Varasc, all of the watches mentioned above are very nice but would get trashed on one of your treks into the mountains. If I'm understanding you, your not just hiking your climbing. I have a suggestion and its a watch I have taken back country snowboarding and used on my sailboat racing. It gets slammed about all the time and takes it. I've had this one for almost eight years and it has taken some serious punishment...



This is an ABC watch (altimeter, barometer & compass) Made by Suunto called the Observer. Its not pretty but will have many of the functions your looking for, The pretty watches don't belong on the mountain anyway.

 

Thanks indeed Hijak. I think I'll follow your kind suggestion on a Suunto watch - I had one but its display frozen in 2006, together with part of my beard - I lost both of them.

 

Fascinating indeed, thanks for these beautiful pictures.

 

That sounds mighty cold to freeze an LCD Display...thankfully nothing important like fingers and toes were frozen and lost, beards can grow back!

 

Yes, I agree - it was badly cold and with wind on the right. Therefore I had both the watch (worn on the right arm, under the jacket of course) and a small part of my beard, completely frozen. Unfortunately I lost the hair follicles of about 1 square cm of my beard and I am still with that hole on the right side of the chin.

 

Hijak, this is a serious professional tool watch for mountaineering. Not handsome but will serve the job well.
What is your opinion on a more stylish and have similar functionality Tissot T Touch expert? Will it stand abuse and serve well in harsh mountain condition like your Suunto?

 

I have seen this watch but do not know enough about it to make any type of intelligent comments. I only mentioned the Suunto because of personal experience.

 

I will say this, at a price ranging from about $900 to $1100 US for the Tissot, it is considerably more expensive...the Suunto will do the same thing at just under $400 US.

 

I can second the Suunto for functions, and the Ambit 2 has gotten considerable press as the top GPS watch. On the other hand, a frozen Suunto is bound to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Back to the Omega question: note that the original Alaska Project watches proposed to NASA were modified for visibility (thus the white dial, black hands, etc.) and also the red "donut" for extreme temperature tolerances. Ultimately, NASA declined the watch on the basis that the regular Speedmaster was plenty enough resilient for Space temperatures (cold).

As for your already-had Speedmaster, then, it may do plenty of the work needed already. Though, still left is the issue of damage.

Which raises two questions put to the forum: (1) is the new tribute Alaska Project watch case any different from other Speedy cases (I think not), and (2) might our friend purchase from Omega/Ofrei/STS just the "donut", thereby both increasing his current Speedy's temperature tolerances tolerances to rediculous levels, and also shielding it from being beaten up?

If so, our friend might be able to wear his Speedy at the casino by day, and then slip on the "donut" for treks.

Also, friend, you could procure from folks on this forum an exact replica of the Velcro straps used by Astronaughts that allow the wearer to place the watch over your cold gear.

Talk about a watch with some street cred, and few bruises to show for it.

 

Or he could go the old sweat band over the watch trick

 

Thanks for your detailed suggestions. I also thought about a low-expense Omega, possibly a Seamaster as suggested before; something still precise and with a good movement, but not estetically perfect.
I still don't know how to solve the problem - I don't think any wrist band or cover would be able to protect the watch and its glass from a serious hit on rocks or with ice axes, as oftern happens when you're walking or on a wall.

Tomorrow I will go to the Gnifetti hut on the Monte Rosa and the day after I'll try to climb two or three 4000-meters high peaks and to take all the notes of the progression. Therefore I'd need a precise watch and the fact that I still haven't a reliable one hurts me a little. I am trapped between this exigence and the panic to expose a precious watch, as an Omega, to such an environment. Maybe an other Suunto would be better, and let's hope not to freeze it again as the previous one.

 

Good afternoon,

My passions for mountain and Omega collided once again and, although I know there are other more-mountainproof and mountain-designed choices, I would really like to wear an Omega up there.
Just speaking freely, how would you see a Planet Ocean in this way? Maybe a second wrist and solo tempo one, from 2007/2009. It's quite strange to wear a diver on glaciers, but I would have two reasons:

1. It happens to be wet-handed, with snow or water, quite frequently.
2. If even the Special Air Service adopted the PO, I am sure it would resist to cold and dust.

Besides all these considerations, it seems strong enough, surely stronger than my Speedmaster. May I ask your opinions?

Kind regards,


Marco

 

Totally agree, for snow situation I would go with PO rather than speedmaster.

 

Thanks Privateday. Would you be so kind to suggest me a basic model, please? I checked the web and noticed there are various types, widely ranging from 2000 Euro to more than 6000. My budget would tend to the lower of the two ends.


M.

 

Seiko sarb017 is a beauty and it has an internal bezel you can use as a compass. This is a genuine mountain watch in their alpinist range. Classy looking and not a million dollars.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...HOgcgP&tbm=isch&client=safari&ved=0CD8QhBwwAw

 

Why not a LIP Himalaya for 80 EUROS

 

Or a metal detector!

 

What would you think of this one? It's less expensive of the other shown online today...

http://www.chrono24.it/omega/planet...ails&urlSubpath=/omega/index.htm&watchTypes=U


Thank you once again,

Marco