Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

1. 98 of 106 people found this review helpful

   By K. Siegrist on Amazon.com 15 January, 2008

   Core Wonder

   The watch works great for me. I would advise not to read to much into the other reviewers who have said bad things about the watch. Heads up guys when the weather changes and you return to a ref point; say home after coming down from the mountain the watch may show a different alt. if the pressure and temps have changed a lot. , thats the way it works as pressure changes so to will your base alt setting. unless you have the GPS version :) I suggest people read the book before talking and sounding silly. The Core is a great add on to my collection. I have the GPS version as well. This watch is a bit slimmer and not so G.I. joe looking. Good for on the trail or down town.
   
   UPDATE: The watch has started acting up only after 8 months of daily light use. The mode buttons work some days and not others. The TL and BL
   mode buttons all of a sudden stop working. I'm guessing the alignment with the pins you push and the contact pad inside the watch get miss matched. Really? For 200 + dollar watch and I cant get the simple stop watch to work. If I flick it with my finger it realigns back up and them I'm able to use the buttons. Just yesterday I got on the tread mill to start my Cross Fit work out and started to sprint; I hit the start button again and again and again, &*(^% guess Ill use the free clock on the wall. Suunto has to do better than this before I buy another watch from them. Can't belive I'm looking at G-Shocks now!! Oh and the cover on my GPS watch has come off as well. Not looking good Suunto!! ONE STAR NOW
2. 51 of 54 people found this review helpful

   By South Dakota backpackers on Amazon.com 21 September, 2010

   Doing just what it is supposed to do

   I bought the Suunto Core all-black for my husband in February of 2010. He had wanted one for quite some time, but with all the negatives reviews about the watch malfunctions I was a little hesitant to get it for him. So far, so good though. It's working just as it should. My husband loves it. We have been on several trips and the altimeter is working great as is the ascend/descend feature. When we backpack, it's nice to have the thermostat on it and the north/south indicator. He uses the alarm clock everyday, and it works just fine. He has had no trouble with any of the features, and he uses a lot of them. He is mechanically inclined, though, and read the manual before setting everything so I'm not surprised it's working well for him. I know that some of the watches have had some problems in the past, but several of the reviews I read I think I would chalk up to user error. This is not a watch for someone who doesn't like to read the user guide. Once he got everything set, it's been great. The all-black watch face can be difficult to see in the sun as some reviews have noted, but what would you expect? My phone that isn't all-black is difficult to see in the sun. So if you're concerned about being able to see your watch in direct sun, don't buy this watch. But if you don't mind walking a few steps to find shade, then you shouldn't have a problem. All in all- great buy. My husband, the tech-geek/mountain man loves it. Oh, and the battery has been working just fine- haven't had to replace it yet. I know that was a problem noted in some reviews.
3. 29 of 29 people found this review helpful

   By Skew on Amazon.com 25 November, 2011

   Superb field watch!

   I was on a course a few weeks ago, and some of the instructors were wearing Cores. They loved it, but said that using the compass a lot drained battery. Also that you need to regularly calibrate height and compass. (To be fair, that's what the manual says too, and it's a simple operation.)
   
   Normally I wear an IWC, which is lovely, but not really something you want to be throwing yourself around in- I was considering saving up for an Omega, but logically it didn't make much sense. I've had my Core for a week and so far it's really excellent. It doesn't take too long to work out the operation either.
   
   Apart from the Suunto diving watches, the Core appears to be the one which can put up with serious "wet" use, (i.e. snorkelling) and you couldn't find a better watch for Expeds and adventure training. The storm alarm works- actually works; it's not a gimmick!
   
   Despite the size (much bigger than my IWC Spitfire), you don't notice you're wearing it, even though it seems extremely rugged.
   
   The compass is good, but I would not use it to replace a normal protractor compass. If I had a quibble, it's that the North indicator is very small- if you were really following a bearing by fixing it within the bezel, it might be a little tricky in anything other than excellent light. However the digital alternative it offers is brilliant. (Lock bearing, and it tells you if you've gone off track.)
   
   A downside? The negative display can be murky in half light. If you buy this watch, Google the method for adjusting the contrast. You may need to!
   
   Overall, if you want something really professional, I couldn't recommend a better choice- really glad I bought mine.
4. 37 of 40 people found this review helpful

   By Christopher Cook on Amazon.com 6 June, 2010

   IMPORTANT - Serial # + Calibration

   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 (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.
   
   THANK - hope this helps.
   Please Rate!
   
