The Diadora Corsa is a versatile everyday trainer with a springy vibe that’s worth a look
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Suunto Core 2 is available for preorder here.
It’s hard to remember a time before sports watches were packed with health tracking, GPS, and app integrations. Competition has pushed smartwatch technology a long way. The bells and whistles now have bells and whistles, and more and more of your life can be monitored, recorded, and analyzed. These devices can tell us more about ourselves than ever before; in fact, smartwatches can save your life in the event of health irregularities or emergencies on the trail.
But every time our smartwatch pings and dings, our mind is pulled away from the present moment. It’s a double-edged sword, because while predictability can ease our mind and aid our planning, knowing too much can spoil the fun of adventure. Unless you’re a professional athlete, how much of that data do you really need?
When Suunto first released the Core 19 years ago, the smartwatch was still a pipe dream. Early models of the Garmin Forerunner with GPS capabilities (they ran on three AAA batteries) were revolutionary, but in 2007, the modern smartwatch was still a work in progress. The Core, an ABC watch, was considered somewhat technical in those days. ABC, standing for Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass, is an apt acronym for a simple watch that gives you only the outdoor essentials. Altitude, weather conditions, and direction give you much of the basic information needed on a trail, mountain, or body of water. Because of the Core’s reliability, long battery life, and reasonable price tag, this watch has made it to legend status amongst adventurers who want to disconnect. In the age of information overload, more and more are gravitating towards intentional ignorance.
After 30 variations of the original Core and much anticipation, Suunto released the Core 2 in July. Since its US launch two weeks ago, it’s had trouble staying in stock and has officially been back on “Pre-Order” status. It says a lot about adventure enthusiasts’ appetite for a watch that does less.
The packaging the Suunto Core 2 comes in.
Design and Display: Function and reliability drive the design of the Core 2. It looks effortlessly cool wherever your journey takes you. The display on the Core 2 is similar to the original Core, coming with a 1.3-inch screen that’s 40% brighter than the original, making it easy to read even in bright sunlight. They use Gorilla Glass to protect against impact and scratches, meaning you don’t have to worry about banging it up on the trail. Plus, it has a handy “raise-to-wake” feature and lets you toggle between a red backlight for low-light conditions, and a green one for general use in the dark. It’s easy to read at a glance without being distracting. MIL-STD-810 tested durability helps it handle rough use on the trail, at camp, and in the field.
This is not a typical tracker/training watch: It will not track your runs, monitor your pace, or provide a million other data points. If you need all of those metrics, the Core 2 is not the watch for you. There are hundreds of those on the market to choose from, with tons of great options available from Suunto. The Core 2 does have an accurate step counter, a stopwatch, and an alarm clock.
Battery: The standout feature of the Core 2 is the 15 months of battery life. With most smartwatches, it’s only a matter of hours before you need a recharge. The Core 2 takes away that worry completely, and you’ll never stress about forgetting a charging cord. Once the battery starts to get low, you’ll be alerted so that you can change it before your next adventure.
Altimeter: To use the altimeter effectively, you must first calibrate to a point where you are certain of the altitude. For example, a trailhead that says 100 feet. The Core 2 relies on internal mechanics versus GPS. It’s still very accurate and will track your ascent or descent based on a set point. It’s good to recalibrate once in a while, as the readings can shift due to certain weather conditions. Again, if you’re doing some serious climbing and need safety + tracking features, there’s likely a better watch out there for that.
Barometer: This feature is what has impressed me the most with the Core 2. By being able to determine atmospheric pressure, the Core 2 can alert you when there’s been a sudden drop, which indicates nasty weather brewing. The threshold to trip the alarm is around 4 hPa in a span of three hours. If those conditions are met, the watch flashes and alerts you for 20 seconds. While it doesn’t always mean you’re about to get doused, it’s usually a sign to take a break and seek shelter.
Compass: This one’s pretty self-explanatory. It works as well as the one on your phone and can be a lifesaver if all else fails. If you’re really without a paddle, you could always look at the stars like the famous mariners of yesteryear. Just calibrate it once in a while, because magnets can throw off the readings.
Other Features: The red and green interchangeable backlight is one of the sleekest features of this watch. Depending on your current lighting conditions, you can pick between a red or green light. It will light up on lift and turn off after a few seconds. The watch also carries a 10 ATM water-resistance rating, making it suited for swimming and wet-weather use. The Core 2 can also keep track of the moon cycles along with the sunrise/sunset. This is all important when you need to determine how much sunlight or moonlight you have coming up. It also gives you an idea of how the tides will behave if your journey is on or near the water. Lastly, there’s a built-in thermometer for checking ambient temperature. Neato stuff!
The Core 2 does more because it does less. No, this isn’t an ideal watch for someone training for a marathon or beating an old PR. For what it’s designed to do, it’s very good. It’s reliable, efficient, and offers a much-needed break from the tracking overload of a smartwatch. It tells you only what you need and leaves the rest to adventure. There’s no posting on social media or analyzing a tempo workout with this watch. The Core 2 is about getting outside and getting home safely. Next walk, hike, ride, run – whatever it is that makes you feel alive – ditch your smartwatch to see if the Core 2 sets you free.
Preorder the Suunto Core 2 Here
