# A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks like...



## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks like...*

Now this is what a well used, very abused and beat up black military CORE should look like. The veteran who owns this watch put it thru hell and back while in Iraq and the watch is still working like a champ. This shows that the CORE is a proven workhorse and tool watch that can take a lot of abuse. Does anybody else in here own a black military CORE that looks like this? 
Suunto Core All Black Military Watch No Band Look at Picture Was Taken Over Seas 045235900657 | eBay


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## Drop of a Hat (Dec 16, 2011)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

I didn't realize mil-worn watches held some type of premium.

"He's just a witness"


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Drop of a Hat said:


> I didn't realize mil-worn watches held some type of premium.
> 
> "He's just a witness"


Yeah, the black military Core seems to be a very popular and useful watch among the soldiers who are fighting in the Iraqi and Afghanistan campaign. There are over 21 bids on this watch right now and it's already reached over $122-$125. AMAZING!!!.....for a CORE that's been so beaten up and abused like this one.


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## Drop of a Hat (Dec 16, 2011)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

I'm very much aware of the popularity of Suuntos overseas. I just don't understand why people are paying a premium for watches worn over there.

"He's just a witness"


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## ShaggyDog (Feb 13, 2012)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

People seem to like stuff that has seen active service. Maybe it makes it more 'real' or authentic to them.


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## Drop of a Hat (Dec 16, 2011)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



ShaggyDog said:


> People seem to like stuff that has seen active service. Maybe it makes it more 'real' or authentic to them.


I see.

"He's just a witness"


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Drop of a Hat said:


> I'm very much aware of the popularity of Suuntos overseas. I just don't understand why people are paying a premium for watches worn over there.
> 
> "He's just a witness"


Probably because there's a huge demand by the U.S. Navy Seals and U.S. Special Forces for this particular model. They made the black military CORE very popular in the last 7 years while fighting in extreme conditions and environments in Iraq and Afghanistan.


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## Drop of a Hat (Dec 16, 2011)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



goomer said:


> Probably because there's a huge demand by the U.S. Navy Seals and U.S. Special Forces for this particular model. They made the black military CORE very popular in the last 7 years while fighting in extreme conditions and environments in Iraq and Afghanistan.


Slow your roll there friend. A lot of that is hearsay with no actual evidence.

Cores are great and all, but their batteries are crap and they don't handle shock very well. All the guys I knew in chose Vectors or Gs over their "crap" Cores.

"He's just a witness"


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Yeah, I agree that a lot of soldiers over there in the big sandbox wear G-Shocks and Vectors too.
Do you think that the soldier who owned this particular all black CORE wore it to its limits over the last 3 to 4 years? The manufacture date for this particular watch is on the 47th week of 2010. It looks like the watch took a lot of shock and got banged up pretty bad, but is still working. There are even dent marks on the side and underside of the watch case.
I wouldn't go as far and call the Core "crap". It serves its purpose as a very useful tool watch. And it looks very sharp too.


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## Drop of a Hat (Dec 16, 2011)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

I don't understand the question.

"He's just a witness"


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Drop of a Hat said:


> I don't understand the question.
> 
> "He's just a witness"


What I meant to say is, do you think that the soldier who owned this particular watch got his money's worth and got the best and maximum use out of it as a tool watch while abusing and beating it in the very extreme and harsh conditions while in Iraq and Afghanistan? As you can see, the watch looks like it took a lot of beating over the last 3 to 4 years. I've never seen a black military Core take this much abuse before and still be intact and in good working order. Could this soldier's watch that's for sale be an example and living proof to us that the all black Core is really a very durable and reliable watch that can withstand lots of abuse? What do you think?


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## Drop of a Hat (Dec 16, 2011)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

I don't trust it.

"He's just a witness"


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Drop of a Hat said:


> I don't trust it.
> 
> "He's just a witness"


Really? Why? Please explain.


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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Why the need to buy a used, bang-up core just because it was worn by "a soldier who went overseas to the Middle East"?

It's not like wearing it will imbue the wearer with memories or experience of the previous owner.

If you want a banged up watch, why not purchase new and take a bat to it?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



cadguy said:


> Why the need to buy a used, bang-up core just because it was worn by "a soldier who went overseas to the Middle East"?
> 
> It's not like wearing it will imbue the wearer with memories or experience of the previous owner.
> 
> ...


I agree. Especially when there's plenty of this particular model to go around.


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## Drop of a Hat (Dec 16, 2011)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



goomer said:


> Really? Why? Please explain.


I've already told you. The battery is crap and it can't handle the knocks that occur on the battlefield.

"He's just a witness"


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## Volaine (Jan 31, 2013)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Thanks for the link. I like to look at banged up watches though have never felt the need to wear one too long myself. I like new and shiny clock bracelets.

I might hazard the guess that the above listed "REAL DEAL OVERSEAS ACTION" watch could have been some poguey bait barter tossed over by some state department depot jockey who banged it up switching boxes back in forth, if it even saw that much action to begin with. :-s


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

You could be right. The seller could be lying about the watch being worn by a soldier during combat in Iraq. There's a good chance that the watch could've got beaten up like this by any civilian like a construction worker or an electrician who uses his hands a lot doing heavy work.


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## kmseteam (Nov 14, 2012)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

There's no such thing as a Military Core. There's Core All Black but there's never a "military" in the name. "Military" is often mentioned, but every time it's there because of mistake. For those who say no, I say give me a GENUINE SUUNTO page that uses "military".


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Maybe the name "military" was given by the soldiers and the U.S. Navy Seals and Special Forces who love wearing the all black Core.


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## John44 (Jan 21, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

This is a very interesting thread. I love Suunto Watches and I love Suunto Core. I've just bought two new Cores ('Green Crush' & 'Brushed Steel' versions) only had them for a three weeks so I'm not yet qualified to give a long term reliability report on them (so far they're awesome watches - delighted with them).

It is true to say that to date there has not been a Suunto officially named 'Core Military' version watch. There is by the way an officially named 'Suunto Vector Military Foliage Green' and a 'X-Lander Military' However, just because a watch hasn't been marketed as a Core Military watch doesn't mean it can't be one. Has any government's military ordered any amount of Suunto Cores and issued them to service men and women? Even a small number of purchases and then issued would make them military watches. Of course - on the other hand just by marketing a watch 'X-Lander Military' doesn't (by itself) make it a military watch.

