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View
the Suunto n6HR photo gallery.

If you’re interested in this watch, I can make the decision really easy for you.
As always, I’ll go into all kinds of detail below, but for the majority of you,
this first paragraph will be all you need. Here it goes: If you’re an athlete who
wants to optimize his or her workouts by monitoring your heart rate, and you’re
a geek who wants to be constantly connected via MSN Direct, then
buy this watch. Don’t hesitate. There are no other watches
out there with this combination of functionality, so don’t even bother looking.
However if this does not describe you, then don’t buy this watch. If you’re an
athlete without the geek part, check out the Suunto
t6 or the Nike
Triax. If you’re a geek without
the athlete part, then check out the Suunto
n3i, Swatch
Paparazzi, or the Tissot
High-T. That’s really all you need know. But if you came here determined to
find more information on the Suunto n6HR, then read on.

Features of the Suunto n6HR

• MSN Direct. One of the two most notable features of the Suunto
  n6HR is its support for MSN Direct. I’m not going to get into details about
  the MSN Direct service in this review since I’ve covered it in depth in previous
  articles (for my most thorough description of the service, see my
  review of the Swatch Paparazzi),
  but I will say that in general, Suunto’s makes an excellent line of MSN Direct
  watches, and the n6HR is no exception.
• Heart rate monitor. The other most notable
  feature is that the Suunto n6HR is the first and only watch to combine
  MSN Direct services with a heart rate monitor. The monitor fastens around your
  chest, transmitting heart rate data wirelessly to the watch where it is displayed
  in real-time and recorded for later download to your PC. The Suunto n6HR comes
  with desktop software called Training Manager which allows you to download your
  training logs via USB, view and organize your workout information, and create
  training schedules and calendars. Integrating your Suunto n6HR with your PC even
  lets you share your training plans with others via the SuuntoSports.com website.
  (Note that the Training Managers requires any version of Windows XP, or Windows
  2000 Server or Professional. For Outlook integration, you’ll need Outlook
  2000, 2002, or XP. Mac users, you’re SOL.)
• Multiple Watch Faces. As with all MSN Direct watches, you can
  choose from one of several different watch faces. In the case of the Suunto
  n6HR, one of six, with the ability to add two more for a total of eight.
  Many of the n6HR’s watch faces have "sub modes" which allow you
  to monitor your heart rate directly from the time channel. Nice touch.
• Chronograph. The Suunto
  n6HR has a chronograph that not only stores up to 50 lap times, but
  also makes them all very easy to scroll through and access.
• Multiple timers. The Suunto n6HR has
  an interesting way of combining timers with the chronograph in a way I have
  never seen before. While in chronograph mode, you can select from one of three
  different timers — timer-stop, timer-chrono, and timer-repeat — that work in
  conjunction with the chronograph. Timer-stop allows you to set an interval that
  simply elapses, sounds an alarm, and stops. Timer-chrono counts down, sounds
  an alarm, then automatically starts the timer (useful for counting down to
  the beginning of a race). Timer-repeat allows you to configure a number of different
  intervals that elapse one after another (sounding an alarm in between), then
  stops the chronograph once they have all elapsed (useful for setting
  up intervals to help you keep pace during a race). Combining three different
  types of timers with a chronograph, and making them all easy to operate and configure,
  is clearly a user interface challenge, but I found the features very easy to
  use and understand after only a cursory glance through the instructions.
• Logbook. Every time you use the chronograph, the data gets
  recorded in a logbook on the watch. The Suunto n6HR stores 20 logs, then starts
  deleting the oldest logs first. The following information is recorded:
  • Total time and number
    of laps.
  • Average, highest, and lowest heart rate values.
  • Heart rate within the set limits.
  • Heart rate below the low limit.
  • Heart rate above the high limit.
  • Log time graph.