   ** Update
   [...]
   find your altitude for calibration and also a sunrise/set charts to test watch accuracy.
5. 28 of 31 people found this review helpful

   By Dr. Michael R. Adams on Amazon.com 10 June, 2008

   Excellent Outdoors Watch

   I was skeptical about getting the Suunto Core (Light Green) since there were some initial bad reviews noting poor battery life, broken buttons, bad lcd, etc. I'm happy to say that the watch I ordered has easily exceeded my expectations. My previous Suunto watch was the Vector, which served me well for 5 years. After water got into the watch I had to move on to the Casio Pathfinder. While the Pathfinder was a decent ABC watch, it simply never felt like a Suunto. The Core is an improvement over the Vector in almost every way. The size of the watch face is nearly identical, but the body is significantly thinner and lightweight. The black numbers on the white lcd background is the way to go. Be careful with Suunto's with the negative face as these can be notoriously hard to see especially in bright sunlight. The information presented on the face is easy to read with excellent contrast. Set up takes some time and reading the manual is a necessity. But once you get the hang of it, the buttons make a lot of sense. One thing I do miss is having the altimeter and barometer as separate functions. Here they're lumped together and you need to access the menu to choose. There's an auto-choose function, but I've found it to be hit or miss. I'm loving the sunrise/sunset function that gives you the exact times based on where you live. The storm warning alarm is also a Godsend, something I rely on when I'm out on my kayak far from camp. The compass has an awesome function that allows you to set a bearing. When you veer off this bearing an arrow points to where you need to turn. Very nice when the sun starts to set and you lose visibility of your terrain and have no landmarks to rely on. The backlight could be brighter, but it never posed a major problem for me. The strap is very comfortable and secure, worlds better than the lug-style band that comes with other Cores.
   
   Beware the premium price you would pay for other Core models. Besides cosmetic differences with the bezel, band and color, they are all functionally the same watch. While many people believe since the Light Green is the cheapest it must be the base model. Truth is there is no difference aside from appearance between the Cores. If you like the orange color and want to spend $150+ more, go right ahead. But that extra cash could be used to buy a hiking pack, trail shoes, sunglasses, etc. Spend your money wisely.
   
   One last thing ... Something that Suunto doesn't state in the manual is that you can change the contrast of your Core's lcd display. Here are the instructions I found on the Suunto online forums:
   
   *NOTE* In order to change the contrast on your Core you will need to put it in sleep mode and this will erase all logs! 1. Press and hold the upper left, lower left, upper right and lower right buttons until 'SUUNTO' appears on the display. 2. When the display is blank press the upper left button once - 'SUUNTO' will appear on the screen 3. While 'SUUNTO' is still displayed press and hold the upper left button 4. Highlight the 'contrast' option then press the middle right button. 5. Change the contrast using the upper right and lower right buttons 6. Press the lower left then upper left buttons to exit.
6. 11 of 11 people found this review helpful

   By JD on Amazon.com 10 April, 2012

   Switched from Casio PAWs to Suunto

   After owning several Casio PAWs (1500, 2000) I can now say I really wish I had started with the Suunto long ago.
   I like the Casios but to me the Suunto is the real thing and the Casios feel more gimmicky now, certainly nowhere near as well executed as this Suunto Core Black. The Suunto is far more simply, elegantly designed without the external bulk that now dwarfs the Casio screens with metal housings that are just a visual mess of too much info crammed onto every surface.
   The Suunto features are powerful and it is well thought out; I never had to open the manual other than to see what the face symbology represented. It was a pleasure to program and I can jump between more complex functions like logs and Storm Alert, compass, very easily which means I'll use them. I constantly had to squint and change viewing angles on my PAW-1500 to read the symbols, graphs and history.
   The Suunto makes much better use of screen space and presents info in a clear, intuitive manner that can be understood at a glance.
   
   The display - it is a reverse display obviously designed not emit a visible (to others) light source in the dark. That said I find the display resolution and clarity superior to the other reverse displays I've used, with easily readable symbols and data in daytime (cloudy or direct sun). I also can read it easily at a gance indoors at night under any lights and in dark the backlight is the perfect level for viewing without affecting night vision or sharing your location. The most difficult viewing is indoors in low ambient light using backlight. In a completely or normal urban dark night it is no trouble for me to see with backlight. I really like it, again a better implementation than Casio which I had a hard time seeing in some conditions.
   Some people will doubtless not like or have trouble seeing the display - everyone's eyes are different. I have normal 20/20 vision.
   
   The watch is very light and so comfortable I forget it's on my wrist until I need it.
   
