Great Watches - Suunto Core

Suunto is known for making great watches. They are perhaps one of the most well known makers of sports watches today. They, of course, had to be included in our series of GREAT WATCHES. So how does the Suunto Core stack up? Beautifully.

The Core has the usual suspects when it comes to features; altimeter, barometer, thermometer, compass, chronograph, and more.

In our test the barometer was very accurate. This feature is critical in keeping the altimeter accurate, which it did. Although this watch could work for several different activities, I think it lends itself nicely to mountaineering or backpacking since the altimeter works so well. The styling is great, and it actually comes in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Just be aware that the different styles have different price tags.

The perimeter of the face is an alloy aluminum, which is tough. The band is a tough rubber-type material that seems to stand up well to distress. The backlight seemed a bit weak, but the intent is to brighten the watch in the dark, and it does that well.

I found two of the unique features especially useful. The Storm Warning actually warns you when the barometric pressure drops so you are aware if there is impending weather. And the Button Lock proves useful when you are doing alot of work bending your wrist and don’t want to constantly be hitting buttons and changing settings by accident.

All in all, a GREAT WATCH. Our test model comes in at $249. Which will seem pricey when next to some of its competitors. The watch does look good though. And keep in mind Suuntos good history, and the accuracy factor. You can pick this watch up at Moosejaw, where members can use the Outdoorzy discount found on our Benefits Page.

Specs:

Altimeter
• Altimeter/barometer lock
• Automatic Alti/Baro switch
• Lockable logs
• Logbook function
• Temperature compensation
• Difference measurement
• Altitude range: -500m - 9000m/-1600ft - 29500ft
• Automatic 7 day Alti-Baro memory
• Log graph
• Resolution: 1 m
• Real-time vertical cumulative value

Chronograph

• Countdown timer
• Stopwatch

Compass

• Bearing tracking
• Declination setting
• Guided calibration
• Cardinal directions
• Heading in degrees

Special

• 4 language menu (DE,EN,ES,FR)
• feat_speDepth_Meter
• Rotating bezel
• Button lock

Watch

• Sunrise sunset times
• 12/24h
• Daily alarms: 1
• Dual time
• Calendar clock
• Alarm Snooze

Weather

• Trend indicator
• Temperature
• Temperature resolution: 1°C/1°F
• Storm alarm
• Altimeter/barometer lock
• Barometer resolution: 0,05 inHg/1 mbar
• Barometer range: 8,9 -32,4 inHg/300-1100 mbar
• Trend graph
• Sea level pressure
• Temperature range: -20°C - +60°C/-5°F - +140°F

Power

• Low battery warning
• User replaceable battery

Other

• Backlight option for night use
• Backlight type: Electro-luminescent Display
• Menu-based user interface
• Water resistance: 30m/100ft with uw buttons
• Dot-matrix display
• Mineral crystal glass
• Operating temperature: -20°C - +60°C/-5°F - +140°F
• Selectable metric/imperial units
• Storage temperature: -30°C - +60°C/-22°F - +140°F

3 comments November 5th, 2008