Nixon Mission Review A Hardcore Android Wear Watch for Surf and Snow

In 2014, the first Android Wear watches rolled out as unrepentant nerd ware. Since then, mainstream fashion lifestyle brands have embraced Android’s smartwatch platform. Today we have much more fashionable options from TAG Heuer, Fossil, and Kors. And then there’s the Nixon Mission, a ruggedized $400 Android Wear watch designed specifically for snow water sports. Dude. This watch is actually pretty cool. I neither shred nor surf, so I couldn’t get any immediate use from Nixon’s custom software. Which provides data on surf and snow conditions. Suppose you’re looking for a review of the Mission’s action-sports experience. In that case, you should check out reviews written by surfers and boarders. But I have tons of smartwatch experience. I like what the Nixon Mission brings to Android Wear’s table. The 48mm case may be massive, but at 3.7 ounces. The Mission actually weighs less than the more fancy-clad Kors Access, which hit 4 ounces on our postal scale. The Mission will dominate skinny wrists, but it’s remarkably comfortable for its size.

nixon mission unit face — The Unit watch face shows just the basics, along with the current temperature. Whatever the hell animation is going on in the lower left.

Design Comfort

Nixon eschewed an all-metal design and opted for a shockproof polycarbonate case topped by a surgical-grade stainless steel bezel. The result is a sporty, purposeful look that pairs well with Nixon’s custom watch faces. The silicone band is quite comfy. You can choose from 24 different color options. Our review specimen came with a brushed stainless steel bezel. Still, when you order the watch, you can choose from 12 different bezel looks, five brushed steel options, and seven matte cerakote options. The bezel is held down by four easily removed alumn-head screws. Still, there’s no reason to disassemble the watch, as Nixon isn’t selling the bezels as standalone items for customization.

Nonetheless, I removed the bezel to test its durability; the sucker is strong or at least resistant to torque. The bezel didn’t bend when I tried to give it a purposeful twist. But it did suffer some nicks when I whopped it with a metal ruler. Worried about durability? The crystal is made of Gorilla Glass and recessed a bit beneath the bezel. This should give the screen extra protection if you slam the Mission against a river rock.

nixon mission bezel removed 2 — The stainless steel bezel is locked down by four allen head screws, with a gasket swiched against the crystal.

The Water Resistant MicLock

Most smartwatches offer some degree of water resistance. For instance, if your watch is good for 5 ATMs, it can survive splashes of water in the shower. But Nixon wanted a look that could survive wipeouts and turtle rolls. Enter Nixon’s MicLock mechanism helps the Mission achieve a 10 ATM rating. Theoretically, the watch can survive submersion under 330 feet of water.

nixon mission miclock — A close-up of the microphone locking mechanism that helps the Mission achieve 10 ATM water-resistance. When you see the flash of red in the mic port, you know the lock is open.
As the name implies, the MicLock covers the watch’s microphone port. The one point of entry where water can penetrate the case. You know the MicLock is open when you see a flash of red in the microphone port.
To lock the watch down tight, you slide a little metal band off a tiny metal lever. Lift the lever, shut the door over the microphone port, and re-fasten the bar on the lever. The parts are small, you better have some fingernails handy. But it’s all pretty simple once you do it once or twice.

mission nixon in water — Thanks to Nixon’s MicLock, the Mission is water-resistant to 10 ATM. That means it can withstand the pressure of being about 330 feet underwater.

I can’t promise that the Mission can withstand a full day of surfing. But I submerged it in water for 15 minutes. It was none the worse for wear. The MicLock is undoubtedly an exciting innovation that should appeal to Nixon’s target customer. I love seeing Android Wear watches branch out into niche categories. The Mission was less responsive to voice commands than other Wear watches. I don’t know if the MicLock or some other factor is to blame. But the issue was big enough to warrant mentioning here.

