# Suunto Vector or Core for military use



## spb20382 (Mar 5, 2014)

Hi everybody!

I am in some trouble right now, before i start with my question ill give you guys some background. I am currently serving with as a SOF operator with a German Army special operations unit. I used a Suunto Vector for about 5 years now which keeps running strong and i never had any issues with it. It survived anything from shooting, river crossing, HALO/ HAHO parachuting, mountain and jungle training etc. even several deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan (so, i can honestly confirm that the Vector is a tough beast  )

The "problem" now is, that i have been offered a Suunto Core, black Version with positive face for a very reasonable price. My questions to the watch experts here is of course, should i stick to my vector or would you recommend to swith to the core.

From my understanding the Core is basically a technologically more advanced watch compared to the Vector but i am still not sure.

Maybe some other soldiers who might have owned both watches or have some experience in this sector could provide some suggestions as well 

Thank you all in advance and all the best!


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

Can't have both?

My SF buddy always wore an Advisor. 

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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

Had the vector and then got a core. The storm alarm and slightly more accurate baro graph is worth the upgrade. Storm alarm never failed to wake me up in the middle of a snow storm.

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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

cadguy said:


> Had the vector and then got a core. The storm alarm and slightly more accurate baro graph is worth the upgrade. Storm alarm never failed to wake me up in the middle of a snow storm.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


Hey cadguy,
Do you still own the Core? I see in your signature that you soldan Aluminum Black Core. Do you own a different model Core?


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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

Nope, I sold it to get an Elementum Terra black. I miss the core's storm alarm function.

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## spb20382 (Mar 5, 2014)

Hi everybody!

Thanks a lot for the response and the advide so far.

Of course i could get the Core and keep both, but as i wear my watch very much 24/7 i would hardly wear the other watch. I am not really a watch-expert or a collector....i have a nice tissot to wear with suits and an old G-Shock 6600 somewhere that i wore during basic training. Since i got my vector i havent used any other watch at all. 

The storm alarm sounds great and i also like to have the sunrise/sunset feature of the Core but i am a little bit worried about how easy the watch is to operate and if it can keep up to the Vectors durability.

I have seen videos on the Core and also got through some reviews, some owners state that the Core is pretty hard to use as it is quite complicated to switch between modes/profiles? As i will be using the watch in various environments and also a lot in the dark or while wearing gloves etc. it would be great to have easily accessible profiles...it can get very frustrating if you are looking for the stop-watch or a timer and you need to go through 1000 menus and sub-menues to do so ;-)

As the watch will definataley get more than one beating, durability is a must have. I need the watch to work reliably in any given circumstance. i cant worry about knocking it against something, exposing it to water or desert heat. From what i have read, the early problems with the Core's durability are solved right now, if i am not mistaken?

Quite a lot of the guys in my unit wear Protreks but i am not so impressed by the watch.


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## Jeff_C (Feb 11, 2006)

I have 2 Protreks right now and have probably owned 10 over the years. Im not impressed either. I will say they are built pretty tough though. 

That said I think the Core is easy to navigate, and pretty tough. I would say as tough as a Vector. Now are either of those as tough as a G shock? no. Is the Core built as solidly as the Protreks? it may not be. But as you are likely aware, they are much better sensors and IMHO are more precise. 

I guess in summary, I think the Vector may be jsut a touch better built than the Core. But you lose a lot of the Core's technology. I think with the Core you get a lot of bang for the buck. I shoudl say, I am a HUGE fan of the Vector. I have several and have never been let down by them. I had an early Core that had a button issue (you are right... the Newer Cores are sorted out). Other than that the Core has never let me down in the field. I have two. My Y&B Core took a direct fall onto pavement. The crystal took a bash but its fine and works perfectly. 

Heck, im actually contemplating another Core LOL. I need to stop all this sillyness LOL.

One watch... man, that must be a nice simple life LOL.


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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

The vector seems built a smitch better than the Core, even with the vector's all plastic build. I guess I'm used to plastic or resin watches being better at absorbing impact.
Although the proteks and pathfinders are built ugly, they are built to last. With solar powered and atomic time sync, it is one of those watches that you can truly set and forget. Their barometer is off slightly but with careful calibration, quite decent. I have the PRW3000 and its storm alarm function works.

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## wangallan (Dec 10, 2013)

I own both watches. Both functions very well for me. Just get the core :-D

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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

I just bought the Core all black military and I love it!. I just received the watch yesterday and I spent about 5 to 6 hours last night playing around with all the buttons to learn all the settings and the functions on the watch. It has a lot of features on it and there are many different combinations of viewing the LCD display in the time, in the altimeter/barometer and in the compass modes while wearing the watch on your wrist. I absolutely love the storm alarm feature and the snooze alarm feature on this watch. I also love that the Core all black military is very sharp looking while it's on my wrist. It really beats the Casio G-Shock in functions, accuracy and looks. I've put aside all of my G-Shocks and I'm wearing my Core 24/7 right now. This will be my main "go to" wristwatch from now on that I will be wearing for a very long time to come. Hasta La Vista Casio G-Shock!


