Highgear Axis Watch - 2006 BCS

Wasn't planning on relying my life on this watch, so I didn't have an issue picking up such a relatively inexpensive watch. Basically just wanted something that would hold up when outdoors (camping, kayaking, etc.) and this has more than fit the bill. The compass/thermometer/barometer, while not perfect in any way, are a nice addition, and for the price you really can't complain. If you expect pinpoint accuracy, look elsewhere -- but if you want a great, inexpensive watch for outdoors, look no further.

This watch was a solid purchase. It has several functions. I found the temperature and altimeter to be most useful. Be careful and calibrate often. The temperature is affected by body heat. I would sometimes hang it on a backpack strap to get an accurate reading.

You really can't beat this watch for the price. Sure it's basic & burly (big), but it does everything it's supposed too! As with other reviews, ensure you calibrate altimeter (and compass)often prior to relying on it for anything useful. I've had mine for probably 3 years now and on second battery. Note to review below on alarm going out...it's probably your battery life...the alarm is one of the first things to go! 2-3 years and mine is now only a use as needed watch. Too rough a shape to let out in general public...only for mountain duty only now...skiing, hiking, hunting, biking, etc. bezel ring has worn down to base color and letters gone, freely spins, chunk out of base, face scratched pretty good. Been thru three watch bands, before reinstalling original (w/super glue). Some would say time for new watch, but...the dang thing still works great! Sure you can get more expensive watches that last, but for the price, this thing as stood it's ground.

Lots of features, pretty small package. Requires a lot of calibrating, but Im told they all do. The barameter/weather function worked, and has predicted weather conditions accuratley. The altimeter is so-so. Its more accurate the lower you are, meaning the higher up you go, the greater the varience it has -- at 6500 was about 100 feet off, at 9600 was 150 feet off.

There have been several comments about a lack of durability and I have not experienced any of this. Like all barometer watches, it does take constant calibration to remain accurate, but this is to be expected. I am totally satisfied with the performance and craftsmanship, and it has help up excellently for all my adventures.

First off, it's not a bad size. It's a bit thick, maybe twice as thick as a featureless watch or 1.5x as thick as a fancy non-altimeter watch. And it looks pretty slick. But it does have some design flaws. It requires endless calibration to keep the compass, altimeter, barometer, and weather functions working. The dial on the face does feel a flimsy. The instructions warn that using the light (even though it's so dim) will drain the battery very quickly, yet you have to hold the light on for many seconds any time you want to calibrate any of the above, or even just to clear the stopwatch. I also think it could really use a timer, but that's just me.

I've owned this watch for about two years. It still performs as well as day one, despite being banged around and well-used. It is very comfortable & light. The barometer and altimeter are my favorite features. I've calibrated the altimeter at the base of the ski lift so I know I'm not below it when skiing out of bounds in an unknown area. The thermometer is very accurate only when the watch is off your wrist, but so what. Just because you can tell the temperature to the exact degree won't make or break your day. The barometer is fun & potentially useful if you're in the backcountry and the pressure drops like crazy. Like I said, the watch has taken some abuse (scratches are evident), but it's my go-to everyday watch due to its comfort, abundant features and reliability.

got this for a Christmas gift so haven't used it a ton yet. What I have used so far has been very impressive. Features are easy to find and pretty easy to use. Temperature is pretty accurate as long as its off your wrist, otherwise seems to be about 85 degrees all the time. My only real complaint is that the barometer only reads in mbar and my other devices all read in inHg. Guess I'll just need to get calibrated although the trend graph is really the most useful part of any baro function on a watch in my opinion anyway. Seems like a great unit so far.

Love the multi-purpose watch - it does everything I wanted it to - paid about 50 dollars more for my last watch but that one didn't have the compass and this works just great - now, I'll never get lost.

For the insane price I got it for on steep and cheap, I cannot complain. It did great in a recent trip to the Grand Canyon. The barometer/altimeter needs calibrated regularly to stay accurate but seems to work pretty well. Weather Trend feature seems to work ok. My experience with the digital compass is mixed, seems to act a little sporratic, could be the calibration needs done again. Keep it away from ferrous objects when using it just like any compass. The thermometer is a nice feature to have in the Canyon. I hag the watch from a strap on my pack to get accurate temp readings and easy access to an altimeter. Highly recommend it.

This is a great watch, the altimeter is really accurate. It's also taken quite a few hard when I've been bushwacking and it's very sturdy. I also like that it isn't really massive like a lot of other technical watches out there. A good watch at a great price!

Watch was a little different than what I am used to. It was easy to set up and use. Fairly acurate on everything but temp.. It is too close to your body for that. With in a week the weather trending was spot on. I could bet folks on the next 12 hours of weather. All in all satisfied with it's performance.

The HighGear AXIS watch is a true winner. It is cheaply priced compared to watches with equal features but its low price does not reflect its quality. I work for the Forest Service and my watch takes a beating every day “very hot conditions and very fine dust, not to mention impacts”. With daily calibration the altimeter is within a 100 feet of actual altitude. The watch is a fair amount smaller then its brother the SUMMIT model, but it still has a large, easy to read face. Its thermometer is relatively accurate on the wrist, more so then I thought or heard. HighGear claims that it is the smallest watch with its features and from what I have seen from the other brands…it is. The barometer is a nice feature that seems to predict weather change fairly reliably. The digital compass can be a life saver. If you always wanted a watch with Altimeter, barometer, and thermometer, at a reasonable price…then the Axis cannot be beaten. Those who want the smallest multi sensor watch should take a peek at this one. I don’t believe you will be disappointed with this watch.
NOTE** The Summit model Is truly BIG!

Once I received this watch I realized it wasn't for me. Maybe I am a little old school (emphasis on old). Way too much calibration, and buttons to be useful to me. It would probably be useful if I were going to be using the various functions on a regular basis, but I think I would have to retrain myself each time I went on a hike to use it. I would rather spend the money on a medium priced GPS and keep my compass as a backup.

This watch has some really great features, such as air temp, compass, altimeter, etc... It shows you clouds when air pressure is dropping and a sunshine when air pressure is rising. It can even show you a profile of your elevation gain and decent (which was my favorite feature). Maybe it was just a string of bad luck or maybe I was too hard on it, but my first Axis' backlight quit working and my second Axis' alarm quit working (two very important features for what I was doing at the time). I finally made the switch to a different brand (which feature-wise I like less but has been tickin' away for the last couple of years). Anyway, if you're considering this watch you might read other reviews of Highgear's watches. If you purchase the Axis, calibrate before every adventure and remember to take it off for a few minutes to get an accurate temp reading.

This is the second Axis watch I’ve owned. I would highly recommend them. They are not stupidly big like many other watches of this type, the displays are easy to read and use. My only criticism is that the alarm is not nearly loud enough. My $5 Walmart watch just about projects me out of the tent in the morning, so I don't understand why they can't make a loud alarm.

For the most part I would have liked this watch but I am very particular about how sensitive the temp. is. Since it's a wrist watch, you wouldn't think the temp. would vary much. Running with it and have that going on, not accurate enough for me. The compass was a bear to calibrate and frankly, I couldn't trust the reading.
After thinking about it, I decided to get an altimeter that can hang off my backpack. Much less expensive decision than a wrist watch altimeter.

How can Í adjust the barometer?

I bought the Axis because it came highly recommended. At first it performed like I expected. It was easy to use and very accurate. But not two months had gone by when the ring on the face of the watch came loose. The watch was not made to last.