I had a Suunto for 10 months. The face scratched VERY easily which was disappointing. However the worst thing is after swimming in a pool that I could stand up in the watch FILLED with water and died. On returning to Suunto they refused to fix it under warrantee because swimming is not covered ! They say the forces created by swimming are to much for this watch and it was never designed for this purpose, despite the sales literature saying it is water proof to 100m. I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER SUUNTO PRODUCT. Whatsmore the shop I bought it from say they have lots returned for the same reason and non of them were fixed under warranty either. It is also very difficult to use and you cannot hear the alarm at all. 1 star

This watch has everything needed to do anything. I, being a skier, bought this watch to find my way back to base camp after a long day of skiing. The watch a) new the altitude of the base camp b) the compass guided me on a specifc heading without flaw c) it held up to the harshest conditions that France had to offer. Anyone who needs direction in the wilderness, MUST have this watch. 5 stars

... and buy a GPS instead. I agree with previous reviewer (Dave57), I WOULD NEVER BUY A SUUNTO AGAIN. Worst than Dave, I simply got caught in heavy rain during a hike and my Vector was full of water, couldn't even tell the time. I send it to Suunto Finland for repair and they say that it leaked from the housing and "kindly" offered a repair for 140 Euros. 1 star

this watch is one of the coolest watches i have ever seen. i have read reviews and technical data about similer products like the casio pathfinder. the pathfinder primaraly has the same fetures as the vector. the difference is that the pathfinders altimeter can be off by 1400' or more in stable weather! the vectors altimeter never really gets off more then 200 feet. if you want one of the best watches avalable get the suunto vector 5 stars

I got a vector 3 years ago and was very pleased with it most of the time. The altimiter is not very useful because it is based off barometric pressure so your reading will vary wildly and you need to keep resetting it. The big flaw with this watch is that in 3 years the face has broken twice. The first time the bezel broke off. Luckly it was still under warranty and they replaced it. Now the faceplate has cracked and is letting moisture in. I don't use the watch for any crazy sports, it's just my everyday watch so the fact that it is broken astounds me. Sunnto have a minimum $85 repair charge, which could go up, so at this stage I'm bowing out with two watch failures in 3 years. 1 star