Air’n Outdoor: a mountain watch designed in Geneva

Air’n Outdoor is a Geneva-based brand. We design THEIA II, an outdoor GPS watch for high-altitude navigation, in Geneva, Switzerland. The founders practise mountain and water sports, and the watches are designed for the same use: hiking, mountaineering, ski touring, trekking and sailing, and the days in town in between. Today the business is run from Geneva by Montres Boral SA.

Since 2022, the guides of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix Mont-Blanc and ENSA have worn and tested it in the Alps, in snow and cold, and our athletes have taken it to sea.

THEIA II

Mountaineer in a blue jacket checking a watch on his wrist

Two mountaineers on snow, one handing a watch to the other

Why we design for the mountains

In the mountains, one thing counts more than a list of features: that the watch still does its job at the end of a long day, in snow, wind and cold, with little chance of a phone signal. That is what we design for, and the place we test it.

A watch for the mountains needs a few tools that work on the watch alone: maps, a GPS track, a way back, altitude, air pressure and a heading. It has to be read in bright sun and on snow, and take knocks on rock. A fast drop in air pressure is often the first sign of a storm. The barometer function gives you that information early, so you have time to decide whether to stay or turn back. THEIA II has all of them:

Offline maps stored in 4 GB of memory, and routes you plan and save in the AIRN CONNECT app, then send to the watch so you stay on route
Dual-band GPS and multi-band GNSS for an accurate track in valleys and forest
Return to start: hold the bottom button for 4 seconds to find your way back along your track
Barometric altimeter, barometer with storm warning, and compass
SOS through your paired phone
1.43-inch AMOLED screen at 1,000 nits, readable on snow, W-Glass you replace yourself, 10 ATM
58 g, to save weight on long days, and 20 days of battery in normal use

The full specifications, the three finishes and the price are on the THEIA II page.

What to look for in a watch for the mountains

A watch for the mountains is a GPS watch built for high-altitude navigation and bad weather. Whichever brand you choose, check these points:

Water resistance:10 ATM or more, for rain, snow and river crossings. THEIA II is rated 10 ATM.
Navigation:offline topographic maps, a recorded track you can follow back, and routes you load before you leave.
Sensors:a barometric altimeter for elevation, a barometer for weather changes, and a compass that works when you stand still, also without visible landmarks.
Accuracy:multi-band GPS keeps the track accurate in steep terrain and dense forest.
Display:a bright, high-contrast screen you can read on snow and in full sun.
Glass and case:sapphire crystal resists scratches best; a replaceable glass, as on THEIA II, is the other approach.
Battery:solar charging and battery-saving modes extend battery life on multi-day trips. THEIA II has neither; it is built for long days and daily wear.
Safety:SOS alerts and a way back to your start point.

THEIA II on a wrist holding a windsurf boom

THEIA II in the field: facts from the user manual

These are the figures and steps from the THEIA II user manual, so you know what to expect on your first day out:

GPS fix:: about 30 seconds under open sky. Cloud, rain or cliffs can take several minutes. You can start an activity before the signal is found; recording begins as soon as it is.
Satellite data:: the app downloads satellite data (AGPS) that stays valid for 3 to 4 days. Sync it about twice a week for a faster fix.
Maps:: 4 GB of memory, with Switzerland, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and north-west and north-east Italy preloaded. You add other regions from your computer with the Air’n software for Mac or Windows.
Return to start:: hold the bottom button for 4 seconds. If the GPS signal was lost on the way, the track between the two points is a straight line, so the way back follows it less closely.
SOS:: hold the bottom button for 10 seconds. After 5 seconds the watch asks your phone to call your saved contact; the top button cancels. On iPhone, Apple asks you to confirm the call.
Altimeter:: set it at a known altitude. Air pressure changes over 24 hours, so check it often on multi-day trips. An elevation mode counts your climb without GPS, to save battery.
Storm alert:: on or off, with the pressure drop per hour that triggers it set by you, in hectopascals.
Battery:: about 2 hours to charge, with a rated life of 500 charge cycles.
Care:: like your technical clothing, clean it with soapy water and a soft cloth, and rinse it in fresh water after the sea.
Warranty:: 2 years on the watch from activation, 2 years on accessories, 180 days on straps.

The full user manual is on airn.ch.

