( 12 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 15 2009
There's no point going over the features of this watch, other reviews have done an excellent job of that. One thing to be aware of is that the watch has a very short battery life. The battery that came with my watch died after about 8 months and I don't use the compass or backlight hardly at all. It takes a CR2032 battery ($6 at RadioShack) which is ridiculously difficult to change. There is a slot in the back which unscrews the back and is indented to take a thick quarter. It's too wide for a quarter to grip and because it's curved I haven't found any screwdriver that can get a good grip either. The threads on the back are very fine so it's too easy to cross thread it. The best tool I found was the end of the fish gutter on my multi-tool and I had to very carefully apply even pressure on either side as I screwed the back in so I didn't cross thread it. I probably spent about 15 minutes trying to get the back on again. Now I have to reset the time, date, elevation etc.:-(
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jul 8 2009
I bought my suunto in March 2009 at a greater than 50% discount due to a connection I have. It's a great looking watch with lots of useful functions. However I think the listed price on Amazon is a little too much. Although I paid much less, I still feel like I over paid. The battery life is terrible. If you plan to do serious trekking with the suunto core, I would advise you to take spare batteries along. There is a low battery indicator but it gives less than 24hr warning before dying completely. At that point, all reference values and setting will be lost. The alt and baro is accurate. I work near SFO so I'm able to check my watch baro reading against weather observations (METAR) broadcast for that location. The alt is usually equivalent to the reading I get from my flight instrument when flying. It's a great looking watch but if you need a serious adventure watch, keep looking.
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jul 1 2009
Got my Core to use mostly for hiking, sailing and daily use. Looks good (although had few friends make comment that now when I am wearing that watch they can see me 3 miles down the road - making fun of the size) The watch is surprisingly light and good looking. After that its not so hot. My watch lasted for about 7 months when my lower right button became stacked and pushed in. Watch became unusable and even thought in warranty I had to pay $50 dollars to have it replaced. (warranty fee - what???) I am very disappointed with the quality of the watch. The functions are not as precise as I expected (altimeter, compass are really good only as a rough estimate). Hope you have a better luck. I am selling my new unit ASAP and looking at different makers.
