★★★★★ 4
used solely as start watch for yacht racing: interface is good (lacks sync feature). Great value
on foredeck of a sailboat, lines and sails love to snag on stuff, especially wrist watches. Have had three torn from my wrist in 18 months. Two went overboard. I even tried to purchase super-strong spring-bars (pins that secure the band), but it was torn off again.
PRO:
great (intuitive, quick) interface for setting the countdown starting time, and option to repeat or count up.
easy to read display
CON:
No sync feature: in countdown timer mode, would allow adjusting the running countdown to the nearest minute.
Delay in switching modes: had left it in time-of-day mode and heard a starting signal, immediately switched to Timer mode and pressed start button, but it did not start the timer. On switching modes, it takes nearly a second for Timer mode to be operational, so need to wait until display comes on before trying to use it.
Time-of-day is not visible in Timer Mode, if it was, previous issue would rarely occur.
No Power down feature: my previous watch had an option to shut off the LCD display (and any audible alarms). Since I only use the watch about 100 hours (1%) of the year, this greatly extended the battery life.
All that said, the dedicated sailing watches all cost two to ten times as much with the lower cost options having poor reviews on quality. For now, I'll buy these (Timex Ironman Essential 30) and just expect to loose one on average once a year.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2024