   The one con is the crown. It has poor, scratchy rotation and is not at all smooth to use. Hopefully it will break-in and improve. Not an issue for me as I won't use that much.
   
   If you like or require this type of watch I really believe you are missing out if you don't give Suunto a try.
   
   Update: 19 May 2012 - Been using the Suunto every day now and the barometer/altitude is very accurate. Exactly matches our weather station data and the NWS reports. In fact it's more accurate than the weather station in responding to changes in pressure. Still very impressed with the Core Black and it's my favorite watch by far.
7. 16 of 18 people found this review helpful

   By Mike on Amazon.com 12 June, 2011

   Good watch

   Had the watch for almost two years. Have had no problems other than the battery doesn't last terribly long. Two deployments and a lot of wear and tear but it's still working. Doesn't look great but still working...
8. 12 of 13 people found this review helpful

   By Norville Rogers on Amazon.com 21 October, 2010

   Suunto Core Watch

   I've had my Suunto for a few weeks now. I read countless reviews before I bought this watch, and I thought I'd contribute to the community a little. I don't have anything groundbreaking to report, but I'll give you my opinion.
   
   If the price tag is scaring you away, I had (and still have) a Timex Expedition watch with a compass that I bought on eBay for $30. It lasted nearly six years in the military, desert, salt water, snowboarding... never faulted. Before my last deployment, I bought a Casio Pathfinder watch, and it broke before I even got out of our train up. Aesthetically it was very nice, but the compass always seemed a little off and it lasted about a month before I broke it.
   
   Now, the Suunto Core: it's comfortable, reasonably thin and has a great display. The compass seems to be accurate and overall looks really nice. The weather alarm was cool for about two days. Underneath the time display, there are several functions that you can have displayed at the same time, i.e. Day/Date, Seconds, a different time zone (home), sunrise/sunset, stopwatch, and a countdown timer (preset to a time within the menu). My only gripe is that sometimes I'll unintentionally hit the bottom button, and instead of glancing at my watch for the date, I have to cycle through all of these options to confirm it is, in fact, the 21st of October. Big deal? Not really.
   
   The menu is well organized, and easy to navigate. I'm really looking forward to logging my elevation when I'm back home and mountain biking/snowboarding. I'm not sure what the depth gauge really offers, but I guess it's kind of cool. I wish it was water proof, because I'm a big SCUBA diver (which turned me onto Suunto in the first place). I read that you can change your own battery (which is a HUGE plus compared to their other models), so I guess I won't complain too much about it not being suitably sealed for diving.
   
   Bottom line- It's a cool watch. Do you need an altimeter to log your altitude change? Maybe once in a while. Do you need a barometer? Probably not. Do you need a depth gauge for snorkeling. Nope. You could probably spend your money more wisely by investing in new socks and a Timex, but that wouldn't be nearly as cool.
   
   -Ryan
9. 9 of 10 people found this review helpful

   By K. R. Walsh on Amazon.com 21 December, 2010

   Suunto Core All Black Military

   I purchased this watch as a Christmas present for my husband, who's currently deployed in Iraq. It replaces a Casio G-shock he had for years. So far, he's had nothing but good things to say about it. The face is a little bit larger than he expected and the manual is pretty extensive for a watch. Aside from that, he loves it.
10. 9 of 10 people found this review helpful

    By Brent Allen Flack on Amazon.com 29 January, 2008

    Great watch!!

    This watch is great. definitely one of the greatest tool a hiker or backpacker could have. I have seen some bad reviews on this product before, i bought it, and it just great. The bad reviews I saw of it were of the fact that you have to set up the watch in order for it be effective. It's not quite as hard as they made it seem. Anyone can figure it out, it even gives reference websites on how to calculate everything. It took me maybe thirty minutes to read the instructions, look at websites and change the settings. Since that point my barometric pressure has been right on with the national weather service readings, and the altimeter is always close enough, maybe off by 6ft. As for the thermometer it is high on your arm because of your body heat, but if you want a accurate reading just slide it off and wait just minute and it is right on. And the compass is great. It gives you down to the degree of where you are pointed, all you have to do is set the inclination of the earth from were you are, which is easy if you go to a website they give you. I feel that I have tested this product greatly of the short time I have had it and found it highly effective and accurate. The sour people on this product seem like they want it to be a novelty item that they can brag to their friends about it instead of a serious outdoor tool. If bragging is what you are looking for save up another 200 bucks and get the one that is GPS driven. But if your hobby is being outdoors and taking the occasional adventure, then this is a must have.