Surely the thing is - for the Core (or any watch) to be a 'real' military watch it has to be officially purchased by a government and issued to a serviceman or woman and in this should have proof of government department purchase orders with details of make model and serial numbers listed etc.

It is true that military watches that have been issued and involved in active service do attract a greater re-sale value (personally I don't get it, I would much sooner have a brand new watch, but hey, different tastes). But surely when buying such a watch one would want to see proof, like an accompanying letter of authenticity from the soldier who previously owned it, some photos of the soldier wearing the watch (in location) and some proof that the soldier was genuinely serving in active service for the period the watch was issued.

I've read a great deal about the 'Core' including it's poor reliability issues, it's features, strengths and weaknesses in the Watchuseek forums and it's fair to say that, in the past Suunto didn't produce a Core that could be reliable enough for a serving soldier on active service - yes Suunto put things right with their excellent repair service - but that's not good enough for a soldier needing a reliable watch in the middle of a Iraq or Afghanistan. But from all the threads and posts I've read the Core's problems are now well behind it and it's now a very reliable ABC watch that out performs other manufacturers similar products in nearly every way, so much so, I've bought two new Cores (three weeks ago) and a third new one yesterday. Now I may not be a serving soldier on active service but I've just spent a lot of my hard earned money on them so....

Previously in this thread it's been mentioned that the Core wouldn't be a good enough choice for a soldier because, quote: "their batteries are crap." even if true, surely the fact that the battery can be 'user changed' easily using the edge of a coin in the slot of the twist locking battery cover and low cost of replacement batteries - I would have thought this was an ideal reason for a soldier in the field to choose a Core.

And while I remember, only last weekend I saw (while sitting next to him on a train) a Paratrooper (airborne) soldier wearing a Suunto Core Regular Black, I should think jumping out of aeroplanes in full combat kit would put the Core through it's paces


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

There was a post on here back 3+ years ago about the U.S Government buying up 200 all black Suunto Cores for their special forces soldiers.


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## buzz819 (Sep 18, 2010)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Drop of a Hat said:


> I've already told you. The battery is crap and it can't handle the knocks that occur on the battlefield.
> 
> "He's just a witness"


I'd have to disagree to this, have I been blown up? No, but the Core I had took a hell of a beating, both at work and at play. Mountain biking, rock climbing, paintball and tough mudder... Work life, well that involved more than one scuffle in it... It never failed me.

The battery is crap? Very easy to have a spare when they are user replaceable.


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

My very humble opinion.... I couldn't care less about a "military label".

Landscapers beat the stew out of their stuff. But no one wants a watch endorsed by them lol.

I don't think we (as a culture) put enough care into out soldiers and yet put too much glorification into what they do.

A bunch of cubicle dwellers droning on about the latest tacti-cool this or that. I'm not interested.

Note I'm speaking in generalities... not calling anyone here a cube dweller lol.

And this is everywhere. I was at a fly shop the other day talking to a guy. He was lamenting the lack of "tactical" folders in the knife section. I asked him... "oh are you military or leo?"... no. "Oh have you been trained in knife fighting tactics?"... no. "So what do you want the knife for"... fishing. "So whats wrong with that Spyderco Delica?" (A smaller knife to some)... well its not a tactical folder.

Whatever... lol

I know guys in the special ops communities from several countries. Great guys... most see their gear as tools. It works or it doesn't. It us watch geeks that want the cool gear... and labels!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Very well put Jeff. Bravo!


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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Lots of weekend warrior wannabes in all sorts of athletic, hunting or car accessory stores here. They see the latest and greatest stuff being advertised on TV and mags and they want to look like their heroes.

There's marketing schools out there which teaches this sort of marketing tactics, and unfortunately it works.

You don't have to go far. In WUS alone there's forums with people owning watches that are overbuilt and able to last longer than their owners.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

And I'm not saying I'm opposed to that per se. Ill fall for over engineering all day.so says my case of Gshocks. Lol.

Its just the military billing that irks me.... and again that's totally just my opinion.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2


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## John44 (Jan 21, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



goomer said:


> There was a post on here back 3+ years ago about the U.S Government buying up 200 all black Suunto Cores for their special forces soldiers.


Hey goomer, you're quite right - good work! Here's the thread you mentioned https://www.watchuseek.com/f7/military-issued-watches-912526-4.html see post #34 by Some_Dude & #35 by MAJJ.

To get back on topic - I'm astonished that such an 'abused & beat up' watch can fetch such a high resale price! Currently at US $122.50 (21 bids with still 2 days of the auction to go) see post #1 of this thread for details and ebay.com link. IMO the bidders must be crazy.

If the abuse that this watch has endured is genuine then Suunto should buy it and use it to promote the Core's durability!

I personally don't have a problem with kit/watches being marketed as 'Military' - if people enjoy owning them that's fine with me. Sometimes (not always) military kit can be built to a higher specification. The R&D done for military equipment can lead to innovative new products and create more Jobs! If companies (including Suunto) can make more sales by marketing their product in different ways it can only be a good thing, right?


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

soldiers are heros to a lot of people. wearing or owning a piece of their kit (especially something worn in theatre) illicits an emotional response.

would you be as astonished by the price some people would pay for a watch worn in the second world war? or korea? or vietnam?

how about something that's not a watch? how much would someone pay for a rembrandt, or a picasso?

it's all about the emotional connection. it's the reason we like fedoras and whips because of indiana jones, or rolex subs because of bond.

i'm not surprised at all that the price of a watch could get that high. you should see the offers i get from people for the kit i use all the time. and i'm not even infantry, or been deployed.


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



John44 said:


> Hey goomer, you're quite right - good work! Here's the thread you mentioned https://www.watchuseek.com/f7/military-issued-watches-912526-4.html see post #34 by Some_Dude & #35 by MAJJ.
> 
> To get back on topic - I'm astonished that such an 'abused & beat up' watch can fetch such a high resale price! Currently at US $122.50 (21 bids with still 2 days of the auction to go) see post #1 of this thread for details and ebay.com link. IMO the bidders must be crazy.
> 
> ...


