Review of the Highgear Enduro Compass Watch

I really like the Enduro, but does have three issues worthy of note: Although the rubber strap is comfortable, it's quite difficult to get off. There's a bump on the end of the band which keeps the rubber loop in place which keeps the excess band length from flopping around. Unfortunately, the whole system seems to actually work a little too well, which makes removing the watch a bit of a wrestling match. The alarms could be louder. If you're running in solitude, you shouldn't have a problem. If you're wearing this watch during a crowded race, you might want to remember to glance down at it periodically since it might not be loud enough for you to hear over cheers, wind, and other running-related sounds. The battery life could be longer. If you only run occasionally, you might want to keep a spare battery around so that you won't be disappointed when you pull it out of your drawer one day and find the LCD blank.In general, I think the Highgear Enduro has proven to be a surprising competent sports watch for the price ($80 online). It's functional, nice-looking, and comfortable both for causal use and training. If you like most of what you've seen from the Enduro, but don't feel like this model is quite the right sports watch for you, take a look around Highgear's site at some of the other watches and instruments they sell. They seem to have a little something for every sports and watch enthusiast.Additional resources: Highgear's site. The Enduro's homepage. The Highgear Enduro photo gallery. Other sports and fitness watches. You can even hit the upper left-hand button while in chronograph mode to jump to the compass and get a quick 10-second bearing check. Three daily alarms. The Enduro has three daily alarms which are relative to whichever time zone is currently selected. None of the alarms allow you to specify the date. 20-workout memory. The Enduro allows you to store data for up to 20 workouts. You can store splits, best lap time, average lap time, and the total workout time. The data can only be viewed on the watch, and cannot be archived on a PC. Electroluminescent backlight. The Enduro's backlight is very bright, and illuminates the entire LCD uniformly. It also has an auto-backlight feature which means it can be configured to automatically illuminate for two seconds whenever any button is pushed. Watch your battery life, though (see below). One year battery. That's a pretty short battery life, but if it's any consolation, the Enduro takes a very common watch battery which can be purchased anywhere watch batteries are sold, and can easily be replaced with nothing but a coin to open the back. The Enduro also has a low power indicator to give you plenty of warning before it dies on you. Water-resistant to 50 meters, or about 160 feet. That covers rain and swimming.