For one it is damn complicated and I never have the manual with me when it counts. I would like to be able to instantly change units, millibars - in/Hg C to F , feet to meters, etc. but rarely do as I forget how. The compass is pretty nice but recalibration is the same story hard to remember how it is done. I have used it as the primary compass while kayaking in fog and it was very easy to use, just lift my arm! I set the barometer to millibars and using the 6 hour history is particulary helpful when a front passes. Setting time and date is something I have memorized but forgot on occasion. The battery generally lasts about a year and is changeable by the owner but the o-ring has be handled carefully or replaced. It is also a bit difficult to open the seal and when Suunto was called they said the correct tool was a nickel as it had an edge on the circumference. I use the altimeter frequently while hiking and like the avocet shows rate of climb so you know how hard you are pushing. Also like the avocet it has to be recalibrated frequently. While kayaking the watch is doused in salt water and often not washed off afterwards but I have not experienced any problems yet. The manual says dont manipulate the buttons under water and I have followed their recommendations. In the future Suunto should consider making a watch that displays the seconds , has zero set and is not so complicated to adjust or work the functions. Still I wouldnt trade the watch for any other that I have seen to date. If I had the money I would get a marine chronometer but it would sit at home on display.