Suunto Core 2 review: sometimes, a watch is just a watch

If, when you hear the words “Suunto” and “watch” in the same sentence, your brain automatically fills in the letters “GPS,” we should clear something up: the Suunto Core 2 isn’t a GPS watch, or a smartwatch or any kind; it’s an outdoor watch.

Can’t all watches be worn outdoors, you ask? Well, yes, but this watch offers quite a bit more than the old Casio that you used to time your track workouts in days gone by…and a lot less than other Suunto models like the Vertical 2, Race 2 or 9 Peak Pro. So what’s it all about?

The Suunto Core 2 is the upgraded version of the Finnish brand’s original ABC watch (that stands for Altimeter, Barometer, Compass), which came out back in 2007. With those tools, you can use it for basic navigation and telling time, but nothing more.

Now granted, the original release was four years before the first Garmin watch came out, and it was the same year that the very first iPhone was released, so we can forgive them for not thinking of adding GPS capability, a heart rate monitor or an AMOLED screen back then.

Fast forward to 2026, however, and Suunto still hasn’t budged on those details. The Suunto Core 2 is still geared towards bushcraft enthusiasts, and the key upgrades include a higher-contrast LED dot-matrix screen, red and green backlight, storm alerts, Bluetooth, a simple step counter, moon phase tracking and a more durable build. You can sync it with your Suunto app for updates, but the app itself won’t show any data.

It’s a rugged outdoor watch, and it’s clearly aimed at those who want to properly get off grid when they head out into the wild, but also quite like having a few field tools at their disposal without digging around in their backpack.

I’ve tested quite a few Suunto watches, and the Vertical 2 is one of my favourite GPS watches ever, but I have to admit to being a bit stumped when this arrived. I’ve grown to really appreciate the merits of a good GPS watch for hiking in recent years (hello, Garmin Fenix 8 and aforementioned Suunto Vertical 2).

Without colour maps and tracking, was there really enough here to get my teeth into? Over the past month, I’ve had it out in the hills of western Scotland and the trails of Chamonix to see if I can appreciate a simpler approach to adventure watches.

Suunto Core 2 review

Price and availability

The Suunto Core 2 was released in July with an MSRP of £155 / $199 / €199 and is available in one colour: black. At this time, it seems to be sold out on Suunto’s website, but it is available on Amazon.

The price is a substantial discount from the original Suunto Core, which had an MSRP of £199, although that’s now generously discounted thanks to the new release.

It doesn’t really make sense to compare this to the pricing of a GPS watch, I know, but I do think it’s worth pointing out that these days you can find fully loaded smartwatches like the Amazfit Bip 6 much cheaper at under £80, while you can get your hands on Garmin models like the Instinct 2 or Forerunner 55 for under £150, so I can’t make a case for buying this for economic reasons alone.

The fairest comparison is the Casio Pro Trek PRG 270-1, which is a little pricier at £184 and also a no-frills ABC watch.

Design and build quality

Back in 2007, I was living on the Upper East Side on New York and my outdoor adventures tended to revolve around taking the train to Long Island, so I never had the opportunity to test the original Core. Therefore, my comparisons here are based on the information from Suunto, but the upgraded model is very well built with a large 48mm display made using reinforced composite with a rotating stainless steel bezel.

The 1.3” Corning Gorilla Glass display is an upgrade over its predecessor’s mineral crystal, and is apparently 40% brighter, but I must admit I find it really quite dim during daylight hours. This isn’t helped by the fact that I only seem to be able to get it to light up for five seconds at a time.

The silicone strap sits comfortably on my wrist and has lots of adjustability, but the case sits quite proud of my wrist at a chunky 14.84mm thick, making it difficult to wear with long sleeves. It looks the part of a tactical, rugged adventure watch and therefore also looks quite silly on my small wrist. Given that it’s not packed with tech, it seems to me they could make a smaller and slimmer version available, but what do I know about watch-making?

It has five buttons, much like a Garmin: one to turn on the backlight (which annoyingly only works for a few seconds), a back button, one to switch between the outdoor modes (Altimeter, Barometer, Compass, and Tools) and the final two to toggle up and down. It’s reasonably intuitive, but I couldn’t help wondering why a watch that does so little needs so many buttons?

