Date-Time not persisted after shutdown (Vertical)

[g.tsafos]

@2b2bff yeap I know that’s one way to sync with the app given you have your cellphone at your disposal at all time. That’s why at the beginning of the test I disabled Auto time update feature.

The problem is that the watch cannot persist the date and time without getting it from some satellite first… After power off and back on the date time values are not saved and it initializes to 1st of January.

Now suppose after a power on that you don’t have your phone (drained battery) and you get a bad gps signal… Your watch is stuck to the wrong datetime (1st January) …

[sartoric]

Let’s say that this kind of watches are not supposed to be turned off and on frequently.
The power-off function’s purpose is more for long-time storage.

[g.tsafos]

@sartoric True but the power off function is also for power preservation (mostly IMO). The battery will drain physicaly from long-time inactivity anyway so the power off function has nothing to do with it.

Still, there is an important case where the watch looses the date and time. Is it an issue? For me it is because a watch should keep time at almost all times except from a full battery drain which makes sense.

When the watch is Powered OFF with a full battery and it can’t preserve date time, I would say it’s a bit of an issue…

[sky-runner]

@g.tsafos Let’s apply some critical thinking. How does the watch know whether you powered it off for a minute or for a month? When it is powered on again, without an external source how it is supposed to set date and time?

While the hardware could have an independent clock module that is always powered on and keeps ticking even when the rest of the watch is off, obviously that isn’t the case (and likely not a priority for 99% of users).

[g.tsafos]

@sky-runner Perfect! You answered my question . So from what I understand, please correct me if Im wrong, the Vertical does not have a dedicated RTC or a low-power circuit preserving the date-time when powered-off with a full battery. Thanks for that.

As for your opinion for priority of 99% of users let me just state how the Vertical is marketed and sold:
“Adventure watch for outdoor expeditions and training.”

So for me that is a feature such a watch should probably have.

Again thank you for you immediate response and enlightening information on the circuitry of the Vertical.

[Inge Nallsson]

@sky-runner said:

When it is powered on again, without an external source how it is supposed to set date and time?

With an extremely cheap little RTC chip which draws almost no power. All my Garmins, the Coros Pace 2 and - the latest purchase - a Huawei Watch D2 wake up from a complete shutdown retaining correct date and time (plus/minus normal seconds drift for a RTC). Suunto, the Race S in my case, is the first one I see to boot up with total amnesia.

Edit: Have to apologise regarding the Huawei watch… It refuses to even complete a boot-up without having a connection to the App! Stepped outside, booted up, and it requested a pairing… But Garmin and Coros are phone independent for sure (once having done the initial setup).

[snow*]

@sartoric If I’m not mistaken, the Apollo 510 is equipped with an RTC, so it can keep track of the time even when it’s turned off (typical current draw of roughly hundred of nA), but apparently Suunto has very good reasons for not using it

[thanasis]

On top of that… I have seen that actually the watch is losing 2-3 seconds a week if not synched to a phone which is strange in my view .

[isazi]

I believe that starting with Race 2 and Vertical 2, this is not the case anymore, and the watches when rebooted keep the time settings.

[g.tsafos]

@isazi I just bought the Vertical two weeks ago with much sucrifice … so buying a Vertical 2 is not an option for me personaly …

[sartoric]

@g.tsafos
if it’s a huge issue for you, you can return it.
unfortunately it is what it is.

[g.tsafos]

@sartoric Oh, I know my options sir… no need to dictate …

Sometimes when talking about an issue good things can come out …

Anyway thanks everybody for your insights

[thanasis]

@g.tsafos yes it “Reads” strange the response. it like that’s it: if you don’t like sell it, we don’t care …

it is strange indeed