Face compared to a USD quarter
Wrist-strap with 2 secure ribbons
Suunto offers a diverse option of features within 4 categories as they put it: “Plan. Progress. Recover. Relive”. With each category, the watch is dependent on their website service called Movescount, which is like Strava, MapMyFitness, and Facebook combined.
I found it hard to understand exactly what this watch could offer me that would make it worth its hefty price tag ($500 MSRP), but what caught my eye was that it was among the few “smart” devices that could track swimming laps. No other watch on the market at the time of this review does that, and syncs up with their Smart Sensor Heart Rate belt. Look out for a future review on the Smart Sensor HR belt too. My iPhone paired with the Smart Sensor had been my activity tracker since the HR belt can store data locally during a swim workout. To track swim sessions is what initially grabbed my attention, but what sold me was the fact that using my phone was severely limited due to its consistent inaccuracies in both GPS data from my runs in Boston as well as failures to sync up the HR belt after a swim. Other wearable smart technology such as Fitbit and Mio are not as accurate of devices for reading heart rate and are not GPS-enabled. Smart phones are not GPS tools to use in the backcountry, end of story. Unfortunately, using the HR belt solely with the Movescount iOS app could not provide you the holistic experience Suunto had in mind.
“It doesn’t matter why you’re moving. Climbing a mountain, racing to the finish line, or just out for the pure pleasure of it, we want to give you the freedom to focus on your goal. The Suunto Connected Family with Ambit3 offers you the ultimate package for planning, following your progress, ensuring optimal recovery and sharing your sports moments. It is Suunto’s first Bluetooth® Smart compatible product family.” - Suunto
Features on this watch include:
· 30h battery with 5 sec-GPS accuracy (1 min-accuracy: 200h)
· Route navigation and track back
· Compass
· Altitude (FusedAltiTM)
· Weather information
· Heart rate in swimming**
· Activity based recovery time
· Speed, pace and distance
· Bike power support (Bluetooth Smart)
· Multiple sports in one log
· Movescount training programs on the watch
· Extended feature set through Suunto Apps
· Languages: EN, CS, DA, DE, ES, FI, FR, IT, JA, KO, NL, NO, PL, PT, RU, SV, ZH
·
For availability information, check www.suunto.com/software-updates
· CONNECTIVITY
· Upload and share your moves instantly*
· Customize your watch on the go*
· Time and GPS satellite data up to date on the go*
· Use your phone as second watch display* (Add an extended battery pack for your smartphone to support even longer adventures.)
· See calls, messages and push notifications on the watch*
·
ENRICH, RELIVE AND SHARE
· Take photos during your Move showing your current speed, distance, and more*
· Create a Suunto Movie of your Move with 3D map, key metrics and images*
· Share your experience instantly to your social media networks*
·
*with the Suunto Movescount App
**with Suunto Smart Sensor
· Note! The Ambit3 watches are Bluetooth Smart compatible, not compatible with ANT+™ (e.g. Suunto ANT PODs, Suunto Dual or Suunto ANT belt)
My expectations for this device were that it to be a ubiquitous tool that enhances my experience in any activity. Spending that kind of money even on sale, this watch should be my primary day-to-day watch. Additionally, I expect it to tell me the time and date while looking stylish enough for the workplace that I don’t look like a fitness bum. It certainly tells me the time and date, but I do get some comments from coworkers noticing its bold features and large digital face. If you work in finance or a corporate world where looks are critical, the Suunto Ambit3 is not your day-to-day watch.
Using the watch for running or trekking, the big face makes it easy to read in any condition. Preloaded activity profiles are easy and intuitive to use. Additionally, views during any given activity can be customized via the Movescount app or website to display any metric that can be recorded by the device. Please view their user guide for information.
Face 1 with sunrise/sunset times and pressure
Face 1 but showing temperature on the bottom view
Face 2a Weekly Activity
Face 2b Activity Performance based on their Movescount PTE metric
Face 2c Recovery time (injured so 0H for me)
Face 3 Navigation menu
Face 3-1 Selected Exercise, this menu is customizable for quick access activities
Conclusion:
So far, I’ve heard a lot of professional athletes loving the Ambit3, but as I see it, the experience will be very dependent on how much the user will utilize its many features. In fact, there are so many customization options, that owners unfamiliar to new technologies may find it overwhelming and hard to use, hence why Suunto has loaded activity profiles and views by default.
Personally, I think the Ambit3 has been a leap forward in wearable technology. This device has given me the ability to view real time information in the field, but beyond that, the ability to prioritize the information I want to see in that moment. As a newcomer to a world of big adventures and high risks, the Ambit3 is gear that simply works out of the box, but can be taken further if the owner is willing to get more familiar with the software associated with it.
