Buying Guide Suunto Watches
From slow Suunto beginnings
It took some of us a while to get onto the Suunto band wagon. Some of us loved these Suunto watches and Suunto compasses, seeking out trails just for an excuse to turn on the blingy GPS watch. And yet a few of us wondered what all the hype was about. Surely our $20 market bizarre bargain is enough?
But as the trend began and more and more trail runners started to log their GPS routes on our favourite trails, we started to feel left out. Suunto was rocking and we wanted to be a part of it!
Now we all have a Suunto running watch
Ok, here we admit that most of us actually have more than one Suunto watch. For example, Hanny has the White Suunto Ambit3 Sport and the Green Suunto Ambit3 Vertical watches... because the colour green doesn't go with everything and we always feel our confidence swell when we know how high we climbed this morning.
Graham loves his Suunto Ambit3 Peak watch. When he acquired his Suunto Ambit3 Peak he was looking for a watch that would outlast the duration of his longest missions on the trails.
Suunto from the land of the Vikings
Suunto was born in Finland more than 75 years ago, when championship-level orienteer and keen outdoor enthusiast Tuomas Vohlonen invented the mass production method for the liquid filled compass. In less complicated terms, Suunto originated from Finland where they initially manufactured compasses.
Since then, Suunto has been at the forefront of innovation, hand crafting premium sports watches, instruments and dive computers that have been tested in the world’s harshest conditions. From the beginning of time, man has explored. All that has changed are the tools.
Suunto means 'direction'
Pronounced “Soon-toh”, Suunto is utilised by the best athletes in the world. Amongst their team of elite global athletes are Kilian Jornet, Emily Forsberg, Ueli Steck and our very own Orienteering Champion, Hanny Allston. So if you want the direction of an orienteer, the speed of a trail running, the agility of a climber and the legs of a mountain goat then perhaps consider joining the Suunto trend.
USE OUR COMPARISON CHART TO HELP YOU SELECT YOUR SUUNTO WATCH:
We believe that the following Suunto GPS watches are the best on the market and will keep you entertained for hours. We promise you that tv entertainment is out and Suunto Movescount is in!
| ITEM | WHO IS IT FOR | BEST FEATURES |
|---|---|---|
| Suunto Spartan Sport | Athletes who enjoy a wide range of sports up to 10hrs in intensity and who want a smart lifestyle watch too | Touch screen technology with all the functionality that you require for a range of sports. Some of the colour ways are very feminine and you do not feel like you are wearing a sports watch. Very comfortable for living in 24/7. Battery life: 10-100hrs |
| Suunto Spartan Ultra | Athletes who enjoy a wide range of sports up to 20hrs in duration and who want a smart lifestyle watch too | Compass & barometric altitude recorder with all the functions for a wide range of sports. Amazingly light on the wrist and you can customise the face of the watch to not look like a sports watch. We also love the touch screen technology. Battery life: 20-200hrs |
| Suunto Spartan Ultra Copper Limited edition | Men & women who enjoy a wide range of sports up to 20hrs in duration and who want a super good looking lifestyle watch too. | Compass & barometric altitude recorder with all the functions for a wide range of sports. Amazingly light on the wrist and doesn’t look like a sports watch - beautiful sleek design & colouring. We also love the touch screen technology. Battery life: 20-200hrs |
| Suunto Ambit3 Run | Runners who love all things running | Comprehensive understanding and super accurate measurements of distance, elevation and speed for all running related sports. Battery life: 10-100hrs |
| Suunto Ambit3 Sport | Runners who also love all sports such as triathlons, swimming or cycling | Designed to measure distance, elevation and speed across all sports. It will also record lap times, cadence and even count your laps in the pool. Battery life: 10-100hrs. |
| Suunto Ambit3 Peak | Ultra Runners and epic missioners | Has all the same virtues as the Suunto Ambit3 Sport. However, it includes a barometer, compass and altimeter. This allows for the most accurate readings. Battery life is double: 20-200hrs. |
| Suunto Ambit3 Peak Sapphire | Ultra Runners and epic missioners who are super tough on their equipment | Has all the same virtues as the Suunto Ambit3 Peak. However, it comes with a sapphire glass housing. Battery life is double: 20-200hrs. |
| Suunto Ambit3 Vertical | Mountain Goats who predominantly love to train and race by measuring the hills | A specific vertical measuring watch, hence the altimeter built into it for more accurate readings. Shows vertical profiles and height measurements whilst you run. Battery life: 10-100hrs. |
| Suunto Traverse | Nerdy outdoor enthusiasts :) | This watch has the altimeter, GPS tracking and is a great watch for navigating and recording your routes. Battery life: 10-100hrs. |
Suunto Ambit3 Vertical GPS Watch Review
Elite Ultra Distance Runner, Australian Suunto ambassador and friend of Find Your Feet, Majell Backhausen, recently put the Suunto Ambit3 Vertical GPS watch to the test on Tasmania's Frenchmans Cap. Here is what he had to say:
The newly released Suunto Ambit 3 Verticalpassed my acceptance test of having a practical application in everyday life (24hr wear ability) and no surprise, it also surpassed the everyday training needs of a mad keen runner. I said this watch looked deceiving, and that is because it looks stylish and comes without the traditional Ambit GPS antenna attached to the watch housing. But it also looks like it can still be used on serious missions.
Other new additions to this watch include:
- Real time, pre-mapped (using Suunto Movescount) route elevation profile
- Weekly, monthly and yearly total ascent graphs
- Remaining pre-mapped route ascent and descent tally
- Vibration alerts
- Improved GPS capabilities with GLONASS and added barometric altimeter"
Majell summarised his Suunto Ambit3 Vertical experience by stating:
Suunto Movescount
Suunto Movescount makes us feel like a pro. Suunto Movescount is the online software that, amongst other things, allows you to download and monitor your training data. At Find Your Feet we always have our Suunto Movescount dashboard open in the background. There is also a Suunto Movescount App for your smart phone which sinks via bluetooth to most Suunto Watches. What we love about Suunto Movescount is the detail:
- Create your training plans
- Review your training
- Keep a training diary
- Be stoked with how much vertical climbing you have achieved
- Log your best races or training endeavours
- Customise your Suunto Watch features
- Share your trail running moves (sessions)
- Find new trail running routes
- Join the growing community of trail runners and athletes from other sports
Suunto Movescount really is the bling of trail running GPS watch bling. We promise you that you will get addicted!
Suunto links with STRYD
STRYD is the new all new power meter for runners. Cyclists have been measuring the effectiveness of their training and performance for years with power measurements. But until recently, the technology has eluded us. Not any longer!
STRYD allows a running to measure their power output during any given run. It is understood that power measurements in running can help a runner to track their running progress alongside heart rate measurements. The technology behind STRYD is a heart rate monitor strap worn like any other heart rate chest strap. However, through this strap runs a highly technical algorithm that allow the STRYD chest strap to determine your power output. This data then sinks to your Suunto GPS Watch. Cool huh!?
While not a Suunto product, Suunto is working very closely with STRYD to ensure that all of their watches are compatible with power meters in all relevant sport modes and that includes running. Find Your Feet is excited to be one of the first distributers in Australia of Stryd power running meters.
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