Custom Watch Faces for Surf or Snow

Besides the usual assortment of Android Wear watch faces, the Mission has six custom faces. It’s a relatively small assortment. But if you’re interested in snow or water sports or need to make a statement. The Nixon dials maybe that’s what you’re looking for.

Let’s start with Nixon’s Unit face, which is the watch’s most aggressive design. Vaguely reminiscent of the head-up display in Predator. It shows your day date; hours, minutes, seconds; your local temperature. An inexplicable animation in the lower left of the dial. You can choose between deep red graphics, a color that looks similar to what my favorite car manufacturer calls krypton green. It’s not the watch face you wear to the symphony, but that’s not Nixon’s scene if you dig.

nixon mission unit face green — The green-themed Unit face certainly has a look.

Suppose you’re looking for something more traditional. You can opt for The Mission face, illustrated in my bezel dissection shot above. With this face, you can customize the colors of your background, hands, and digits. And define the data displayed by three subdials. I’ve chosen battery status, steps, and local weather. Still, other subdial options. Include the date, next calendar event, distance walked, calories burned, world time, a clock, and surf height. Or snow levels at predefined locales.
To reiterate, I don’t do action sports. But I know a few surfers; I think at-a-glance wave reports would be very useful in helping them decide. When to suddenly fall ill and call in sick.

nixon mission surf report close up — The Mission Pro watch face up close. You can define multiple surfing spots in your area, then swipe through locations to see what’s happening where.

Choose the Mission Pro watch face if you’re serious about action sports. Which is barely even a watch face at all. As you can see from the image above, the current time is totally de-emphasized. Instead, the watch face hooks into the Surfline platform to deliver detailed data on local surfing spots, including current temperature and cloud conditions, wave height; wind direction speed; tidal information. Scroll down further on the watch face, and you can see data for tomorrow.

Suppose your interests are more geared toward snowboarding or skiing. In that case, you can set the watch for snow reports powered by the Snocountry platform. You’ll get data on the current temperature, cloud cover, wind direction speed. New snowfall in inches; projected snowfall in inches; details on base depth, open trails, and open lifts.

nixon mission trace snow app — The Trace app pairs with an external physical sensor that you affix to your snow or surf board. From there, you can record a bunch of data from your sessions.

And finally, the Mission hooks into Trace, a sensor-driven platform for measuring performance in action sports. Trace Snow, for example, can track session time, calories burned, altitude, maximum speed total distance.

Display and Battery Capacity

Aside from its aggressive look and action-sports leanings, the Mission is a modern Android Wear watch. It advances the Wear story in some areas but falls slightly in others.
The 1.4-inch, 400×400 AMOLED display looks quite sharp. It needs to be more brightly to be legible on clear, sunny days. The Mission has an ambient light sensor. But it doesn’t matter if you set the watch to auto-brightness or its maximum setting. It still can’t cut through direct sunlight. To this extent, I’d rather have a Wear watch with a transflective display.

nixon mission charger — The Mission’s charger attaches with a relatively strong magnet, and has a durable braided cord.

On the flip side, battery performance was impressive relative to other Android Wear watches tested. I never finished a full day of frequent, punishing use with less than 30 percent battery capacity. I often made it through a day and a half without a recharge. The Mission comes with a 400 mAh battery. Still, the watch also benefits from the Qualcomm Wear 2100 processor, a chip designed to consume less power. I also really liked the watch’s charging adapter. It snaps to the Mission with a strong magnet; its braided cable feels like it’s ready to suffer some abuse. 512MB of RAM? Check. 4GB of storage for apps and music? Check. The Mission also has a built-in GPS, an essential sensor for various workout apps.

Bottom line: The Mission is a beautiful Android Wear device. It even has some really nice features. But I doubt any mainstream Android enthusiasts. Yes, an oxymoron will be buying the Mission unless they like the Nixon aesthetic. But surfers and snowboarders who’ve already joined Android? I can see them digging the Mission, getting real value from it.