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 attempting to navigate the planet again within the day. The corporate initially targeted 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, reminiscent of the primary dive laptop with a graphical show, adopted by superior options like wi-fi tank strain monitoring and multi-gas assist. The corporate later ventured into wearable know-how, creating smartwatches that mix health monitoring with outside navigation capabilities. In the present day, Suunto is a trusted title within the outside and diving communities and a reasonably widespread watch to purchase on the PX if our within the Army. This evaluate 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 evaluate, and this watch will likely be going again to them after the conclusion of this evaluate. This is not going to 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 sporting the Suunto Ocean for about 4 months straight initially of this yr and have used it for all my each day makes use of and on many outside actions. 

Specs

Design and Construct High quality

At the beginning, the Suunto The Ocean Dive Watch impressed me with its smooth, fashionable design. It’s clear that Suunto has embraced its Finnish roots, choosing a clear, useful aesthetic. The watch options a chrome steel bezel and sapphire glass, which not solely seems premium but additionally feels sturdy. The 1.43-inch AMOLED show is superior and appears superb in all lighting circumstances. It’s vibrant, 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 also be nice and is similar to those that include Garmin Smartwatches. It’s giant and sturdy and appears like it could possibly 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 reasonably cool function!

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

One other function 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 evaluate. The function that permits you to regulate your air consumption with out fumbling with conventional gauges, in response to Suunto.  The watch additionally gives customizable audio and vibration alarms for depth, dive time, and tank strain, making certain you keep knowledgeable with out being overwhelmed.

On a regular basis and Sports activities Options

What units the Suunto Ocean other than conventional dive computer systems is its versatility. It doubles as a completely useful sports activities watch with over 95 exercise modes, together with operating, biking, swimming, and even fencing for those who can imagine it.  I discovered the on-wrist coronary heart charge 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 (out there globally at no further price) are a pleasant contact for outside adventures. I feel that is essentially the most correct GPS-based smartwatch I’ve used but. Whereas on night runs, I may 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 mountain climbing or biking, the navigation options had been spot-on. The watch additionally integrates with the Suunto app, which offers detailed insights into your coaching load, restoration, and sleep patterns. It even gives AI-based teaching for personalised coaching suggestions, although I didn’t dive too deep into that function.

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 could possibly last as long as 16 days, which is spectacular for a tool with such a vibrant 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 transferring towards USB-C. The charging cable additionally doesn’t maintain the watch securely, so it could possibly simply disconnect if bumped. It’s a minor inconvenience, nevertheless it’s one thing Suunto may enhance in future fashions.

Execs and Cons

Execs

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

Cons

• UI is new to the market, that means there should not 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 perfect for technical divers. Nonetheless, it comes at a better worth level and lacks the Suunto Ocean’s smooth design and longer battery life. In case you’re a leisure diver, the Ocean gives 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. In case you’re already within the Apple ecosystem, it may be tempting, however for devoted divers, the Ocean is a greater match.

Wrap Up

After weighing the professionals and cons, I imagine the Suunto Ocean is a incredible possibility for leisure divers and outside adventurers who need a single machine 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 excellent, particularly for technical divers or those that want extra technical options, it gives an excellent stability of performance, design, and battery life at a really aggressive worth, for my part. In case you’re ranging from scratch or seeking to improve from an older dive laptop, the Suunto Ocean is unquestionably price trying into and possibly shopping for.

Patrik Orcutt

Patrik is a contract photographer who has been fortunate sufficient to see plenty of the world and doc his travels along with his digicam. 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 changing into a Blackhawk Pilot for the Military whereas being an avid gear junky and outside fanatic.