Watch for measuring vertical speed?

Not sure, but check out the watches labelled as being for skiers. Some of them may have rate of descent.

Cheers

Avocet Vertech.

http://www.avocet.com/vertechpages/vertech.htm

Ed

The Suunto is indeed pricey, but worth it. Mine is 3+ years old and has taken a ton of abuse with only a battery change along the way.

The vertical change readout is one of my favorite features, great for pacing when hiking out of the Grand Canyon (for instance). You can also wear it everyday without looking like a space robot.

Jon,
I am possibly getting the Suunto X6M, you should look into it. I've read many positive reviews online.

Suunto's the way to go.

I have one, but due to needing spare cash, I might be willing to part with my spare. I've got the Observer in stainless steel. It's a great watch, but I've quit using it due to nerve damage in my left arm. It's in like new condition, but the battery died while it was in storage this year. Let me know if you are interested and what you'd think is fair. It doesn't even have a scratch.

Hey Ed, that's been a long time since I've seen anybody mention the Avocet Vertech! It's very close to what I want, but it doesn't have an alarm, and the face is a little small for my aging eyes!

The X6M looks nice, but I think I'm leaning towards the Highgear Altis. I'm hesitant to spend too much. Every ABC watch/instrument I've ever had eventually developed fatal problems with use.