That's an excellent idea. Sunnto can use this Core in a commercial and in magazine ads to show that it still works well after being put through all the abuse and beating. Kind of just like the 1980's tv commercial where Mercedes Benz used their 220 model to show that its original owner drove it over 1 million miles. The car still looked like brand new and it was still on the road.


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## John44 (Jan 21, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



withthesword said:


> soldiers are heros to a lot of people. wearing or owning a piece of their kit (especially something worn in theatre) illicits an emotional response.
> 
> would you be as astonished by the price some people would pay for a watch worn in the second world war? or korea? or vietnam?
> 
> ...



Hey withthesword, I totally get what you're saying, I agree with you wholeheartedly, indeed I own several historical pieces myself, some military, some not (including some watches). I too value such things highly, both emotionally and monetarily.

But the point here is the 'abused & beat up' Core that's the subject of this thread, is not an obviously distinguishable item that a soldier has previously owned, it's not an instantly recognisable Rembrandt or Picasso! It's an 'abused & beat up' Suunto Core that has absolutely no authenticating proof that it was ever worn by a Soldier, let alone in theatre! People are bidding US $122.50 on an item that could easily be just an everyday civilian owned watch that's worth next to nothing emotionally or monetarily, when a brand new one could be purchased for around US $233 with a 2 year warranty.


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



John44 said:


> Hey withthesword, I totally get what you're saying, I agree with you wholeheartedly, indeed I own several historical pieces myself, some military, some not (including some watches). I too value such things highly, both emotionally and monetarily.
> 
> But the point here is the 'abused & beat up' Core that's the subject of this thread, is not an obviously distinguishable item that a soldier has previously owned, it's not an instantly recognisable Rembrandt or Picasso! It's an 'abused & beat up' Suunto Core that has absolutely no authenticating proof that it was ever worn by a Soldier, let alone in theatre! People are bidding US $122.50 on an item that could easily be just an everyday civilian owned watch that's worth next to nothing emotionally or monetarily, when a brand new one could be purchased for around US $233 with a 2 year warranty.


I agree


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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

I think we can agree that a fool and his money is quickly separated.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



cadguy said:


> I think we can agree that a fool and his money is quickly separated.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


That's a very scary thing to do.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



goomer said:


> Yeah, I agree that a lot of soldiers over there in the big sandbox wear G-Shocks and Vectors too.
> Do you think that the soldier who owned this particular all black CORE wore it to its limits over the last 3 to 4 years? The manufacture date for this particular watch is on the 47th week of 2010. It looks like the watch took a lot of shock and got banged up pretty bad, but is still working. There are even dent marks on the side and underside of the watch case.
> I wouldn't go as far and call the Core "crap". It serves its purpose as a very useful tool watch. And it looks very sharp too.


My Core looks just like that & the only action it ever saw was down the pub!

The worst watch I ever bought & would never buy Suunto again


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> My Core looks just like that & the only action it ever saw was down the pub!
> 
> The worst watch I ever bought & would never buy Suunto again


Dave A,
Wow!....Really? Is it still working well? Are you still wearing it?
Please tell me what things that you don't like about your all black military Core? What sorts of problems has it given you? How many years have you owned it and been wearing it? What are the first 4 serial numbers on the back of your watch? Does it have 8 or 10 serial numbers? The earlier year 2007, 2008, 2009 manufactured Cores had some issues with the software I think. I also think that some had issues with loose bezels and bezels falling off. Since 2010, Suunto has already ironed out and fixed all the problems by updating the software and by using better quality control with manufacturing. The newer manufactured ones don't have the problems that the older pre-2010 models had.
It would be interesting to know what sort of problems that you had with yours. Also do you have any pictures of your watch that you can post on here to see how beat up it is?

I also own an all black military Core and so far, I haven't had any issues with it. Mine was manufactured on the 50th week of December 2013. I've owned it for about 2 weeks now. I've been wearing mine for 24/7 ever since I got it. I never take it off. I just used it for the first time in the shower yesterday and so far, I haven't had any problems with it. I love my Core.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



goomer said:


> Dave A,
> Wow!....Really? Is it still working well? Are you still wearing it?
> Please tell me what things that you don't like about your all black military Core? What sorts of problems has it given you? How many years have you owned it and been wearing it? What are the first 4 serial numbers on the back of your watch? Does it have 8 or 10 serial numbers? The earlier year 2007, 2008, 2009 manufactured Cores had some issues with the software I think. I also think that some had issues with loose bezels and bezels falling off. Since 2010, Suunto has already ironed out and fixed all the problems by updating the software and by using better quality control with manufacturing. The newer manufactured ones don't have the problems that the older pre-2010 models had.
> It would be interesting to know what sort of problems that you had with yours. Also do you have any pictures of your watch that you can post on here to see how beat up it is?
> ...


Mine is a 2010 & despite being assured software issues had been solved, mine started munching a battery every week & had to have a new module fitted.
To be fair, it has worked ok since, but despite hardly ever wearing it, my shirt has rubbed the paint off the bezel & the glass scratches far too easily.

Will post pic and serial number tomorrow!


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Wow! That's not good. At least Suunto replaced the module with a brand new module in your Core. Why did Suunto go through the trouble of replacing the module and why didn't they just replace the whole watch and just give you a brand new watch? Was your Core out of warranty at the time that this happened? Did you have to pay to get the new module replaced? 
Also, it's very odd that you needed to replace the batteries every week. I wonder what electronic component(s) on the inside the Core module caused your Core to burn through so many batteries like that? I really believed that Suunto rectified and fixed all the software issues and all the problems that they had with the modules on their 2008-2010 Core watches.
Do you think that the newer 2012-2014 Core watches are better made without these issues or do you think that there could be a batch here and there that have the same problems or other different newer problems? I purchased mine to wear it as a daily beater watch. I don't abuse or beat on any of my watches. I hope that I will get many good years of use with mine and that it will last me a very long time.
The paint wearing off on the rotating bezel has been an issue with the all black Core for some time now in some of the older 2010 and pre-2010 models. I have no clue as to why the black paint comes off too easily. Maybe Suunto didn't use a strong enough paint that is a good adhesive to the metal bezel causing it to wear off after a while? That's the only thing that I can think of. My all black Core was manufactured at the end of 2013. The black outer rotating bezel on mine still looks good, but I've only owned the watch for one week now, so it's to early to tell how well that the bezel will hold up. Only time will tell. The only thing that I've noticed on mine about the outer rotating bezel is that it looks like it's made from very lite thin material and even though it turns both directions, it feels cheap. The crystal on mine is still in good condition. I believe that the crystal on the Core is a mineral crystal, so it can scratch easily if it's knocked around on hard and sharp objects a lot. With this all said, I still love the all black Core. It's a very sharp looking watch and it's comfortable to wear and it looks nice on the wrist. 
You should try to give a second chance to your Core and try wearing it. It's not as bad a watch as you think that it is. you need to try to feel the love when wearing it.
I'm looking forward to you posting some pictures of your beautiful watch.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