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## wydim (Feb 26, 2012)

goomer said:


> I just bought the Core all black military and I love it!. I just received the watch yesterday and I spent about 5 to 6 hours last night playing around with all the buttons to learn all the settings and the functions on the watch. It has a lot of features on it and there are many different combinations of viewing the LCD display in the time, in the altimeter/barometer and in the compass modes while wearing the watch on your wrist. I absolutely love the storm alarm feature and the snooze alarm feature on this watch. I also love that the Core all black military is very sharp looking while it's on my wrist. It really beats the Casio G-Shock in functions, accuracy and looks. I've put aside all of my G-Shocks and I'm wearing my Core 24/7 right now. This will be my main "go to" wristwatch from now on that I will be wearing for a very long time to come. Hasta La Vista Casio G-Shock!


the Core has a strong reputation and seems like a very cool watch. When i got interested in getting my first ABC watch, the Ambit was due to come out in a couple of weeks, so I waited and got it instead. But the Core would have been my choice if the guy behind the counter hadn't told me to wait for the Ambit.

Good day to you and all core wearers ! (? is wearer a word ?)


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## wydim (Feb 26, 2012)

double post


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

i've used both and still have both. vector is bomb proof, core is somewhat more fragile, but the added functionality is worth it.

just a note for use of the storm alarms, nothing ruins a night patrol quite like someone's watch chime going off on the hour. so imagine if your storm alarm went off. rule of thumb is that anything that beeps is a no go, so IF you still decide to wear the core, make sure all chimes, beeps, bells, whistles, and bleeps are turned OFF. that said, with chimes killed, the storm alarm is moot.

they're great as a visual aid, but audio is a no go. if you want to get jacked up for something, it's better to have a bit of air in your canteen than for a watch chime to go off.


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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

The vector is also easier to switch out batteries. I tried opening my friend's old core and it got stuck.

The elementum line was even harder to change batteries. I never understood why Suunto released a watch with less functions like alarms and then priced it higher than a core or vector. I like the watch but the functions bothered me.

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## goomer (Feb 23, 2014)

cadguy said:


> The vector is also easier to switch out batteries. I tried opening my friend's old core and it got stuck.
> 
> The elementum line was even harder to change batteries. I never understood why Suunto released a watch with less functions like alarms and then priced it higher than a core or vector. I like the watch but the functions bothered me.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


Yeah, the Elementum I think has 4 screws on the back of the watch that you have to loosen and unscrew in order to open it up to change the battery. I prefer the Core because it has the convenient battery hatch. The Core also has many more features than the Elementum and it's more affordable and just as durable.


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

cadguy said:


> The vector is also easier to switch out batteries. I tried opening my friend's old core and it got stuck.
> 
> The elementum line was even harder to change batteries. I never understood why Suunto released a watch with less functions like alarms and then priced it higher than a core or vector. I like the watch but the functions bothered me.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk


higher price point is due to in-house thermo-compensated super-quartz movement, not unlike something that brietling or omega would offer on their aerospace or x-33 respectively.


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## cadguy (Jan 16, 2009)

Didn't know that. How well does it work compared to other HEQ?



withthesword said:


> higher price point is due to in-house thermo-compensated super-quartz movement, not unlike something that brietling or omega would offer on their aerospace or x-33 respectively.


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## withthesword (Apr 16, 2008)

i don't personally know. never owned one, although i've got a spot in the ol' watchbox that's been calling its name.

from the reviews i've read, though, it appears that the elementum is superior in every way to the pre-hrm vectors, x-lander's, and observers (since they have nearly the same functionality.) if you compare the functionality of any one of the three elementum vs the core, of course it's going to come up somewhat short.


