I've had a Suunto X-Lander for the last 8 years. It's on its last leg so it was time to buy something new. I remember a bunch of friends buying the Pathfinder watches because they had a lot of the same features as the Suunto. And they were "big watches"... a trend among my friends. Big = Cool.

I started looking at a getting a Suunto and realized I wasn't ready to spend that much on a watch again despite having gotten enough miles out of it to consider it a good investment.

I also searched Pathfinders and found the fishing/hunting models as well as the 2-sensor compass watch for about the same prices... and at a minimum $260 cheaper.

So it was decision making time.. the compass or the moon-phase watch. both seemed like pretty cool features. I didn't use the compass on my Suunto too much after the novelty of it worn off. So I was already leaning toward the other one.

However... I neither hunt nor fish. But for the price I was able to overlook the fact that it was unlikely I would use this feature.

I bought it of course... the fishing one over the hunting one because it looked like the band on the hunting one was camo... which I didn't want.

I received it yesterday (in record time).
First impression... a lot smaller than i was expecting. Not a "big watch" by any stretch.

The features? I'm still reading the booklet... which is huge but only because it's got every language under the waning moon.

Everyone seems to rave about the vibrating alarm feature. It certainly wasn't a selling point for me.. I have a vibrating phone which is annoying enough. Plus I rarely use a watch alarm.

The wrist-turning light-on feature is cool. I noticed it last night in bed... and thought "isn't that groovy".

One of the reasons I went with this one was because it sounds like it has a scratch resistant face... which I'll put to the test since I beat on watches like some people beat on women that mouth off too much.
I bought a cheap Coleman watch from Target a week before and not only did the face scratch within hours of buying it (I think it was actually a spontaneous scratch) but the battery died in 3 days.

The nylon band is moderately comfortable, but I can see buying a new, Velcro sport band sooner or later.

BTW... if you want to know what the moon-phase will be on Tuesday 2008 Cinco de Mayo it'll be two phases from a full moon if I'm reading this thing right. The sun will also set at 7:25am and rise at 5:20am. Guess how I know that... buy the watch and find out. Assuming I'm reading it correctly.