Tested with the guides of Chamonix and ENSA

In 2022, Air’n Outdoor signed a partnership with the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix Mont-Blanc and with ENSA, the national school of skiing and mountaineering in Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe. The guides use THEIA II on their routes and report on its performance in the cold, against knocks and for navigation. ENSA checks the accuracy of its measurement and positioning tools.

Field tests are how we prove each part of the watch before you rely on it. We share the results on airn.ch. Switzerland is a country of mountains and lakes, and that is where much of the testing takes place, from the high Alps to Lake Geneva.

Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix Mont-Blanc
ENSA

Field tests published on airn.ch:

Under the Mer de Glace near Chamonix, with Olivier Greber, president of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix: the team reports that the GPS signal still allowed navigation about 15 m below the ice.
Climbing in the Calanques of Marseille with the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, including the Pas Rébuffat on the Grande Candelle: impact tests on rock.
Ski tours above the village of Ovronnaz in Valais, up to about 2,700 m: altitude and GPS data.
At sea off the Levant Islands, on a sailboat with Navionics charts, and windfoiling in Geneva harbour: GPS tracks.

Testing runs through every season: ski touring and snow in winter, climbing, hiking and sailing in summer. What the testers report goes back to our developers and into the software updates you receive through the app. One of the things they check: whether the screen stays readable on snow and in full sun, and whether the case shows the first sign of wear after days on rock and ice.

Two mountaineers on snow looking at a watch

Calanque inlet seen from a climbing route

In winter: snow, cold and gloves

Most of our testing time is spent in snow. Ski tours in fresh snow and spring snow, couloirs, glaciers under snow: that is where the Chamonix guides wear THEIA II in winter, and where a screen has to stay readable against white snow and low winter sun.

What we learned from the snow season:

Cold shortens battery life in every lithium-ion battery. Wear the watch under your clothing layers, close to the warmth of your wrist, and it keeps more charge.
Snow and spray can operate a touchscreen. During GPS tracking, THEIA II locks its screen; the bottom button unlocks it.
Your watch is part of your mountain kit, with your clothing and footwear. Load the maps, check the charge and test the route at home the evening before. At the trailhead, with cold hands, there is less chance you will get it right.

Gloved hand wearing THEIA II on a ski tour

The people who test THEIA II

Our rope team of guides and athletes wears THEIA II in the Alps and at sea:

Jeff Mercier
Jean Annequin
Symon Welfringer
Xavi Llongueras
Fabien Dupuis
Emmanuel Daigle
Sophie Lavaud
Giovanni Cucchietti

Our story

Before THEIA II, Air’n made the Granita, the Theia and the Theia Exclusive. THEIA II is the latest model in that line.

Today THEIA II is sold on airn.ch and in the stores of Au Vieux Campeur, the French outdoor retailer, next to its gear, clothing and footwear collections. The site and the app are available in English, French, German and Italian, and the watch itself offers 10 languages.

Last updated: 14 October 2026. This page is also available in French, German and Italian; the English version is the one you are reading.

Hiker looking at the watch on her wrist in the mountains

Designed in Geneva

THEIA II is designed in Geneva by Air’n Outdoor, a Geneva-based brand. The company behind it is Montres Boral SA, formerly WEADU SA, Rue Ferdinand Hodler 11, 1207 Geneva, Switzerland. Disputes about the watch fall under the law of the Canton of Geneva.

Design and technology Data and privacy

Questions about Air’n Outdoor

THEIA II info@airn.ch

Who designs THEIA II?

Air’n Outdoor, a Geneva-based brand. The company is Montres Boral SA in Geneva.

Who tests THEIA II?

The guides of the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix Mont-Blanc, ENSA, and the athletes named above, in the Alps and at sea, since 2022.

Where can I buy THEIA II?

On airn.ch, and in Au Vieux Campeur stores. Prices start at CHF 369.

Where is my data stored?

See Data and privacy.

How can I contact you?

By email at info@airn.ch, in English, French, German or Italian. Send us a question, a comment, or a route you want to share; we read every message, and we take the time to answer. For product information, specifications and prices, see the THEIA II page. The AIRN CONNECT app is on the App Store and Google Play, and the user manual explains each step in the app. You can also save your tracks and share them from the AIRN CONNECT app to Strava, so the people you climb with can see where you went, and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.