 Just a warning to everyone about Suunto. I recived a Suunto Core for Christmas last year and was very happy with it. After 3 months of ownership I needed to replace the battery (already off to a bad start). I followed the instructions and put in a new battery. Then a couple of weeks ago on holiday I decided to go swimming in a swimming pool with it. (1.5 metres deep max) The unit filled with water and that was the end of the watch. I sent the watch by DHL back to Suunto who after about a week decided that I had changed the battery incorrectly and thus the warranty was void. Apparently a seal was missing. (it is advertsied as a user changable battery) So that was the end of a £200 watch. Please avoid Suunto watches! Luckily may cheap Casio watch keeps going
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 The good Casio equivalents are not that cheap but they are a damned sight cheaper than SUUNTO and every bit as reliable and long lived. Beats me why anyone would pay twice as much for a watch that is no more reliable or versatile than the Casio equivalent.
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Yes I would perhaps look at a Casio in the future. But at the moment I don't have the heart or money to fork out for another watch. Unsurprisingly I hoped that the Suunto would last for a good few years.
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.JPG) Sorry, but I'm pretty sure that if you had put the seal back in, it would have lasted a good few years. Nothing more than operator error.
I'd rather do it myself than have to send it away for 4 weeks to get a new battery and pressure tested like my Tissot.
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You should not have had to change the battery after three months - was it a second hand watch (pun unintended)? I've got a suunto dive watch, the mosquito, which I've had for years and I always replace the battery myself, but you do need to make sure that the o-ring is replaced and is not dirty or bent / twisted. I like Suunto, its not every waterproof watch that lets you replace the batteries, as Rod says, most of them force you to have it done by an expert. With the mosquito I can change it myself for a couple of quid, or if I'm worried about the o-ring I can buy a new one for a few pence, or just ask the local dive shop owner for one for free. The missus is always unsure about replacing her batteries and sends hers off, she'd rather pay £40 (mostly postage) to have someone else do it - I don't mind, if mine fails I have a a back up system (my watch and a good memory of the dive tables) and we tend not to dive too technical anyway (if we do then I use a back up computer). Anyway, whilst I agree with Colm that the Suunto is a high price for what it is, I think it does the job well and if you follow the instructions on how to change the battery it will last for years.
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 Buffalo man wrote (see)
After 3 months of ownership I needed to replace the battery (already off to a bad start). I followed the instructions and put in a new battery. Then a couple of weeks ago on holiday I decided to go swimming in a swimming pool with it. (1.5 metres deep max) The unit filled with water and that was the end of the watch. Had you been swimming in the watch 'before' changing the battery...?
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| Edited: 05/09/09 12:42 |
 I've had a Suunto Vector for about 8 years in which time I've changed the battery about 4/5 times. I swim (pool and sea), shower and wash the dishes with it on without a problem. (I have however, recently gone back to wearing a 'normal' analogue watch as all I used it for was the time and date - altimeter can be very innacurate)! I'm not sure where, but I read somewhere that the returns rate for the Core was extremely high. 
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 Hi BM, Did you try claiming on your travel inusrance.
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No never tried swimming with it before, so I thought it would be a good time to see if the depth meter worker. Reading some of the forums on the internet Suunto were replacing my model due to the battery issue. However when I tried to argue this with them over the phone I just got told the seal was gone, thus my fault. I will look into the travel insurance and see if I can pursue it along those lines.
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I've had a Sunnot Vector for some years....and replace the battery every year. Mind you...I buy a battery and seal kit...so replace both at the same time, costs a wee bit more than a generic battery, but the O ring (seal) is the weakest point.... aka....the Space Shuttle Challenger which came down due to an O ring failure..... If the O ring wasnt there.....then it would never be waterproof, especially at any depth....so, if you forgot to put it back or replace it......then Suunto are quite within their rights to refuse to look at it.
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my suunto core was very accurate on the altimeter and then went haywire. Before I sent it back I found 2 little holes in a U shaped groove in the watch back these were full of dust and sweat. When I picked them open with a needle the altimeter was fine again. The bellows of the altimeter has to have connection with the atmosphere somewhere.