My mistake, it's an 09 serial 83663949.



What you can't appreciate is the light use this watch had (just weekends & holidays) in the year or so I wore it. Most of the time I wore a G-Shock.

Module was replaced FOC under warranty, but you deal directly with Suunto & shop doesn't want to know?

Mineral glass is rubbish on a tough watch & needs to be sapphire.

All faith was lost years ago & I only put a battery in 3 months ago when my Seiko went in to have a new battery ....

.... this is when it sunk in just what a nasty bit of cheap tat the Core is, when the same money buys quality that can take abuse year after year & look good.

The build quality & reliability of the Core, and not least the fact Suunto told me a direct lie about module issues sorted (and that only updated Core's were now available) has tainted the brand forever for me.

I felt just like you when I got my Core, but will you be proud to wear this "beautiful watch" in a year time?


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Dave let me ask you a question. And I'm not trying to be provocative or insulting in anyway. This is just so curious to me.

Almost off topic in a sense.

What lead you to read the posts and respond? How did you know we were chatting about the all black Core?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Jeff_C said:


> Dave let me ask you a question. And I'm not trying to be provocative or insulting in anyway. This is just so curious to me.
> 
> Almost off topic in a sense.
> 
> ...


It's a perfectly valid question!

I dug the Core out after a few years when my Seiko was off the road for a few weeks. Since then it's been sat on the kitchen table as a thermometer.

Anyway, a month ago I took the plunge & got myself a stunning Breitling. I decided to join the forum to find out more about automatic watches.
Scrolling down the menu I come across the Suunto section & my scruffy little Core winked at me and said "Have a look & see how fab we really are"

To be fair to Suunto Jeff, customer service was good & battery replacement is the best. I now have a battered Core that seems reliable, so can wear it without fear of it getting damaged.

So, you have to understand when I see a post about bomb proof, survived a war blah, blah, blah .... all I can think of is this dainty diva that would freeze up & need re-booting & new battery 3 or 4 times a month.

*Can I ask a question?*
Am I the only person having trouble typing on this forum? It's like the keyboard can't keep up & I have to type so slowly to avoid going back to fill in missing letters.


----------



## John44 (Jan 21, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> What you can't appreciate is the light use this watch had (just weekends & holidays) in the year or so I wore it. Most of the time I wore a G-Shock.
> 
> Module was replaced FOC under warranty, but you deal directly with Suunto & shop doesn't want to know?
> 
> ...


Fair comment Dave A. I would feel the same as you if I'd had the same problems. I sympathise with you and many others who've been sold a faulty Core. Fingers crossed for my three new Cores then - don't like that the paint rubs off the bezel.


----------



## John44 (Jan 21, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> It's a perfectly valid question!
> 
> I dug the Core out after a few years when my Seiko was off the road for a few weeks. Since then it's been sat on the kitchen table as a thermometer.
> 
> ...


Dave A, Fair comment, what a mess! I sympathise and can understand your ill feeling towards the Core and Suunto. Thank you for telling people about your bad experience and for posting your Core's picture - helps others to make informed purchases.


----------



## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Thanks Dave. I suspected that was the case as you have only a few posts. I honestly am curious.

As a mod I'm always interested in the "I hate Suunto (insert brand here) and I'm never posting here again" posts. Then followed by post after post. Or the "goodbye cruel world" posts... again with weeks of posting.

I figured you joined and were poking around and posted your valid comments... again I was just curious.

Welcome and enjoy!

And yes I get that "keyboard delay". Especially when editing a post. I thought it was just me. Ill raise the issue to the mod team.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Dave A,
If the serial number on your watch is serial #83663949, then your Core was not manufactured in 2009. It was instead manufactured in 2008. Yours was manufactured in March or in the 36th week of 2008 when looking at the first three serial numbers (#836) on the back of your watch.
The all black Cores that were manufactured in 2008 I think had some issues with the module and with the software. So I think that's why you had problems with yours. Suunto fixed a lot of these issues by 2009 and 2010.
I feel bad that you had problems with your watch because it's such a beautiful timepiece that has a lot of really nice and useful features in it. I could be wrong here, but I believe that Suunto has increased their quality control on the Core since 2008/2009 and that the Core doesn't have the problems with software and with the module that it once did in the past.


----------



## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Jeff_C said:


> Thanks Dave. I suspected that was the case as you have only a few posts. I honestly am curious.
> 
> As a mod I'm always interested in the "I hate Suunto (insert brand here) and I'm never posting here again" posts. Then followed by post after post. Or the "goodbye cruel world" posts... again with weeks of posting.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jeff.

I did a detailed multi quote to the replys earlier, but the page froze & I lost the lot ... Are Suunto your IT boys?


----------



## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



goomer said:


> Dave A,
> If the serial number on your watch is serial #83663949, then your Core was not manufactured in 2009. It was instead manufactured in 2008. Yours was manufactured in March or in the 36th week of 2008 when looking at the first three serial numbers (#836) on the back of your watch.
> The all black Cores that were manufactured in 2008 I think had some issues with the module and with the software. So I think that's why you had problems with yours. Suunto fixed a lot of these issues by 2009 and 2010.
> I feel bad that you had problems with your watch because it's such a beautiful timepiece that has a lot of really nice and useful features in it. I could be wrong here, but I believe that Suunto has increased their quality control on the Core since 2008/2009 and that the Core doesn't have the problems with software and with the module that it once did in the past.


