Suunto’s The Ocean Dive Watch in Black

Suunto, a Finnish firm, was based in 1936 by Tuomas Vohlonen, who revolutionized navigation by inventing the liquid-filled compass, a breakthrough for these making an attempt to navigate the planet again within the day. The corporate initially centered on producing high-quality compasses however expanded its experience within the Eighties to incorporate dive computer systems and watches. Over the a long time, Suunto launched groundbreaking improvements, akin to the primary dive pc with a graphical show, adopted by superior options like wi-fi tank strain monitoring and multi-gas assist. The corporate later ventured into wearable expertise, creating smartwatches that mix health monitoring with out of doors navigation capabilities. Right now, Suunto is a trusted identify within the out of doors and diving communities and a fairly well-liked watch to purchase on the PX if our within the Navy. This evaluation will deal with Suunto’s new The Ocean Dive Watch.

Watch/Timepiece Protection on AllOutdoor

The Suunto Ocean Black Dive watch was offered by Suunto for this evaluation, and this watch will likely be going again to them after the conclusion of this evaluation. This won’t change my opinion on any of their present or future choices, and Suunto has not been allowed to preview this text previous to publication. I had been carrying the Suunto Ocean for about 4 months straight initially of this 12 months and have used it for all my every day makes use of and on many out of doors actions. 

Specs

Design and Construct High quality

At the beginning, the Suunto The Ocean Dive Watch impressed me with its glossy, trendy design. It’s clear that Suunto has embraced its Finnish roots, choosing a clear, practical aesthetic. The watch options a stainless-steel bezel and sapphire glass, which not solely seems to be premium but in addition feels sturdy. The 1.43-inch AMOLED show is superior and appears superb in all lighting situations. It’s vivid, colourful, and straightforward to learn each on land and underwater. Regardless of its sturdy construct, the watch is surprisingly light-weight and cozy, and it weighs not more than a basic metal dive watch. The strap can be nice and is similar to those that include Garmin Smartwatches. It’s massive and sturdy and appears like it might probably stand as much as a beating, however nonetheless snug.

Diving Options

The Suunto Ocean is designed primarily for leisure divers, and it delivers on that entrance. It helps single and multi-gas dive modes with air and nitrox (as much as 100% oxygen), which covers most informal diving wants. One of many coolest options is the 3D dive profile, which maps out your underwater route utilizing information from the watch’s sensors. Whereas it’s not at all times 100% correct from my analysis, its nonetheless a fairly cool characteristic!

The watch makes use of the Suunto Bühlmann 16 GF algorithm for decompression administration, which is understood for being conservative. This implies you would possibly get barely much less backside time in comparison with different dive computer systems, but it surely additionally provides an additional layer of security. This may are available very useful when diving in a brand new location.  You’ll be able to alter the gradient components in case you’re snug tweaking the settings.

One other characteristic is the flexibility to pair the watch with the Suunto Tank POD for wi-fi tank strain monitoring. I didn’t do that, however nonetheless needed to the touch on it for perhaps some extra skilled divers who discover this evaluation. The characteristic that allows you to control your air consumption with out fumbling with conventional gauges, in response to Suunto.  The watch additionally affords customizable audio and vibration alarms for depth, dive time, and tank strain, guaranteeing you keep knowledgeable with out being overwhelmed.

On a regular basis and Sports activities Options

What units the Suunto Ocean aside from conventional dive computer systems is its versatility. It doubles as a totally practical sports activities watch with over 95 exercise modes, together with operating, biking, swimming, and even fencing in case you can consider it.  I discovered the on-wrist coronary heart fee monitoring to be extremely correct throughout my exercises, and the watch’s step counting, calorie monitoring, and sleep evaluation are all tremendous cool.

The high-precision GNSS system ensures correct location monitoring, and the offline maps (accessible globally at no additional price) are a pleasant contact for out of doors adventures. I believe that is essentially the most correct GPS-based smartwatch I’ve used but. Whereas on night runs, I might see my mile time improve or lower nearly immediately, relying on my tempo. This was much more correct than another sport watches I’ve used.  Whether or not I used to be climbing or biking, the navigation options have been spot-on. The watch additionally integrates with the Suunto app, which gives detailed insights into your coaching load, restoration, and sleep patterns. It even affords AI-based teaching for customized coaching suggestions, although I didn’t dive too deep into that characteristic.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life is the place the Suunto Ocean really shines. It boasts as much as 60 hours in dive mode and 50 hours with steady GPS monitoring. These numbers simply outpace rivals just like the Apple Watch Extremely 2. In common smartwatch mode, it might probably last as long as 16 days, which is spectacular for a tool with such a vivid AMOLED show. Throughout my testing, I solely wanted to cost it as soon as over a two-week interval, even with common use.

Nonetheless, the charging expertise left one thing to be desired. The watch ships with an old-school USB-A charger, which feels outdated in a world shifting towards USB-C. The charging cable additionally doesn’t maintain the watch securely, so it might probably simply disconnect if bumped. It’s a minor inconvenience, but it surely’s one thing Suunto might enhance in future fashions.

Execs and Cons

Execs

• Versatile design that works for each diving and on a regular basis actions.
• Shiny, easy-to-read AMOLED show with sapphire glass for sturdiness.
• Lengthy battery life for diving, sports activities, and every day use.
• Helps a number of dive modes and fuel mixtures,
• Over 95 sport modes, coronary heart fee monitoring, and exercise monitoring for on a regular basis use.
• Customizable watch faces and shows

Cons

• UI is new to the market, which means there will not be many various watch faces to obtain in comparison with Garmin.
• Ships with a USB-A charger, which feels outdated.
• The strap could also be too quick for some customers, particularly over thick dive fits.

Aggressive Choices

The Suunto Ocean isn’t the one participant within the dive computer-meets-sports-watch market. Its essential rivals are the Garmin Descent collection and the Apple Watch Extremely 2.

• Garmin Descent Mk3i: This can be a beast of a watch, providing superior options like trimix and rebreather assist, making it very best for technical divers. Nonetheless, it comes at a better worth level and lacks the Suunto Ocean’s glossy design and longer battery life. If you happen to’re a leisure diver, the Ocean affords higher worth.

• Apple Watch Extremely 2: With its bigger show and assist for extra superior diving techniques, the Extremely 2 is a robust contender. Nonetheless, its battery life is considerably shorter, and it’s not as dive-focused because the Suunto Ocean. If you happen to’re already within the Apple ecosystem, it is perhaps tempting, however for devoted divers, the Ocean is a greater match.

Wrap Up

After weighing the professionals and cons, I consider the Suunto Ocean is a implausible choice for leisure divers and out of doors adventurers who need a single system for all their adventures. Its mixture of dive-specific options, sports activities monitoring, and on a regular basis usability makes it a flexible companion. Whereas it’s not good, particularly for technical divers or those that want extra technical options, it affords an excellent steadiness of performance, design, and battery life at a really aggressive worth, for my part. If you happen to’re ranging from scratch or trying to improve from an older dive pc, the Suunto Ocean is certainly price trying into and possibly shopping for.

Patrik Orcutt

Patrik is a contract photographer who has been fortunate sufficient to see lots of the world and doc his travels along with his digital camera. He has labored for the U.S. authorities as a Public Affairs Officer documenting Multi-Nationwide Particular Forces Coaching across the World. He’s at present engaged on turning into a Blackhawk Pilot for the Military whereas being an avid gear junky and out of doors fanatic.