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No never tried swimming with it before, so I thought it would be a good time to see if the depth meter worker. Reading some of the forums on the internet Suunto were replacing my model due to the battery issue. However when I tried to argue this with them over the phone I just got told the seal was gone, thus my fault. I will look into the travel insurance and see if I can pursue it along those lines.
If the seal was gone surely it was your fault (although unfortunate) - unless you can prove it was 'never' there in which case you should pursue it with Suunto?
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| Edited: 05/09/09 18:04 |
my suunto core was very accurate on the altimeter and then went haywire. Before I sent it back I found 2 little holes in a U shaped groove in the watch back these were full of dust and sweat. When I picked them open with a needle the altimeter was fine again. The bellows of the altimeter has to have connection with the atmosphere somewhere. To up date on this tale: only 3 months after the first time the altimeter was haywire again altitude was increasing while I was standing still. The little holes were blocked again so I freed them with a pin. The altimeter was still innaccurate. I thought that all I am doing is pushing this dirt and sweat into the bellows chamber and althought the holes looked clear something was still wrong. 3 months later with no confidence left in the altitude accuracy I dug a bit deeper with a needle and pierced the bellows. I think that putting these essential little holes where they will get filled with dust and sweat, after all people who climb hills are likely to sweat, and providing no easy way to safely clean the system is a design fault. Suunto do not agree with me. The cost to repair the watch is as much as a new watch. I have given up on a difficult system.
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Obviously that was a physical / design issue if the sensor holes were blocked but your indicated altitude can change on electronic altimeters (when standing still) for several reasons including: 1. sensor accuracy / rounding - as it samples the pressure it may get slight variations which means your altitude will appear to change - often by a few metres. 2. as the actual atmospheric pressure changes (as fronts come in / go out etc.) so will your indicated altitude at a given fixed location - that is why you need to periodically calibrate them from a known altitude. As pressure can change significantly within even a few hours you may need to recalibrate several times per day if you want it to be accurate. On GPS units that output an altitude (without using a pressure sensor) they are calculating the altitude from the satellites - this can easy vary by 10-20+ metres either way.
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 Plus or minus 10 to 20 meters ? My unit is never ever been more than about 2 meters out. Ever . Constant checking against os or harvey maps contour hights has been nothing but impressive.
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You did not say what your unit was but if it is a GPS unit (like my Etrex Vista) it also has a pressure sensor and uses them both - it uses GPS to calibrate the barometer periodically and then uses the barometer for better accuracy. If it is a more basic GPS unit (like a standard Etrex) it may display an altitude but using GPS alone is could easily be +/- 10 or more metres. Vertical accuracy is often stated as being around 1.5x worse than horizontal accuracy.
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Gps 60cx. No barometric altimeter . I chose this model over the one with the compass and alti because previous models had shown high accuracy on altitude
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| Edited: 18/03/10 12:00 |
Garmin state the *horizontal* accuracy for standard GPS to be about 15m - with DGPS / WAAS (where and when available!) this is improved to about 5m. Your particular unit does support DPGS / WAAS (from memory) - but equally many (especially older units) do not - so consider for many GPS devices a vertical accuracy of 10-20m is realistic. With vertical accuracy typically being worse than horizontal accuracy I doubt it would be possible for your unit to *always* be within 2 metres - sometimes it will and sometimes it may be 5-10-15m out. To be honest if that level of accuracy really mattered you would be using a proper altimeter.
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 IIRC the issue with GPS altutude is one of geometry, you would need a satelite below you for increased altitude accuracy. I find that the accuracy increases with time, at a rest stop for example. Steve D
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I really do not need an altimeter for my walks anyway as i know my position on the ground and can ( if i want ) check my hight on my map. a contour of 850ft runs outside my front door and i just checked my gps altitude an it started out at over 880ft but when settled hovverd around 848ft. accurate enough for me. I think what i may be getting at is Why. why does anyone need an altimeter , they too are not without thier problems. the biggest being they become less accurate as you gain altitude. WAAS only works in north america i belive
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