Suunto Core 2 arrives nearly 20 years after the original

Suunto has launched Core 2, bringing back its classic outdoor watch with a brighter display, tougher construction and up to 15 months of battery life. It still focuses on the altimeter, barometer and compass rather than GPS and training metrics, but Bluetooth and step tracking bring the formula into the modern era.

The Core formula stays intact

The original Suunto Core launched in 2007 and became one of the company’s most recognisable outdoor watches. It offered environmental data and basic navigation tools without the colour maps, heart rate sensor and charging routine that come with a modern GPS watch.

Core 2 does not abandon that approach. It remains an outdoor tool watch rather than a smaller Suunto Vertical or Race, with a user-replaceable battery and a display designed to show essential information without demanding much attention.

We first uncovered Suunto Core 2 through an FCC filing in April. The documents revealed the OW245 model number, Bluetooth, a replaceable CR3032 battery and 100-metre water resistance well before Suunto confirmed the watch.

A second Core 2 certification appeared in June, showing the same OW245 model moving through another regional approval database. At that point, it was already clear that Suunto was preparing a proper successor rather than simply refreshing the colour options of the original.

A brighter screen and much better water resistance

Core 2 has a 1.3-inch LED dot-matrix display protected by Gorilla Glass. Suunto says the screen is 40% brighter than the original Core display, while raise-to-wake lighting should make it easier to check quickly in changing conditions.

The backlight can switch between red and green. These options reduce glare and help preserve night vision, which could prove useful during camping, fishing and early-morning hikes.

The watch measures 49mm across and 14.8mm thick, so Suunto has not tried to disguise its outdoor-tool origins. It weighs 56.5 grams and comes with a replaceable 22mm silicone strap.

Water resistance increases from 3 ATM on the original Core to 10 ATM on Core 2. That is a nice upgrade for a watch aimed at people who may wear it through wet outdoor conditions.

Suunto has also added Gorilla Glass protection, a reinforced composite case and larger physical buttons. The buttons should be easier to operate while wearing gloves, which makes more sense here than a touchscreen would.

Updated outdoor sensors lead the feature list

Core 2 uses a revised altimeter, barometer and compass system. Suunto says it has improved sensor processing to produce more stable altitude and pressure readings, although we will need to test that claim outside before judging how noticeable the difference is.

Automatic pressure filtering aims to reduce false storm warnings. The storm alarm continues to monitor rapid changes in barometric pressure and warns the wearer when conditions may be deteriorating.

The offline magnetic compass includes bearing lock and does not need a phone connection. Core 2 also tracks real-time altitude, ascent, descent, sunrise and sunset times, along with moon phases and daily steps.

Moon-phase information is one of the new additions. It could be useful when planning night hikes, camping trips or fishing sessions, while step tracking gives the watch a modest everyday activity feature without turning it into a full fitness tracker.

There is no onboard GPS, optical heart rate sensor or colour mapping. Core 2 is therefore unlikely to replace a dedicated sports watch, but that is not what Suunto appears to be trying to do.

Bluetooth without the usual smartwatch clutter

Bluetooth connects Core 2 to the Suunto app for automatic time synchronisation, step-data transfers and over-the-air firmware updates. Suunto has kept the connected features fairly limited, with no suggestion that the watch will display notifications or run apps.

The replaceable CR3032 battery lasts for up to 15 months. The original model offered around 12 months, so the new watch extends battery life a bit.

Suunto Core 2 is available globally from today on the company’s website. It costs $199 in the US, €199 in Europe and £155 in the UK. We expect to have the device in for testing and will publish our full hands-on review soon.

Suunto Core 2 vs the original Core

Core 2 keeps the same 49mm case size and basic ABC watch concept, but most of the practical hardware has moved forward. The biggest changes are the brighter display, stronger water resistance, longer battery life and Bluetooth support.