Suunto  Core Multifunction Watch - Regular Black

Over the years I have owned at least 2 Vectors, 2 Advisors, and now 2 Core's. They have ALL failed within 2 years, some with a few months. Due to REI's return policy I have had to pay for only two of these (or the cost difference of the new model). I would never buy from another retailer because of this generous policy (watches, I mean). The Suuntos are a gift that keeps on giving... The Core model ate batteries on an interval of 8-12 weeks in my experience. It is too bad because I really like the features and construction of the Core. I can only guess that the few glowing reviews contained herein are from the lucky ones or people who have owned them a short time. I think I am done with Suunto.

I will use this everyday, but I purchased it for backpacking, hiking and camping. I replaced the old Casio watch I had for backpacking. This is an improvement in that it does not get caught on my clothing when I put them on and I like the larger face. At first I did not like the combined Alti/Baro feature, but the more I use it, it seems to make sense. So far, I like the accuracy, but I just purchased it last week. So far, I am happy. My only complaint is the users manual. It is not very clear. I found how to set it up the way I wanted by trial and error. The manual was almost useless.

This is my second Suunto Core and I recently replaced it with a Casio Pathfinder PAW1500 because of the pervasive battery life issues with the Core. It's a stylish watch and I've taken a few hard falls while mountain biking without fail. The features are easy to navigate through, but the alti/barometer combination was confused on which automatic reading to choose. If you enjoy buying 2-3 batteries through the course of a year, buy this watch!!! The Pathfinder picks up where the Core left off in its solar panel, atomic clock synchro, and stainless steel back plate to name a few.

The Suunto Core is step in the right direction for the company in making a more streamlined and wearable product. Previous Suunto Multi-Functions, such as the Vector were too large for practical use and would often interfere with clothing and equipment due to its bulk. The Core does not. While the Core is a decrease in size, it may too be a decrease in quality. The construction of the watch is solid, but the internal instrumentation is not. I am fairly certain that the box that the watch came in is not 158 degrees inside. No amount of reseting the watch seems to work. Furthermore, the compass used in conjunction with the back light draws too much power for the Core to cope; the back light pulsates in compass mode. I will be exchanging this watch for a new one in the hope that these issues are not product wide. TBD.

This watch has everything I need. Whether it's a long day on the slopes, backpacking, camping or just out for a cruise. It does take a little reading and a little practice to fully understand the set-up for features & capabilities of the core. And, unless you really pay attention to weather & understand it, you will end up researching things like air pressure & measurements terms like Pascal's and whatnot. But, once you understand all the features they are pretty easy to set-up & use. The numbers are large and easy to read. The backlight works great, and isn't so bright it affects your night vision. There are a lot of other functions that are just as handy. I recommend downloading the user manual to see all the features of the watch. …Or there is a pretty sweet demo on Suunto.com I'm not affiliated w/ them in anyway…just a guy who likes watches.

I like this watch a lot because I love how it looks, I like that it's a bit bigger and feels substantial, and I like the altimeter. I appreciate it more for the cool / gadget factor than for using it entirely for what it's made for. Nothing beats carrying around an actual GPS device if that's what you need.

A great watch. I wear it to school, to work, and in the field. The altimeter is accurate to about 10-ft when calibrated at trailhead. Slightly bulky but light, you will often forget its on your wrist.

I was very excited to get the Suunto - a friend has had one for over 5 years and swears by it. I decided I wanted a dependable watch (obviously more than a watch) and knew I would have to pay for it. Went to get the Core and was disappointed to find it is now made in China, but purchased anyhow. I used it for a week and love it, but then the compass failed. I purchased this one in July of 2010 and the serial number started with a "0" - so based on other reviews I'm assuming this was a new one. [Even before the failure, the backlight would pulse when in compass mode as noted in other reviews.]The compass would not vary more than plus or minus 60 degrees no matter how many times I tried to rotate it at the recommended rate of one revolution per 20 seconds. I even tried to calibrate in three different locations without success thinking that maybe there was some iron or something around. [...]I opted not to trade out for a new one, as many of the reviews I have read have been split - love or hate. This makes me think there may be a quality control issue in the new Suunto's and I don't want to risk a failure when I am back country out west - this one occurred in a local state forest.