App compatibility

The Core 2 is designed to work independently of the Suunto app, but it has Bluetooth, so you can pair it. As far as I can tell, this allows you to easily change the time when you move into a different time zone, and lets you run software updates; however, after a hike or run, there is no record in the newsfeed, so if you’re looking for a more distraction-free approach to metrics, you might prefer a fitness band like the Garmin Cirqa or Amazfit Helio Strap.

Field tools

The three main tools to explore are the altimeter, barometer and compass. As a hiker, I rely on an altimeter quite a bit, especially if I end up climbing in thick fog and want to gauge how close I am to the top.

It’s useful, but the one on my Core 2 started giving me inaccurate readings, first telling me I was at 329 metres above sea level when I was at home in Glasgow, which is roughly 64 metres (210 feet) above sea level.

I manually updated it, but the next day it said I was 29 metres below sea level. After a software update, it now shows accurately, but it strikes me that in a more rudimentary watch, the exact thing I want to be free of is bugs and software fixes.

Meanwhile, the barometer, which isn’t something I typically use, seems to be roughly in line with my Garmin Fenix 9 Pro and Suunto Vertical 2 watches. I really like the idea of the storm alerts, which detect sudden drops in air pressure and sound an alarm, but sadly I haven’t received one yet.

The compass was reasonably easy to calibrate the first time, and seemed to hold calibration well until I did the software update. It has a small orienteering arrow at the top of the display, a digital magnetic needle that appears when the compass is in use, and two glow-in-the-dark lines (that aren’t very visible in the dark) on the rotating bezel that serve as the Direction of Travel Arrow.

It’s all fairly straightforward to figure out if you’re used to using a compass. However, when my slightly long-sighted partner tried it, he found that he couldn’t see the arrows at all, which is an issue.

After several years of using a GPS watch to navigate, I felt a little rusty, so I first took a bearing with my Silva Expedition compass to remind myself of the steps, then replicated it with the watch, and was pleased to see it was pretty accurate.

That said, I don’t think it’s a true replacement for a see-through compass that you can place on a map for really precise navigation, more a handy backup in a pinch. Because the screen only lights up for a few seconds, I also question how useful it would be compared to a regular compass and headtorch when navigating at night.

Speaking of the new display, it lets you choose between red and green backlight. Thanks to recent upgrades in GPS watches like the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro and Amazfit T-Rex Ultra 2, both of which have a green light option in the torch, I now understand the difference: red light is kinder on your eyes; green light makes it easier to see obstacles.

I’m not sure this is as useful in a backlight versus a torch, and on the Core 2, the difference is nearly indistinguishable to my eyes in daylight, but at night the display is much easier to see (if only it would stay lit). Maybe they should forget about display options and add a torch instead?

The main display shows useful information like the temperature, and I love being able to see sunset and sunrise times, particularly now that the days are starting to shrink.

Honestly, my favourite thing about this watch is having the moon phases on my wrist – I love being outdoors at night during the full moon, and I can see this being helpful information for fishing, too.

Health and fitness tracking

Without a heart rate or blood oxygen monitor, there’s not much tracking the Core 2 can do, but it does have a basic step counter. Because the Suunto app doesn’t log any activity data, it’s a little hard for me to compare the steps with another watch, but the total steps from a recent trail run were on par with what I’d expect for the distance.

Battery life

If I sound a little nonplussed about this watch, it’s because I am, but it has one clear advantage over GPS watches: you never have to charge it. Ever. This Core 2 is powered by a CR3032 coin cell battery for a mammoth 15 months, at which point I expect to receive an alert telling me to change it. That is all. No range panic here, thank you.

Verdict

In a world where we expect the kitchen sink from our watches, it’s a little difficult not to view the Suunto Core 2 as lacking. Taken on its own, it mostly does what it says, even if the screen is quite dim and the compass is only for those with 20/20 vision.

Clearly, I’m not the target audience for this watch, but I still have a hard time imagining who might be. The people in my life who hate the thought of a constantly buzzing watch and much prefer analogue adventures would probably prefer using a regular watch and an actual compass.

But if you’re a bushcraft enthusiast in the market for a tough watch with some tools that let you leave your phone at home and don’t mind paying more than you would for a basic smartwatch, I’d say this is one of only two options out there.

Also consider

If you’re looking for a more basic adventure watch, I’d actually recommend you check out the Coros Nomad, which doesn’t give you annoying notifications or an obnoxiously bright screen, but does have the addition of colour maps.