TEST: Freediving/spearfishing watch Immersion Chelenger

About a year ago I began a serious search for a computer for freediving and spearfishing.
Unfortunately it did not have unlimited funds so I could not afford the most popular freediving computer Suunto D4.
Walking from the shop to shop i've found a watch Immersion Challenger.
It drew my attention by their appearance... normal, elegant watch, maybe a little bit bigger than normal,
all stainless steel with polyurethane protective inserts. The price was "only" 350€ but after haggling
I managed to descend to 275€.


Parameters:

Immersion Chalenger is an Italian watch, with a Swiss made analog pointer mechanism,
Swiss depthmeter and the thermometer MS 5534, and an electronic watch on the background.
Both "watches" are working in separate modes, so when the battery runs out in our digital watch the analog pointer watch is still
working. Around the watch's face You can find a unidirectional rotating wheel (made of steel) that can show us
the diving time in case of battery discharge. Polyurethane strap is quite long (but could be longer) and thick/durable.
Using the watch with 7mm suit is quite unforcomtable if you have big wrist.
Shorter strap has a 9 cm from attachement to buckle and longer has 12 cm from attachement to the last hole.
A strap is equipped with a stopper that prevent easy detaching watch (it is qiute hard to take our watch of).
The dimensions of the watch is 5cm x 5cm x 2 cm and the whole is solid. Immersion Company has about twenty
experience in the manufacture of diving watches and military purposes watches so this watch should be good for us. :)

Setting the analog watch by the screw-tap is very simple. Unscrew the tap on the right side of the watch face and then bounce lightly and wind up the clock to the left.
When wi pull the tap away from the watch face, we stop watch time and we can set the hours and minutes.
After the entire procedure, press the tap and screw it back in the previous position. A screw-tap seal our watch.


Digital watch has following modes:
- Watch with two times and the possibility of a hour alarm (the temperature is displayed at each of the modes)
- 3 time alarms (alarm)
- Countdown timer in three modes
a) counting down and stop (CD-ST) count the time down from the back and then stops and gives a sound signal
b) counting down and stopwatch (CD-UP) count the time down from the back and after reaching 0 turns the alarm and start stopwatch
c) re-counting down (CD-RE) count the time down from the back, after reaching 0 once it starts counting again
- Stopwatch
- Diving logbook with following parameters of the 50 dives:
a) maximum depth
b) min. temperature
c) the dive time
d) Surface time
e) the number of dive
- Computer diving with scuba and free mode (turns on automatically when the 1.5 m depth is exceeded)
a) shows scuba mode parameters such as dive time, the current measured depth (measured in meters or feet), minimum temperature (measured in degrees C or F), depth max.,
an arrow showing descending or ascening, the surface time

b) freediving mode shows the parameters such as dive time, the current measured depth (measured in meters or feet), minimum temperature (measured in degrees C or F), depth max.,
an arrow showing descending or ascening, the surface time, ascent alarm (I have never hear it...)

The watch has a backlight starting by pressing the button and automatic backlight starting by shaking the wrist if we are below 1,5 m
(Can be turned off to save battery power).
The watch also has a battery saving mode by disabling the electronic watch (You have to hold the light button by 5 sec.).


Summary:

Pros +
- A nice and elegant
- Battery saving mode
- Stands high pressure (200 meters)
- Strap stopper
- Rugged strap
- Easy accessibility to functions with large metal buttons
- Rotating ring around the watch face
- Made of 316L Marine grade Stainless Steel)
- Separate times of digital and analog watch


Cons "-"
- Too short strap and no extensions
- Illegible dive mode
- Glass is tough but at the level of housing - easy to scratch it
- No dive alarms (useful when freediving)
- When i wear it a thermometer shows the body temperature (the body heat the watch and the termometer shows this temperature)