Yes it was all smoke and mirrors back then ... some early owners had 4 "updated" modules.

When I called DHL to pick up my Core, the girl on the phone knew Suunto's post/zip code off the top of her head & said they were picking up many each day.


----------



## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



John44 said:


> Dave A, Fair comment, what a mess! I sympathise and can understand your ill feeling towards the Core and Suunto. Thank you for telling people about your bad experience and for posting your Core's picture - helps others to make informed purchases.


I guess you had to be caught up in the lies surrounding the early Suunto's churned out of China to fully understand the resentment of the early beta testers.
But if us giving them a hard time, meant they sorted things out .... and your watches are fine .... then I'm happy John.


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> I guess you had to be caught up in the lies surrounding the early Suunto's churned out of China to fully understand the resentment of the early beta testers.
> But if us giving them a hard time, meant they sorted things out .... and your watches are fine .... then I'm happy John.


All the Core models including the all black Core are still made in China. I could be wrong, but I think that the newer Cores that are made in China have excellent quality control. I know someone who's a coach that owns an all black Core that he purchased from one of the sporting good stores at the local mall in 2012. I don't know when his watch was manufactured, but I assume that it was probably made sometime in 2011 or 2012. He claims that he's never had any problems with his Core. He's been wearing it every day now for the last 2 years. He always wears it in the shower and he also always swims with it. He basically wears it as an every day watch. He's changed the battery only twice so far in the two years that he's owned the watch and he doesn't baby the watch. I noticed that the black rotating bezel on his Core has some wear on it and that some of the black paint has worn off on different areas on the highest part of the bezel. His watch still also has its original factory watch band on it. He swears by his Core that its been an excellent watch and one of the best watches that he's ever owned.


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

LOL easy now LOL.


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Well if we are going to hash it all up again.... and I really thought we were all over most of this LOL...

Personally I think two things happened

1. A rush to market. If you remember, the first Cores came out in about October. I know I had one of those original ones And yes, it went back with issues. LOL. I think they rushed to get to market for the holidays.

2. First production in China. I'm not saying all Chinese production is bad. But it has to be done right. For example you have to have folks from the parent company IN THE FACTORY. I have heard once they leave the production issues start right up as they cut costs. 


That said I think that Suunto did the right thing. They knew of the common issues (battery chomping, button failures, etc) and corrected them in production. They also did the right think in how they handled customers. 90% Of us that had issues sent our Core in and most got a brand new one. And most of THOSE Cores have been great. And now I hear that the new "generation" Cores are in great shape. I have 3. I have had no issues. Granted one is new to me for all of 3 days LOL. 
All that said, some people are never ever ever happy. And, I should say, that forums like this are magnets for "drive by" posters&#8230;. Man we had our share of those back in the day. I was just thinking its so much quitter here now than those days LOL. Some of you probably remember the "Core" Incident&#8230;. Almost as big of a first world problem as the great Ambit 1 debacle of 2013.


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## Monocrom (Nov 11, 2010)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



ShaggyDog said:


> People seem to like stuff that has seen active service. Maybe it makes it more 'real' or authentic to them.


Yup! The watches have a personal history / story attached.

Not just watches. I'm into lights. A fellow member on the world's largest flashlight forum recounted the tale of his wife who served in Afghanistan. She relied on a SureFire L2 as her main light. Brought it back with her. I was going to ask the fellow member if she'd be willing to part with it as I'd be happy to pay a premium above that of a brand new SureFire L2. He found it odd I'd be willing to do that. As far as I was concerned, that light saw action too. The fact that it was used by a woman to stick it to those Taliban A-holes who treat their cattle better than they treat their women.... *That* is absolutely worth a premium. (At least to me.)

Unfortunately, he had modified his wife's L2 with a brand new LED emitter to increase output. So it was no longer the same, stock, SureFire L2 that she used while over there.


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

i remember the first run of cores. man were there a lot of issues. just about everything that could go wrong went wrong. and never at the same time hahaha

by the time the ltd edition extreme cores came out, pretty much everything was resolved. and it also birthed the fixed bezel concept on the cores too.

i've found the cores since then to be largely flawless

i still have a picture of my core extreme too! #273 of 3000


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Jeff_C said:


> Well if we are going to hash it all up again.... and I really thought we were all over most of this LOL...
> 
> Personally I think two things happened
> 
> ...


You need to remember thst for a lot of people the Core was their first Suunto!
I resisted a Vector as a plastic face is just a wrong 'un in my book, and hung on for the new Core. When problems started just after it's launch, I hung on again waiting for the gremlins to get sorted.
I finally got one fter about a year ... assured all bugs were fixed.
All the time my Pro Trek worked flawlessly as did every Japanese watch I ever owned in the decades previous.

So when you think you are upgrading to a superior brand & find out you had gone backwards ... it sucks!

I think what I am trying to say Jeff is, your 2nd or 3rd Suunto can be flawed, but the first one has to be right!
And for many, many folk their first was a dog.

I wasn't offered a new watch, neither did they see a problem with bare metal on the bezel of a 6 month old watch ... but they did fix it & would have kept on fixing it for 2 years.

Japanese watches would never have gone into production with the Core's issues, but Casio's are dull.

Suunto are quirky & flawed, and that creates emotion, and if you get a good one that leads to passion .... I get that!


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Do you think that the Core had problems because it was made in China without any quality control set in place during the initial manufacturing and assembly process? I thought that all the components and parts of the entire watch were made in Finland and then shipped to China for final assembly and packaging? Is this true or were all of the electronic components including the entire watch made in China?


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## gaijin (Oct 29, 2007)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

The entire watch is made and assembled in China.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



gaijin said:


> The entire watch is made and assembled in China.


All the early Core's enjoyed a free vacation to the Finland HQ for repair!


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> All the early Core's enjoyed a free vacation to the Finland HQ for repair!