It's not posted on this forum but many of the issues with this watch have been corrected since 2008 debacle. There was period back in 2007-2008 that this watch production had some quality controle issues. If you buy this watch, try and ensure you receive a watch that has a serial number starting with a 9 or 0(2010) (this means that it was built in 2009). There has been very few issues with the 2009 versions. Suunto even recalled many of the defective watches. Also, for these watches to work in peak form, you must calibrate them often, and know how to use them. This watch lets you select altitude or baro mode. If you know you are not changing in altitude and want accurate weather forecast set it to baro mode and calibrate the altitude. If changing altitude is important to you, then set it to altitude mode and again, set the altitude to an accurate value. The storm alarm on this watch is very cool, and has worked for me in the past. I was climbing in ID and it was a clear day outside and my storm alarm went off - i thought that there could be no way this watch was predicting a storm so i kept climbing. About 45min - hr later we had a big downpour. Very cool. Many complain that the temp is off. But again the watch is close to the body and will naturally be high despite suunto's attempt to compensate for close body contact. If you are at a camp sight and are really concerned about weather forecast, take the watch off, attach it to your pack or wear it outside you jacket. In order to calculate the altitude the temperature is a factor in the equation. when i camp or hike, i usually attach the watch to my pack. When i'm in the city in Chicago, i set the altitude (as it does NOT change in the midwest so not important) and then switch to baro mode. I have been happy with it's accuracy. After playing with the watch for a while, you will learn how it reacts and be able to adjust to it. The "readability" : i bought my girlfriend a t1 with the inverse face colors (black background) and there is no doubt that it can be hard to read. My comment here is that if you want to ensure readability then go for a white background. Thats what i have and i still think it looks awesome. The quality of the build: Some say it feels cheep, but i think that they mischaracterize it. The watch is light weigh which can give it a "cheap" feel but i think the point was to build a lightweight watch. It's a bigger watch but fits very well, and comfortably on my wrist. If you get a lemon, return it suunto or the vendor for replacement and hope you get one with a serial number starting with 9. I would recommend this watch aslong as you know how to use it. as a last note, some say they would not go out into the backcountry relying on this watch's compas alone. my response is that you should always carry a stand alone compas if you will be really relying on it. They are light and cheep. You could fall and break your watch... run out of batteries... just bring a stand alone as backup and to just double check. Nevertheless, in my 20 story apt, which is mostly concrete, the core is right on with my standard compas. THANK - hope this helps. Please Rate! Note: google maps/earth is a good way to get your altitude...

I'm a wildlife professional in my day job working all over the country but primarily on western public lands where I find myself in isolated locations from mountainous backcountry mountain ranges to remote expanses of southwestern desert landscapes. I spend my personal time in the same places hunting and fishing the backcountry, skiing, backpacking, riding horses, and anything else that will get me into the wild country. I've used the Casio Protrek/Pathfinder series ABC watches (altimeter, barometer, compass)and after buying the Suunto Core - regular black, I am confident I've found the best. Nothing against Casio...they're amazing too...if you buy the right one. I love that they're solar powered and you don't ever have to worry about having a dead battery in a crucial situation...plus they're super tough. They're also huge, clunky, the buttons stick out and are always getting pushed inadvertently, and things like fly lines, clothing, and equipment catch on them constantly. I hated not being able to pull clothing and jackets over the Casios comfortably or to keep them dry in a Pacific Northwest downpour backpacking through the rainforest. The Suunto is also bombproof and while it's not solar, the battery can be replaced easily in the field, there is a low battery indicator giving you plenty of heads up when it does start running down, and there is a feature that allows you to easily lock the buttons if there is inadvertent button pushing and you don't realize it (which happens very infrequently given the wonderful Suunto design that keeps them out of your way). The Core's low profile and slim design is unmatched by any other high end brand and it never gets in the way. It also fits quite comfortably with all of my clothing, technical, and casual (I wear the watch every day even when I'm not perched on a craggy peak at 14,000 ft).Now to the features...once you know what the buttons do...it's very easy. I like the layout and menu options much better than Casio. The instruments are very precise (for an ABC watch) and I love the graphing utilities that track barometric pressure. The altimeter on any ABC must be regularly calibrated, particularly with changing geographic location or wildly varying weather patterns...Suunto is no exception but I have noticed that it's the most accurate out of any watch I've ever owned. The compass is a little tricky to calibrate in the beginning but it's easy to redo it til you get it right. You can set the declination variance in the menu options which is fantastic...nothing like using the rotating bezel to take a bearing on your topo and walk right to your destination without being too far off. I love the weather alarm and the 6 hour barometer trend monitor that's always displayed on the watch face. The view features are well thought out and give you access to nearly all the information you might want to see at any one time on the Core's large and very clear display. For example you can view the time and elevation simultaneously or barometric pressure and altitude or any number of view options for each of the three functions. I also love the backlight feature. It's perfect and won't blind you in the middle of the night as you squint for the time or temperature at 2:00 am from your sleeping bag. The features go on and on from logging for laps, ascents, descents, and snorkel dives to sunrise/sunset times for locations all around the world. Bottom line, this watch will not disappoint, works superbly, looks and fits great, and is easy to use (if you're willing to take 15 minutes to run through the functions with the well written manual or visit the sweet interactive tutorial on Suunto's website). If you're a serious outdoorsman (or woman not affraid to have a larger instrument on your wrist) your search for the perfect ABC watch should be over...buy the Core...and yes they really have worked out the bugs from models in years past. Gotta give it to Suunto [...]..if for some reason you do have an issue, fear not, they will both take care of you right away with no questions asked.