Suunto

THE SUUNTO STORY: BORN IN 1936 AND STILL EXPLORING 
All explorers have a story to tell. This is ours. 

From the top of Mt Everest to the bottom of icebergs in the Antarctic ocean, Suunto's watches have been worn by explorers and divers to some of the world's wildest places. Suunto's mission: to equip and inspire adventurers, explorers and sports enthusiasts to physically and mentally conquer the world's mountains, oceans and trails.

Pushing the boundaries of what's possible isn't just something Suunto encourages in others; it's a creed the Finnish brand lives by itself and is forever striving for the best quality and craftsmanship. For 80 years, it has been at the forefront of design and innovation of sports watches, instruments and dive computers from their factory in Finland.

Today, the brand is a hallmark for original design, functionality and total reliability in the most extreme environments. It produces various sports watches, heart rate monitors, compasses and diving computers that use the most advanced algorithms to safely calculate the time divers can spend in the depths.

"Behind every product, there is a simple goal" says Mikko Moilanen, President of Suunto. “Every Suunto watch is the result of a collaboration of passionate people. The search for excellence is in our bloodline.”

Suunto's story began 80 years ago when Finnish orienteer and engineer Tuomas Vohlonen decided to tackle a problem that had been bothering him — the accuracy of existing compasses. His solution was to invent a better one. He pioneered a new technique for mass-producing the liquid-filled compass in 1936. It's just one of many innovations that Suunto has developed since then.

In 1965, a British diver found out that a Suunto field compass worked even underwater. Soon after this Suunto produced their first diving compass and later helped to revolutionize the sport by launching their first dive computer in 1987. Previously divers had to calculate times using complicated diving tables and the Suunto SME-ML could now take care of the thinking. This innovation made diving safer and more popular – and customers adopted Suunto. Since then, Suunto has been the global market leader in manufacturing dive computers.

A decade later another revolution came off the production lines, as Suunto Vector, one of the first watches to feature the 'ABC' functions of altimeter, barometer and compass was introduced. Thanks to its iconic design, functionality and reliability, the Vector became the leading product in its category, remaining in Suunto’s production for over 15 years. It has probably been to more mountain summits than any other watch.

“We are very proud of our Finnish roots” Moilanen says. “We have a long heritage in innovation and we are passionate about getting it right.”

Suunto employs nowadays over 500 people worldwide and is headquartered in Vantaa, near Helsinki, which is also where their flagship factory is based. Having the whole manufacturing process under the same roof offers many advantages from product development to flexible production management. Finland is also ideally located for direct product shipments, as direct flights ensure fast deliveries to customers in Asia, Europe and in the Americas.

Being on the doorstep of the Finnish nature also has another advantage — it offers the perfect setting to give products the rigorous testing they require during research and development. For example, a dedicated in-house diving team gathering every week, takes diving products to depths of up to 200m in a nearby flooded mine.

It is not just the outdoors and the country's wilderness that provide inspiration; there is also a strong design tradition in Finland, which is also another important part of Suunto's DNA. Suunto products have won numerous design awards over the years, but perhaps the greatest accolade comes from the thousands of Suunto users who daily upload and share their runs, climbs, rides and adventures onto Movescount.com.

“Our goal is to provide the best tools and solutions for our customers so they can get the most out of their adventures” adds Moilanen. 

  www.suunto.com         ​   www.movescount.com

About Suunto:

Suunto was born in 1936 when Finnish orienteer and engineer Tuomas Vohlonen invented the mass production method for the liquid-filled compass. Since then, Suunto has been at the forefront of design and innovation for sports watches, dive computers and sports instruments used by adventurers all over the globe. From the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, Suunto physically and mentally equips outdoor adventurers to conquer new territory.

Suunto's headquarters and manufacturing plant is in Vantaa, Finland. Employing more than 400 people worldwide, Suunto products are sold in over 100 countries. The company is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation along with its sister brands Salomon, Arc'teryx, Atomic, Wilson, Precor and Mavic.