Product Features
- Wrist-top computer watch with altimeter barometer compass and weather indicator
- Altimeter displays current elevation shows ascent or descent and records session
- Intelligent storm alarm senses drops in air pressure and notifies you of approaching storms
- Barometer helps you predict changing conditions; built-in weather trend indicator
- Aluminum black finish; accurately measures depth to 30 feet; weighs 2.26 ounces; 2-year warranty
Have had this watch a little over a week and decided to write an review for it.
Just a brief comparison between two top-notch ABC watches: - the Core and the Casio Pathfinder PAW-1500 Titanium which I purchase a little over three weeks ago as well. I would say the cosmetic design the wealth of functions the ABC accuracy and the graphical display of the Core is better than the Pathfinder. However the built material the readability and the push button feel is not as good as the Pathfinder.
The display is in reverse format meaning the background is in black and the alpha-numeric letters are in silver-white. Adjusting the contrast in the Suunto hidden menu does help but of course still not as clear as the normal black letter on white background. No fault of Suunto but just the way the design is. The buttons are responsive and easy to press. To navigate through the menus the "Mode" button and the "View" button have to be pushed in different combination to get what you want. It might seem confusing at first but once you understand the logical layout it's fairly easy to remember. Give yourself a couple of days to get used to it.
Compliments: Extremely accurate ABC. I compare their readings with the actual ABC instruments. The accuracy is incredible and beats the Casio Pathfinder in the dust! The storm alarms reacts to the air pressure change accurately as well. The electronic compass is awesome. Once you set the course the bearing indicator would display an arrow and directional words (left and right) to guide you to the correct course which is a great feature. User installable batteries which is great to save a lot of money down the road.
Complaints: The directional rotation ring is difficult to turn. If you have finger nails you'll need to use them if you bite your finger nails good luck. The alarm is a bit soft and hard to hear sometimes. The same problem as the Pathfinder. I wish they can make it louder. The wrist strap looks and feels cheap. The illuminator is a bit dim too.
Tips: This watch has earned a lot of bad reps due to poor quality control in its manufacturer plant in China. It's been tons of complaints and reported problem. After doing some research it appears that Suunto has finally fixed the hardware and software bugs. When you order the watch make sure the serial number stars from "918xxxxxx" onward. Mine is "924" and so far so good. You should email the seller to make sure they send you the updated version as noted above then your new watch won't spend most of its life going back and forth in the delivery trucks.
Follow up review (please read and rate):
It's been nearly a month I have been wearing this watch thought I should provide more feedback to help those who are interested in this watch.
I have worn this watch to a two-weeks trip to Eastern Europe. I used all ABC functions intensively especially the altimeter log and compass functions. To begin with all readings are extremely accurate as it has always been. The only inaccuracy is its barometer when worn on the wrist which is understandable due to the body temperature influence. The watch functioned flawlessly during the extreme weather ranging from 1 degree in Celcius (outdoor) all the way up to warmer than 40 degrees Celcius (I wore it to the hotspring pool for hours). I have also used the daily alarm twice a day illumination for 3 times a night in average and the battery is still kicking like a champ. Many reported the battery died out after a month or so even with light use it appears that Suunto has fixed this major flaw. Yet it's been just a month of intensive use so I can't say for sure. Even if I have to replace the battery every 6 months I think it's still worth is as the battery costs less than a couple of dollars to replace. So my conclusion is: The Core has reclaimed its reputation in my book. I have no doubt that it will continue to perform well. Just make sure that you buy the one with the latest firmware (serial number after:92xxxxxx SW: 1.1.0 HW: 3A. Please rate and comment if you find this helpful