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## Vagabond66 (Sep 4, 2012)

Hey spb,

Here's how I would break it down:

Core Pros:
1. The menu approach to settings makes it really easy to use (I don't know who the Core owners are who say that it's complicated. They clearly have not owned a Vector/X-Lander).
2. Dot-matrix display that gives you, among other things,
a. A graph of barometric pressure changes/barometric trends over the past 36 hours 
b. A graph of your logs if you use logs
3. Depth meter (although only to 33 feet)
4. Alti/baro lock. This is probably the most important difference between the two and it makes alti/baro use a lot more simple. No need anymore to reset the altitude difference log when you arrive at a destination and then reset the altimeter by that amount when you leave. Simply change the profile from "alti" to "baro" (and they built in a shortcut to do that - just hold down the bottom-left button for 2 seconds when you're in Alti/Baro mode).
5. Higher Alti/Baro resolution (3ft/0.03inHg on the Core vs. 10ft/0.05inHg on the Vector), if 7 feet makes a difference to you.
6. Button lock
7. Storm alarm (although, as withthesword noted, this is useless in any environment in which you need to be practicing noise discipline. But you can get the same information from the barometer trend graph; you just have to go looking for it instead of having the watch alert you to it.)
8. Sunrise/sunset times
9. You can push buttons under water. I don't remember if the Vector allows this or not.
10. The Core will let you see the seconds for more than 10 seconds (e.g., if you need to perform medic duties)
11. Dual time/another time zone.

Core Cons:
1. Some have said that the dot-matrix display is more sensitive to excessive heat and cold, and therefore makes the watch less useful (or unusable) in those climates.
2. The altimeter acts differently. They seem to have put a new altimeter algorithm in the Core that slows down how often it updates (and it seems to offer conservative estimates of the altitude change and then correct it in the following 30 seconds or so). The bottom line is that the altimeter isn't as responsive, and sometimes you have to wait 30-45 seconds to get the final reading. It's fine for hiking, skiing, etc., but if you were to use it as a backup altimeter while jumping, I think that you would hit the ground before the altimeter said that you were anywhere close to it.
3. The countdown timer is essentially useless, as it only goes to 99 minutes (the Vector will allow countdowns from 24h:59m:59s).
4. The Core only has 1 daily alarm (the Vector has 3), but the one alarm that the Core has can be snoozed every 10 mins for an hour.
5. The Core doesn't have an altitude alarm; the Vector does.

Other differences:
1. Most people seem to think that the Vector is a bit more durable.
2. The Core's alarms are a lot louder and longer than the Vector's (with the exception of the Core's countdown timer, which is as loud but only lasts for 2 seconds or so).
3. The Vector shows rate of vertical ascent/descent; the Core doesn't. Probably not important unless you're in an unpressurized airplane.
4. Vector has a plastic face; Core has mineral crystal (or sapphire, in some models). One scratches more easily but they are easily removed; the other is less susceptible to scratching but the scratches are harder to remove when they occur.
5. I don't use the logs much, but the Core offers the possibility of closer recording intervals, while the Vector offers the possibility of longer durations of logging. Here's the breakdown of intervals for each (max recording time for that interval is in parentheses): Core: 1s(30m), 5s(2h), 10s(5h), 30s(16h), 60s(33h); Vector: 20s(10h); 60s(12h); 10m(7d); 60m(10d).
6. The Core doesn't show absolute pressure (only sea level pressure). I don't understand why some people see this as a problem, as everything that I use for pressure comes in SLP (and SLP is converted from absolute pressure), but some do.

With regard to durability, you've probably already read the information in the links below, but if not then they constitute the majority of watchuseek contributors' opinions on the question (make sure that you pay attention to the date of the comment/review - as you already know, early Cores are not the same as recent Cores):

In the Suunto forum: https://www.google.com/search?q=core+durable+OR+durability+site:http://forums.watchuseek.com/f233 (and perhaps especially this thread: https://www.watchuseek.com/f233/core-military-durability-596139.html)

In the Digital/ABC forum: https://www.google.com/search?q=core+durable+OR+durability+site:http://forums.watchuseek.com/f296

In the Reviews forum: https://www.google.com/search?q=core+durable+OR+durability+site:http://forums.watchuseek.com/f237

Also, with regard to removing scratches from mineral crystal and plastic faces, check out these two threads/posts:
https://www.watchuseek.com/f17/how-remove-scratches-mineral-crystal-works-717486.html
How to Remove Scratches from Watch Glass or Crystal - Gear Patrol

-Vagabond66


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## FeralWoodsman (Apr 11, 2013)

I have used mine doing a lot of outdoor activities, and it has gotten pretty dirty on occasion. Originally I was worried about the durability of the Core, as I was used to G-Shocks, but they're not that fragile. Granted, I don't have the risk of harsh impacts yours may have, but as far as reliability I haven't had any problems in harsh environments. Getting a spare battery is a good idea as well. The accuracy of the Core is outstanding, it's a worthy upgrade from the Vector. The only problem is it's low water resistance, but you've had a Vector so you know the drill...

May you always know what time it is, and stay safe.


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## clonetrooper (May 6, 2009)

Get yourself a nice pre-loved Core that has no software or display issues and play around. You can always sell it. If I were you (I have been in the Army for 29 years now, and sampled a lot of watches) I would try to get an older X-9/10 (pre-loved of course).
But between Vector and Core, you can't get really wrong.


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