• Three daily alarms. I would rather have one programmable alarm
  (an alarm that allows you to set the date in addition to just the time) than
  three daily alarms, but Suunto chose to go the route of the daily alarms instead.
  Fair enough. Curiously, this is one area where many of the MSN Direct watches
  seem to differ. The Paparazzi, for instance, has two programmable alarms while
  the Abacus and Fossil Wrist NET watches have two daily alarms. Go figure. The
  most important aspect of an alarm is the volume of the tone, however, which is
  nice and loud with the n6HR — something Suunto has improved since their SPOT
  watch debut.
• Navigation menu. This is a nice touch specific to the Suunto.
  When navigating through the time channel, the n6HR gives you a nice little menu
  system to help you keep your place. The other MSN Direct watches I’ve reviewed
  make it much more difficult to distinguish between channels and a channel’s
  submenu for first-time users. I think Suunto’s interface is more intuitive than
  your average MSN Direct watch.
• Water resistant. It’s good to 100 meters, or 330 feet.
  In other words, swim and splash all you want, but don’t dive.
• Price. About $399.

Putting the Suunto n6HR Through Its Paces

The first thing I noticed about the Suunto n6HR was probably its weight. MSN Direct
watches are not small, but the n6HR manages to be fairly light weight and sturdy
at the same time. The case and the bracelet are a combination of metal and plastic
which at first I thought looked a little funky, but I got used to it very quickly.
The clasp is metal, sturdy, and inconspicuous as it masquerades as just another
link in the bracelet. I was able to easily remove four links from the bracelet
myself, so if you buy one of these online, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting
it sized at any reputable watch dealer.

The buttons on the n6HR are very nice. They are metal, perfectly sized, and provide
good feedback. The Fossil and Abacus
Wrist Net watches both suffer from substandard buttons where the Swatch
Paparazzi and Suunto n6HR have an unexpectedly nice set of pushers. It’s especially
important that the n6HR have crisp and precise buttons because of its many timing
functions.

The backlight on the Suunto n6HR is nice and even, but I don’t like the
fact that you have to hold it down for about three seconds to activate it. It’s
done that way to free up the short press for timing functions, which is fair enough.
You certainly couldn’t ask someone to hold down a button for two or three seconds
to start or stop a timer. Whether this bothers you or not will have a lot to do
with what you primarily use the watch for. If you use it for training, you will
appreciate the additional timer control. If you don’t use the watch for timing,
it might annoy you to have to hold the button down in order to see the watch face
at night. You can definitely tell that Suunto ran out of buttons when designing
the user interface for this watch since holding down the backlight button in chronograph
mode starts the chronograph or records a lap time if the chronograph is already
running, and turns on the backlight two seconds later which means if you just want
to see the chronograph in the dark, you are out of luck because turning on the
backlight will actually operate the chronograph, as well. This is a minor point,
though, since I’m guessing not a lot of athletes train in the dark.

I like the charger that comes with the n6HR. It clips onto the side of the watch,
and charges the internal battery through a set of four recessed contacts. The charger
is compact and easily portable, but sturdy with a nice long cord. The Swatch Paparazzi
charger is compact, as well, but it’s slightly harder to get properly seated, and
the cord is way too short. The Fossil/Abacus chargers are very cool (more like
docking stations) but are too big for anyone who plans to take their MSN Direct
watch on the road. Of all the MSN Direct watches I’ve reviewed so far, I clearly
like the Suunto charger best.

The only real complaint I have with the n6HR is the screen. A great deal of it
is unused. Since
the face is round, and the LCD inside the face is square, the areas surrounding
the LCD are completely unused, and cumulatively account for probably a third of
the size of the watch face. The screen could stand to have a little more contrast,
as well. As you can see from the photo
gallery, the Swatch Paparazzi is actually more readable than the n6HR.

But again, this watch is for one type of person, and one type of person only:
athletic geeks. If you want both training features, and the MSN Direct service in
a single device, get the watch. Don’t worry about the size, the screen, or even
the price. It’s very unusual to find one watch that has all the features you want,
so if this is the one watch that does it for you, consider yourself lucky and snatch
one up.

Additional Resources

• The Suunto n6HR photo gallery.
• The
  Suunto n6HR product page.
• MSN Direct home page.
• SpotStop
  review of the Suunto n6HR.
• Wrist
  Watch Review’s review of the Suunto n6HR.
• CNET’s
  review of the Suunto n6HR.
• Review of
  the Swatch Paparazzi (and MSN Direct service).
• Review of
  the Abacus Wrist Net.
• Review of
  the Fossil Wrist Net.