Suunto Spartan

To dethrone, or at least catch up with the competition, in this particular case with the Garmin Fénix 3, which remains at the top in the exclusive segment of multisport and adventure watches. With that purpose, Suunto has announced the launch of the Suunto Spartan Ultra -top of the range model of the collection-, what would become for the Finnish brand the Ambit4, and that supposedly comes to improve sections such as design, performance, and also technology with respect to the successful Ambit3 saga. A reference collection, which continues to work wonderfully, but it is true that it had been a step behind its most direct rivals.

That is why the solution that Suunto proposes to the athlete includes two options of Heart Rate Monitors & Sports Watches with GPS: Spartan Ultra and Spartan Sport. And do not think that this is a launch associated with the famous obstacle course, because it has nothing to do with it, although this does not mean that you can not wear one of these models, if you feel like it. Both bets -Ultra or Sport- from the Finnish manufacturer bring with them a renewed service from Suuntos Movescount.com platform. In addition to having apps for smartphones, both iOS and Android.

New highlights of the Suunto Spartan collection

The first detail that jumps out, and to which Suunto has given priority to establish a change of trend, is its screen. In previous models of the Ambit family, the screen era monochrome, now the Suunto Spartan models incorporate a full color touch screen, and the latest generation. They also have the added benefit of enjoying a wide viewing angle - in wide-angle format - which translates into greater visibility in any outdoor activity that is practiced.

In addition, this touch screen is optimized to cope with possible interference from the environment in which the athlete moves. And although it is tactile, facilitating its operation with slides and touches of the fingers, the Suunto Spartan reinforce is intuitive operation with three buttons, which can be used without difficulty in full race.

The idea of being a multisport watch is guaranteed with its 80 sport modes that are already configured in the device. In this way they are prepared to perform any physical activity, since they offer specific parameters for each sport disciplinerunning, trail running, cycling, swimming, triathlon, adventure sports, hiking, among others).

Precise parameters and measurements

This innovative range of sports gadgets from the Finnish brand offers high accuracy when measuring parameters such as speed, distance, altitude, heart rate, calories and pace. Through bike-specific sensors or external potentiometers, the Suunto Spartan also offers support for cycling. And of course, these also include specific swimming functions - stroke count and pace.

On the other hand, in the next update, Suunto already plans to include heart rate measurement from the wrist itself (Sport model).

Without leaving aside the information provided by the Suunto Spartan, thanks to the GPS/GLONASS systems, these Heart Rate Monitors & Sports Watches are able to offer guided navigation of the route being followed, with built-in digital compass. In the case of the Suunto Spartan Ultra, the top of the range of the collection, it also incorporates the barometric altitude function with FusedAlti.

With so much performance and functionality, the big question is: How long does the battery last in training mode? With GPS active, the Suunto Spartan Ultra has a battery life of 26 hours, while the Suunto Spartan Sport has a shorter battery life of 16 hours.

Craftsmanship and durability

As with the latest generation of wearables in the Suunto Ambit 3 collection, the Suunto Spartan is also handcrafted in Finland. The Suunto Spartan Ultra stands out for its sleek aesthetics, featuring a reinforced casing, sapphire crystal and grade 5 bezel in titanium or stainless steel. The Ultra model can be submerged to a depth of about 300 feet -100 meters-, so it is designed to resist with maximum guarantees in any challenge that the athlete is marked. For its part, the Suunto Spartan Sport also stands out for its attractive design with the same features as its big brother: stainless steel bezel, mineral crystal glass and waterproof to 100 meters.

Both models incorporate the "Training Insights" function in the watch itself, and through Suunto Movescount, offer a range of visual descriptions of the athlete's progression, showing training load, rest and recovery, which provides valor information for training planning.

Suunto Spartan watches are also capable of monitoring the user's physical activity - steps taken and calories burned - 24 hours a day, seven days a week, generatingsummaries of all daily and weekly exercise performed, which can be collated in the athlete's training history. At the same time, these devices also report on personal records in each sporting discipline, which may be set in different measurement parameters.

Heat maps to discover new routes

In the field of route navigation, using the Suunto Movescount app or its web version and detailed topographic maps, the athlete has the possibility of activating the so-called heat maps in more than 15 different sports. This functionality makes it possible to locate the most popular places in the Movescount community anywhere on the planet, suitable for swimming, running, cycling and even skiing, among other disciplines.

The smart notifications chapter requires synchronization via the Suunto Movescount Mobile Apps, operational on both iOS and Android. In addition, another plus point of the new Suunto Spartan collection is that it has customizable dials with different shades. Thus, to the characteristic colors of the Finnish brand -black, white and blue-, a new one in a pink range is added, and that Suunto calls "Sakura".

That yes we will stay with the desire to test it until after the summer, because as Suunto announces on its official website, both Suunto Sparta Ultra and Suunto Spartan Sport will be available from September 2016.