LOL


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

made in china indeed. it kills me when people blame the chinese for making an inferior product. simple fact is, they are making something to the EXACT specifications someone else has made.

consider the following: Company X has decided they want a product, and they draw up what they imagine. they send their specifications to a chinese factory and say make this. the chinese say, ok we can make this, but it'll cost you this much money. we can, however, make something close to what you want for much less. company x says ok to the new specs, and things roll out.

i challenge anyone to name any commercially available mass produced product that does not contain anything made in china.

simple fact is, if the company asking for the product is willing to pay the price, the chinese can produce a fantastic product. i'm not an apple fanboy, but if you would use apple as a benchmark for a well produced item, remember that up until very recently ALL of their production was overseas in asia, and they only just started bringing jobs back to north america.


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## pjc3 (Mar 26, 2012)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



withthesword said:


> made in china indeed. it kills me when people blame the chinese for making an inferior product. simple fact is, they are making something to the EXACT specifications someone else has made.


But like all new production runs, there will be inevitable quality issues. A good company will rectify the production run to get the product back on spec, an average company will move on and leave the customers with what they got.

The Finnish made Ambit had initial quality issues which have been resolved.

The Chinese made Core had initial quality issues which have been resolved.


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## gaijin (Oct 29, 2007)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



withthesword said:


> made in china indeed. it kills me when people blame the chinese for making an inferior product. simple fact is, they are making something to the EXACT specifications someone else has made.


I certainly was not blaming the Chinese for making an inferior product.

The question I was responding to was:



goomer said:


> Do you think that the Core had problems because it was made in China without any quality control set in place during the initial manufacturing and assembly process?* I thought that all the components and parts of the entire watch were made in Finland and then shipped to China for final assembly and packaging? Is this true or were all of the electronic components including the entire watch made in China?*


My answer was:



gaijin said:


> The entire watch is made and assembled in China.


This was meant to clarify that parts for the CORE are not made in Finland and then sent to China for assembly.

You are correct in that it is just like the old programming adage: GIGO - Garbage in, garbage out. If the specifications agreed to between Suunto and the Chinese manufacturer are not good, and the QC/QA testing requirements established by Suunto are not robust enough to catch flaws in design or manufacturing, then the result will be what we were subjected to with the early COREs.

To be clear, I do not blame China for the bad COREs, I blame Suunto. I also support them for their continuing industry-leading level of customer support which they have demonstrated to me on several occasions by delivering much better support than I ever expected. And to my knowledge, no one was "stuck" with a bad CORE. Everyone who brought the problem to Suunto's attention either had their watch repaired or, more often, replaced with a brand new watch.


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

i wasn't directing my comment at you in particular. it's just a pet peeve of mine when folks use 'made in china' as a scapegoat. i hear it day in and day out everywhere, mostly from people who jump on the bandwagon of hating on chinese produced goods.

actually, your comment that the entire watch was made and assembled in china was both true and good. it just goes to show that with a bit more care and direction, the chinese are able to produce a fine instrument as intended. corrections were made to the process and the core's have been running great since.


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

So we've established that the Core is not junk. That's a very good thing. 
I've owned my Core now for 3 weeks and the only thing that I've noticed is that it gains more time than any of my Casio G-Shock gain in 30 days. So far, my Core has gained +13" seconds in the last 17 days since I set it to the atomic clock and it's still counting. If you do the math, that's a total average gain of about +23" seconds in 30 days. Does anybody know what the (+ -) parameters are supposed to be for the Core's quartz seconds accuracy rating every 30 days? There's no mention of this anywhere in the owner's manual or anywhere on the Core specifications information on the Suunto website. What's the (+ -) monthly second accuracy for the Core supposed to be? Is +23" to +30" seconds or more in time gain over a 30 day period acceptable for this particular model?
What type of (+ -) seconds accuracy does your Core have every 30 days?


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



withthesword said:


> made in china indeed. it kills me when people blame the chinese for making an inferior product. simple fact is, they are making something to the EXACT specifications someone else has made.
> 
> consider the following: Company X has decided they want a product, and they draw up what they imagine. they send their specifications to a chinese factory and say make this. the chinese say, ok we can make this, but it'll cost you this much money. we can, however, make something close to what you want for much less. company x says ok to the new specs, and things roll out.
> 
> ...


Ok then - What about any Swiss watch?

And the day any Swiss manufacturer contracts out to the far east purely for profit, will be the worst days work they ever did.

Suunto didn't turn to China for superior technology ... it was all about pounds, shillings & pence!

Suunto must build in Finland or they are nothing special.


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

to be fair, swiss watches need only contain 50% by value swiss made components. the term 'swiss made' is pretty loose. not all the parts in a swiss movement are made in switzerland. a lot of stuff happens in china, and swiss made is a term attached to a movement that's been adjusted and inspected in switzerland.


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



withthesword said:


> to be fair, swiss watches need only contain 50% by value swiss made components. the term 'swiss made' is pretty loose. not all the parts in a swiss movement are made in switzerland. a lot of stuff happens in china, and swiss made is a term attached to a movement that's been adjusted and inspected in switzerland.


Yes, what you are saying is absolutely true.


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> Ok then - What about any Swiss watch?
> 
> And the day any Swiss manufacturer contracts out to the far east purely for profit, will be the worst days work they ever did.
> 
> ...


Dave,
Why do you think that Suunto "must" build all of their watches in Finland? Do you believe that they are not as good or that they are junk if they are built in China?


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



goomer said:


> Dave,
> Why do you think that Suunto "must" build all of their watches in Finland? Do you believe that they are not as good or that they are junk if they are built in China?


I believe that a Chinese built Suunto has no kudos whatsoever!
As for quality .... have I not made my opinion crystal ... er' sorry mineral clear? <|

As for my Breitling, let me assure you it is totally made in a small mountain region of Switzerland. But as the deployment clasp alone costs more than a Core, this is not a fair contest.

Are you content with Finnish brand Suunto exploiting cheap labour whilst maintaining a Scandinavian price tag?
Are you comfortable with your iphone designed in California, yet made in China for 8 dollars? :roll:


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> Are you content with Finnish brand Suunto exploiting cheap labour whilst maintaining a Scandinavian price tag?
> Are you comfortable with your iphone designed in California, yet made in China for 8 dollars? :roll:


NO!!! I'm NOT content that they are made in China with exploited cheap labor and that they have a high Scandinavian and American price tag.


