Been looking around to replace my ageing Garmin. They’re generally hard to go by but for the price, these top of the line Suunto 9 Baros are a pretty sweet option. Sapphire glass and metal bezel in a Garmin and you’re looking for $500+ on sale (as there have been recently, and Fenix 6 Sapphire is still on sale at JB for $650).
You’re missing out on the music features you get with the Garmin, but I run with my phone anyway. From my research, this has an amazing battery life, a larger screen with a bit more resolution, but less of an ecosystem, smart features, etc. It’s also quite hefty on the wrist so if you dig bigger watches, this is a good one.
Still, for the price a top of the line watch that will last for ages. It’s a little bit old now, came out in late 2019 or early 2020. Suunto just announced the Baro 9 Peak which is a smaller/slimmer version of this watch so in my opinion it doesn’t really count as a replacement.
First post so go easy and if there’s any more info I can add, let me know. Including a link to a Desfit video looking at the Suunto 9 (not baro) but they’re essentially the same watch, just without the barometer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH0pur_jP9k
Edit to say there are a couple of other watches on sale like the Suunto 7 but if you’re getting an Android Wear watch…my hat goes off to you.
Great watch but holy hell its 16.5mm thick!
I'd be cautious about the futureproof-ness of the Suunto ecosystem, but it will probably continue to function independently regardless.