Next up in our traversals of the most recent additions to the Armitron catalog, we’re heading into the world of digital. Specifically, those that the brand identifies as part of their Adventure lineup. When I was going through, one that looked particularly fitting to the outdoors caught my eye. Given the specced case size, I figured might as well go for the most boldly colored one, right? Let’s see what the Armitron Adventure AD/1011YLW has in store.
First things first. I find it a bit odd that Armitron does not give model names to their various watches. They’ll have the collections named, but for specific models, they rely on the numerical designations. In the high end collector world, numerals can mean a great deal. On these inexpensive quartz ones? Eh, not so much. Any which way, for the duration of this review, I’ll just refer to the watch as the Armitron Adventure.
When I first got ahold of the Armitron Adventure, I was quite ready to classify it as an A-B-C (altimeter-barometer-compass) watch, but, as it turns out, it’s “only” an A-B watch. There’s no compass functionality to be had here. That said, you do get the barometer and altimeter, and both of those will get you the air temperature. Just be sure to take it off before trying to get that temp, as your skin will throw it off. This is common across any watch-mounted thermometer, though. Along with that, you do get some more functions: alarm, stopwatch, chronograph, world time, day/date, and a backlight. AKA, just about everything you’d expect from a digital watch, along with the altimeter and barometer functions added on.
So, what is a watch like the Armitron Adventure intended for? This is for your outdoor enthusiast, really. Want to know how cold it is when you wake up in your tent? This watch can tell you. Want to get a read on what the weather may be like when you don’t have cell reception? This watch can tell you. How far up that cliff you hiked? Again, you can get that info. It would also work for anything else you’d do outside, timing a bike ride, say. May not want to swim with it, as it only has a 50m WR rating. That’s what the holes for the sensors result in, though.
As it’s on a fairly plasticky resin band, the Armitron Adventure will be ready for all of that. And, with a 54mm case, you certainly won’t have any problem reading the three lines of text that cover up on the dial. Given the size of the watch, I’m sure some may not want the bright yellow band (another bonus with that? Easy to find outside if you drop it). For those, there is a darker option, which gets a black band and pushers.
I wore the Armitron Adventure around a bit, and as you would imagine, that bigger case size is not unnoticeable. Not because of the weight, as the watch is fairly light, but in terms of it’s overall size. There’s no disputing that it’s a large case, and the stiffer strap can get caught on a cuff if it’s not fit properly to your wrist and the keeper isn’t doing it’s job. At the end, this is really a very casual watch, and if you’re not headed into the outdoors, it’s strictly a weekend warrior sort of a piece.
So, why might you opt for the Armitron Adventure over similar sorts of watches, specifically those that bring the compass along into the A-B-C equation? If I had to guess, it would be a matter of price consciousness. In this case, the Armitron Adventure comes in at $95, which is certainly affordable. The real question here is what are you looking for? If you want a basic digital with the timer, chronograph, and the like – but don’t care about the weather or altimeter sensors – then this is overkill. On the other hand, if you’re serious about your outdoor activities, the lack of a compass may put you off. So, yeah – the Armitron Adventure is in sort of a weird space in that regard. However, if you like big and bright watches, and aren’t a G-Shock fan for whatever reason, perhaps this one calls to you.
Do let us know what you think about the Armitron Adventure – either below, in our Slack channel, or even via email or what your favorite outdoors watches may be. For me, I think I’ll be happy to put this watch back into it’s packaging, and move on to (spoiler alert!) looking at the dressier options that also came in from the brand. armitron.com
Review Summary
- Brand & Model: Armitron Adventure AD/1011YLW
- Price: $95
- Who’s it for? You like the outdoors, you like inexpensive, and you have a great internal compass
- Would I wear it? Eh, no. Simply too big, and overkill for my day-to-day.
- What I’d change: Get a compass involved and shrink the case. Or, if case size stays the same, work some heart rate and step counting monitors in there.
- The best thing about it: No problem reading the dial, no matter what function you’re using.
