Suunto Core 2 questions/advice before possible return

mikekoski490

Hi,

Ive owned tons of Suunto watches over 30 years - Observer, T6, X9/10, Core, Ambit, Race, Verical etc, so understand the brand and am of course a huge fan being of Finnish ancestry.

From a nostalgia point of view, was excited about the update to the Core 2 so purchased one and it arrived a week ago. Im chill with everything quirky but cant stand inaccuracies or bad software, so my question is does anyone have the issues below, and if so, should I keep it in hopes of improvement via updates, or return as this is likely as good as it gets.

Sunrise/Sunset - it’s only correct for about 24 hours, then changes to incorrect times by about 20 minutes each morning, and I have to re-pair with the app to fix the times. For an off grid watch that shouldn’t rely on a phone…? Thought once my location set on the Core should be fine, but it’s not.
Related to above, it’s quite difficult to connect the watch to the Suunto app. Takes about 3-4 tries.
Steps: pretty much doubles my step count each day. Ive even just walked counting steps and it’s not even close, so this feature is completely unreliable presently.

So, advice?: keep and wait for updates or return given the 30 day return window.

Fyi Suunto support said I can return it - that was their advice.

Thanks!

Alpha

@mikekoski490
I think I’ll go back to my Core Alpha as well. There are a few improvements, but more changes for the worse.
The main one, which I’m describing in another discussion thread, is that the barometric pressure graph is still flat, even though the numerical pressure values show the actual readings. I’ve been working on this with Suunto support for two months now, but so far to no avail.
I’m still hoping this will be fixed in the third software version. If not, I’ll return the Core 2. I haven’t noticed the issues you’re describing yet.
Suunto clearly didn’t put much effort into the new version of its iconic Core watches. It’s sad.

mikekoski490

@Alpha Question: my sunrise/sunset times change every morning. So I have to pair the Core with the app each morning to get it to update to the correct times. This even though my location is set on the watch correctly.

Does your Core 2 do the same thing?

Egika

I had my Core 2 sitting on my table for a couple of weeks now.
Have just checked sunrise/sunset times.
Watch says today: 07:34/18:42
Internet says: 07:23/18:55

So it is 11 to 13mins apart.
While I don’t think that this makes a big difference in practice, I am reporting it.

mikekoski490

@Egika Thanks. Just checked again this morning. Last night said sunset here 6:58pm (correct) Woke up and it said sunset 6:38pm (wrong) Synced with the app and it went back to 6:57pm (correct)

So for some reason it’s changing overnight when not connected to the app?

Egika

@mikekoski490 interesting.
Can you share where you are based and which city you have set in the watch?

mikekoski490

@Egika Vancouver BC Canada

Alpha

@mikekoski490
Isn’t it the case that the watch sets sunrise and sunset times as approximate values (based on the selected city), but when it syncs via the app, the app uses the phone’s precise GPS location and sets the exact times for that location? Once it disconnects from the app (and the precise location), it reverts to the settings based on the city selected in the watch.

mikekoski490

@Alpha Yes, I think that is exactly what it is doing. Question then is why is the native on watch setting for sunset time, for example, about 20 minutes different from the gps/ app time for the same location?

Alpha

@mikekoski490
If we’re talking about the time difference between specific geographic coordinates, then, for example, here (Czech Republic—Central Time Zone), the time difference per 100 km is about 5–6 minutes. I don’t know how it works where you are. So if the watch were set to Prague (central), and I were in Brno (about 190 km away), the app would shift the sunrise and sunset times east-west by about 11–12 minutes. I’m not sure how it works where you are. The farther north you go, the more minutes the actual sunrise and sunset times shift.
But of course, I don’t know if that’s the case or if the problem is with the watch.
What’s bothering me is that barometric pressure graph that stays flat!!! 🫤 And I’ve noticed it in practically every Core 2 review on YT.

mikekoski490

@Alpha Thanks. Yes, I think that’s accurate and again thanks for the info. I am actually north about 100km from the closest city listed in the Core 2 settings, so agree now that I dont think it’s a software glitch.