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## Bradd_D (Feb 3, 2013)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

I purchased my Core All Black a year ago yesterday and have worn it 24/7 since. The battery needed to be replaced today. The strap keeper broke a few weeks ago and I just noticed that the strap is cracking in a couple places. The bezel and case look as good as they did the day I bought the watch and functionally it has been perfect. I'm a little disappointed in the strap, but I've got no complaints about the watch.


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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Bradd_D said:


> I purchased my Core All Black a year ago yesterday and have worn it 24/7 since. The battery needed to be replaced today. The strap keeper broke a few weeks ago and I just noticed that the strap is cracking in a couple places. The bezel and case look as good as they did the day I bought the watch and functionally it has been perfect. I'm a little disappointed in the strap, but I've got no complaints about the watch.


That's excellent that your all black Core has been problem free while you've been wearing it 24/7 for the last 1 full year. Mine will become exactly 1 month old on April 6th. I've been wearing mine 24/7 since I got it just like you do. I never take it off my wrist. So far, it's been working without any problems. I will buy another Suunto rubber watch band when the original one on mine cracks and disintegrates from wearing it so much.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> It's a perfectly valid question!
> 
> I dug the Core out after a few years when my Seiko was off the road for a few weeks. Since then it's been sat on the kitchen table as a thermometer.
> 
> ...





Jeff_C said:


> Thanks Dave. I suspected that was the case as you have only a few posts. I honestly am curious.
> 
> As a mod I'm always interested in the "I hate Suunto (insert brand here) and I'm never posting here again" posts. Then followed by post after post. Or the "goodbye cruel world" posts... again with weeks of posting.
> 
> ...


Well the old men on the Breitling section have been raising the same problems as me!
And it seems the problem is Intrernet Explorer on Windows 7.

No problems at all on Google Chrome. :-!


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

Yea I was given a totally useless answer... "seems to be browser specific."

Thanks lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Bradd_D said:


> I purchased my Core All Black a year ago yesterday and have worn it 24/7 since. The battery needed to be replaced today. The strap keeper broke a few weeks ago and I just noticed that the strap is cracking in a couple places. The bezel and case look as good as they did the day I bought the watch and functionally it has been perfect. I'm a little disappointed in the strap, but I've got no complaints about the watch.


i usually try to find the correct sized two piece zulu to go with my suuntos. the only one that's still on its original strap is my vector. my observer has gone through three or four straps. i actually have no idea how well my core straps would hold up. i've had it on a two piece zulu since day one. changed it out first thing.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*



Dave A said:


> Mine is a 2010 & despite being assured software issues had been solved, mine started munching a battery every week & had to have a new module fitted.
> To be fair, it has worked ok since, but despite hardly ever wearing it, my shirt has rubbed the paint off the bezel & the glass scratches far too easily.
> 
> Will post pic and serial number tomorrow!


I said some pretty nasty stuff about Suunto a few years back!

Changed the battery this morning and realized its 8 years old now.

Since the module was changed in 09, it has to be fair been spot on.

I still think the finish is shoddy & a sapphire (on an outdoors watch) would have been more suitable.

But my reason for bringing this old thread back to life is service!

Having dipped a toe in the financial black hole that is the Swiss and German watch industry, it would appear that the attitude & arrogance of these brands is at best laid back.
It seems that 4 months to get a Swiss watch repaired or serviced is nothing. It's up to you to insure and ship your watch. After a few weeks they will inspect it, and only then give you a quote.
I recently spent near £5000 on an IWC. My wrist is just under 8" and the bracelet was on maximum adjustment & just a little tight.
I ordered an extra link that took 18 weeks to arrive and cost £80
The most expensive watch I ever bought & the only one that didn't fit ... and I had to throw money at it to make it fit.

The luxury watch market is a racket.

But I'm not here to have a go at Rolex, Richmont or Swatch Group, I just wanted to add that in hindsight the service provided by Suunto to collect, fix and return my Core was second to none.


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## marinemaster (Apr 23, 2006)

*Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*

"The luxury watch market is a racket" or "The Swiss luxury watch market is a racket"

Agree with that.

On a different note all my quartz Core have gained 1 to 2 seconds a day. About four of them. For $200 it cost they should not.


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## Georgewg (Dec 31, 2018)

Dave A said:


> *Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*
> 
> It's a perfectly valid question!
> 
> ...


Dave,
Do you still have your Core? Is it still holding up and working after all these years that have gone by? Do you have any current pictures of your Core to show us what it looks like right now after 12 years of ownership? Hoping that you are still here on the forums to give us an update on your 12 year old Suunto Core together with some pictures.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

Georgewg said:


> Dave,
> Do you still have your Core? Is it still holding up and working after all these years that have gone by? Do you have any current pictures of your Core to show us what it looks like right now after 12 years of ownership? Hoping that you are still here on the forums to give us an update on your 12 year old Suunto Core together with some pictures.


Yes I still have it!

The pin broke on the buckle back in the summer and requires a new strap.
Not going to bother as it freezes up if I start pressing too many buttons.
It is presently frozen, and just constantly displaying the word "VERSION" on the dial.
If I took the battery out for a few seconds I'm sure it would come back again.


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## Georgewg (Dec 31, 2018)

Dave A said:


> Yes I still have it!
> 
> The pin broke on the buckle back in the summer and requires a new strap.
> Not going to bother as it freezes up if I start pressing too many buttons.
> ...


