Suunto upgrades its essential outdoor watch after two decades with a brighter LED screen and a 15-month battery
The Core 2 swaps GPS, AMOLED and endless health metrics for an LED display, a replaceable battery and essential navigation tools
Most outdoor watch manufacturers are currently competing to offer brighter AMOLED displays, more detailed maps and increasingly sophisticated health insights.
Even though the brand has launched several modern smartwatches, including the Suunto Race 2 and Suunto Run, Suunto’s latest release takes a decidedly different approach.
The Core 2 is an old-school outdoor watch built around a monochrome LED display, physical buttons and a replaceable coin-cell battery.
There is no GPS, heart-rate sensor, or app-packed smartwatch interface, but it can run continuously for up to 15 months without needing a charge.
It is the successor to the original Suunto Core, launched in 2007 and subsequently adopted by hikers, outdoor professionals and tactical users.
The new model preserves its predecessor’s chunky tool-watch aesthetic while introducing several practical hardware upgrades.
Its essential outdoor functions come from an updated altimeter, barometer and compass (ABC) sensor suite.
The watch can track altitude, ascent and descent, monitor atmospheric pressure and provide offline directional guidance using a magnetic compass with bearing lock.
Suunto has also added automatic pressure filtering, designed to reduce false storm warnings, along with an alarm that alerts the wearer to a rapid drop in barometric pressure.
Back to (outdoor) basics
The 1.3-inch dot-matrix LED display is said to be 40% brighter than the original Core's and is now protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.
You can switch between red and green backlighting, while a raise-to-wake function illuminates the screen without requiring a button press.
Water resistance has risen substantially from 3 ATM to 10 ATM, meaning the Core 2 is rated to withstand pressure equivalent to a depth of 100 metres.
Its reinforced composite case measures 49mm across and 14.8mm thick, while the watch weighs 56.5g before the 22mm silicone strap is added.
Other functions include sunrise and sunset times, moon phase information, cumulative elevation, daily step tracking, dual time zones, a stopwatch, a countdown timer, and alarms.
Bluetooth connectivity is included, although its role is deliberately limited.
Pairing the watch with the Suunto app enables automatic time synchronisation, step data transfers, and over-the-air firmware updates.
The Suunto Core 2 will be available globally from 21 July 2026, followed by a US launch on 20 August.
It is priced at $199 in the US, €199 in Europe and $155 in the UK, with AU pricing yet to be confirmed.
Head over to Suunto for more information.