I guess the Bluetooth app connection is trying to fill in the gaps so Im ok with it.

I agree too the new baro graph is a bit underwhelming, but i sort of knew that before purchase so im ok with it. ‘Generally’ the baro graph is similar to other watches I have (…although flatter and less dramatic), but have to remember to lock in baro mode overnight.

If I could change anything, it would be:

Go back to the Core auto alti/baro switch. On the Core 2, I realize now I have to put it in the baro mode to lock it to get an accurate graph if Im not moving. Reminds me of my old Suunto Observer. I have to remember to switch out of baro mode before I go anywhere.
If Suunto can do a firmware update to improve the auto alti/baro lock, then the baro trend arrow would be able to be visible in the main time screen again, like on the original Core.

Alpha

@mikekoski490
Well, if you’re north of the meridian, it shouldn’t make a difference—you’d have to be traveling east or west from the reference point (the city) for the time difference to take effect. If you were exactly north (along the meridian), there would be no time difference. So, on the map, you need to follow the meridian northward from the city set on your watch and, at your current location (on the parallel), measure the distance from that meridian to your position and use that to calculate the time difference.
In this regard, I swear by my favorite Suunto Traverse Alpha watch… with that one, I rarely have to correct the altimeter. Hopefully, we’ll see a more substantial software update for the Core 2 soon! Or I’ll just go back to wearing my good old Core Alpha.

g.tsafos

Yeap, my Core 2 also receives the pre-calculated (at least that’s my understanding) Sunrise-Sunset values when synced with the phone/app. The next day the values are off.

klipowicz

I’m experiencing the same issue with my Suunto Core 2 and its sunrise/sunset times. Everything looks correct immediately after syncing with the app, but by the very next day, the times can be off by up to 10 minutes.

What makes this even stranger is that I’m physically located in the same city selected as my reference city in the watch settings.

I’ve contacted Suunto support, but so far, I haven’t made much progress. We’re still going back and forth over basic troubleshooting steps, such as recalibrating the compass and verifying the selected city, even though I’ve already done everything before I contacted them.

Hopefully, Suunto will investigate the actual cause of the problem rather than continue repeating basic troubleshooting steps.

I also gave them direct link to this post so we will see.

Egika

I have reported the sunrise/sunset times issue.

Alpha

Has anyone here received a response from Suunto Support explaining why they added the “Dive” feature to the Core 2 but lowered the recommended maximum dive depth from 10 m (Core 1) to 2 m (Core 2)?!
They didn’t give me an explanation!

klipowicz

This is what I’ve observed over the last three days.

The watch’s sunrise and sunset times become inaccurate right at midnight, with an error of about 5-10 minutes. After syncing, the times are almost spot on again, usually within 0-1 minute, but only until the next midnight.
This doesn’t make sense to me. I specifically bought an ABC watch so I wouldn’t have to rely on a phone connection. At this point, I have to sync the watch with the app every day just to keep the sunrise and sunset times accurate.
My Suunto Traverse, which is probably over 10 years old, gets these times spot on without this issue.

I’m seriously considering returning the watch because this defeats one of the main reasons I bought it in the first place.

klipowicz

Update to my previous observations:

The interesting thing is that the watch is significantly off only after the first midnight. If I don’t connect it to the app the next day, the time drifts by only about a minute the following day, which is normal day-to-day variation. However, the watch remains inaccurate because of the significant shift that occurred the previous day.

It almost seems like the watch either has incorrect coordinates programmed for the selected location or uses an incorrect formula to calculate sunrise and sunset times. It may then be trying to correct the time based on the data received from the app during the last sync and overwrite it the following day at midnight.

Alpha

@klipowicz
Maybe someone from Suunto will answer our questions about this! Surely someone from the company must be registered here! Or are the employees not Suunto fans?!

johann.fuehrer

@klipowicz If I would have to guess, the connection with the app delivers correct position for your location and therefore the times are ok, while this is reset to a default position for your timezone which you have set on your watch on each new day, until sync again…