Wow! That's very cool. You've had your Core now for over 12 years! When you say it's frozen, do you mean that the lcd display doesn't show anything on it? No time, nothing? Do you know why the lcd display freezes like this when you press the buttons? I wonder why it shows the word "VERSION" on the dial? Could it be that something happened and is not working with the software in the module? Or maybe that one of the electronic IC's (integrated circuits) is burned out, shorted or loose inside the module? It would be nice to call Suunto and to speak with their customer support to see if they can have you send your watch back to them to get it fixed so that it can work again. It will be interesting to find out why it freezes like this.
I still have my Suunto Core that was manufactured in December of 2013. I purchased mine in the beginning of January 2014 and had it since then. I wore it for a few months, then put it in storage in the bureau in one of my clothes/sock drawers. I found it last week while digging through the drawers to find something and I ordered a new battery and gasket for it from eBay. I got everything in the other day and replaced the battery and the gasket and it fired back to life again. I set everything on the watch and I'm wearing it right now. I like my all black Suunto Core a lot and I miss very much not wearing the watch for the last 6 years. I missed it so much that I ended up purchasing another 2 all black Suunto Core watches that I found for $128 on eBay each and another 4 that I found for even cheaper for under $100 on one of the online watch websites. I also picked up a 7th Core with the + positive lcd display directly from Suunto for $136.
I figured that it would be nice to have a few all black Suunto Core watches on hand as backups just in case Suunto decides to stop making them. Suunto has currently moved away from making ABC watches with replaceable batteries. They have presently been heavily leaning towards ABC watches with rechargeable batteries. Over 99.9% of their ABC watches that they make today are all ABC/GPS smart watches. The Core is currently the only watch that Suunto still makes and sells that has a replaceable battery in it. The rest of the ABC watches that they sell all have rechargeable batteries inside them. I have a feeling that Suunto will discontinue the Core sometime in the near future and replace it with an ABC/GPS watch. When this happens, the Core will become a very rare watch.
I recently found the all black Suunto Core for a cheap price online. I figured that it would be a good idea for me to pick up a few of this particular model to have on hand just in case Suunto decides to ever stop making it and the Core becomes rare and hard to find brand new. Here's a picture of my 7 year old all black Suunto. It still looks like brand new and in excellent condition just like the day that I got it.
You should think about fixing yours up and keeping it. If I were you, I would send it out to Suunto Service and to get it repaired so it could work again. I don't know if you know this, but the all black Suunto Core is an iconic watch that became very popular with the US Navy Seals and with many military soldiers in the Middle East and Afghanistan for the last 13 years since 2007. I bet you that there will be a great demand for this particular model from collectors and that this model will be worth a lot of money when Suunto decides to stop making it. Lots of people will want to collect them when this occurs. The all black Core is a conversation piece when it's seen worn on the wrist. I get many people asking me about the watch and complimenting me about the watch when they see it in my wrist. There are not many people wearing this particular model today with all the smart watches out there in the marketplace. Most people are wearing smart watches today. That's why the all black Core gets so much attention nowadays. It's a unique watch with a unique style that catches the eyes of many people. It's not a boring looking watch by any means. People recognize the Core on the wrist everywhere I go and that's a good thing.
So that's why you need to get yours fixed so you can continue to wear it and enjoy it and have it become a conversation piece just like mine is. Also, go online like I did and pick up a few all black Cores for cheap for under $100 so you can have as backups. That's what I would do if I were you. You won't regret it.


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## Dave A (Mar 7, 2014)

I don't believe it is worth sending off for a new module and strap.
The Core was revolutionary with it's user battery change, but now eternally outdated by re-chargable, GPS watches that log everything.
I am totally done with ABC or smart watches to be honest. Currently wearing a Sinn UX hydro ... and extremely content to be doing so.


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## 5thLegion (Mar 9, 2010)

Wait?! I have an old Suunto kicking around my deployment box...wore it on two deployments - still ticking. These are worth $!?


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## composer (Jun 12, 2019)

Found this great thread. My SUUNTO Core is from the 36th week of 2010. Did not know there were software issues around this time, hopefully mine was made with the improvements. Wore it faithfully for about 9 years, with tons of abuse. I've backpacked with it through 10 countries in Europe and South America, and even swam with it. When I bought it, I did not know much about watches, so when I saw it had 30m of water resistance I literally thought I could go down with it 30 meters under water. Shows how tough the watch it. The lume pit at 12 fell off at some point, and the paint on the bezel has fallen off. The original strap become damaged until recently, so got a camo one for now. Just needs a battery change.

When traveling in the early 2010's I did not have a smartphone with GPS, therefore I would draw down on a notepad a rough map with directions to my hotel/hostel with cardinal directions. The compass on the Core always guided me in several countries to my destination!

Sucks that when I bought it in 2010 it cost $220 on Amazon, as I've seen deals recently under $100. But I like that several military personnel used it in the Middle East.


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## Sergeant Major (Dec 13, 2019)

cadguy said:


> *Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*
> 
> Why the need to buy a used, bang-up core just because it was worn by "a soldier who went overseas to the Middle East"?
> 
> ...


Would you like to own a WWI trench watch with a war story to it? What about a WWII watch?

I know a lot of people who salivate over them. This is a newer generations curiosity.


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## Georgewg (Dec 31, 2018)

composer said:


> Found this great thread. My SUUNTO Core is from the 36th week of 2010. Did not know there were software issues around this time, hopefully mine was made with the improvements. Wore it faithfully for about 9 years, with tons of abuse. I've backpacked with it through 10 countries in Europe and South America, and even swam with it. When I bought it, I did not know much about watches, so when I saw it had 30m of water resistance I literally thought I could go down with it 30 meters under water. Shows how tough the watch it. The lume pit at 12 fell off at some point, and the paint on the bezel has fallen off. The original strap become damaged until recently, so got a camo one for now. Just needs a battery change.
> 
> When traveling in the early 2010's I did not have a smartphone with GPS, therefore I would draw down on a notepad a rough map with directions to my hotel/hostel with cardinal directions. The compass on the Core always guided me in several countries to my destination!
> 
> ...


Your Core looks really good. I still have my 2014 Core too. I changed the battery in mine a few months ago. It's still working fine and still looks good. 
I like mine so much that I purchased 6 more all black Cores back a few months ago to have as backup watches.


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## Bsnyder87 (Oct 3, 2020)

Drop of a Hat said:


> *Re: A VERY Abused & Beat Up Black Military CORE that WORKS! What a real War Veteran's CORE looks lik*
> 
> Slow your roll there friend. A lot of that is hearsay with no actual evidence.
> 
> ...


Haha, stop!!!! You must be in the Air Force! Sorry bra, Core all the way!


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## Georgewg (Dec 31, 2018)

I added 2 more positive display Cores to my other 7 negative display Cores.


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## hoss (Nov 1, 2014)

The black Core is one the best watches that Suunto makes. It’s been around since 2007.


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