Size Comparison 9PP - Race S - Race 2

[2b2bff]

@Tami999 I talked to Suunto folks on my last trail run and it is said a successor to the Race S is coming. Aimed at September. Will be closer to the Race 3 that follows than to the current Race 2. With a new HR sensor again…

[Lazar Dimitrov]

@jthomi Here you go - I have a Race 2 and a 9PP

[2b2bff]

@Lazar-Dimitrov It always amazes me how small the footprint of the Race 2 is…

[Łukasz Szmigiel]

Hm the Race 2 is smaller than I thought. @lazar-dimitrov, can you do a side by side comparison?

[Lazar Dimitrov]

@Łukasz-Szmigiel probably the best I could do:

In terms of weight (measured): Race 2 is 65g, 9 Peak Pro is 55g (Titanium versions for both)

[Łukasz Szmigiel]

@lazar-dimitrov thanks, that’s very helpful!

[Highlands]

@Lazar-Dimitrov Both watches look awesome.
With a nylon strap my V2 Ti drops under 60 grams.

[Ecki D.]

In my eyes the 9PP is just a masterpiece in design. Hope there will be a follow up.

Suunto should build the Leica of endurance watches

Not the loudest watch.
Not the most overloaded one.
Not the one trying to be a smartwatch, a phone, a coach, and a dashboard all at once.

I think Suunto has an opportunity to build something different:
the Leica of endurance watches.

By that I mean a watch with a very clear identity:
focused, understated, reliable, professional, and built around doing a few important things exceptionally well.

A watch that feels calm in everyday use.
A watch that is always ready.
A watch that does not try to impress with noise, but with confidence.

In practical terms, that could mean:

• excellent battery life
• strong GPS and navigation
• clean route handling
• great readability in real outdoor conditions
• low-friction everyday usability
• long-term software support
• a more quiet, professional, tool-like product philosophy

What makes many great tools special is not that they do everything.
It is that they feel purposeful, dependable, and refined.

That is the kind of space I would love Suunto to own more deliberately.

In a market where many watches are becoming brighter, busier, and more alike, there is real value in a watch that feels more like a trusted instrument than a small entertainment device.

For me, that would be much more interesting than just another feature race.

Not a watch shouting for attention.
A watch with character.

That, to me, would feel very Suunto.

[2b2bff]

@Ecki-D. I think the Race 2 and Race S is very close to your requirements. I do love this understated design.

[Efejota]

@Ecki-D. You nailed it. For me, Vertical 1 and S9PP are perfect examples of that. If I only had my 25 y.o. eyes…

I have not tried Race or Vertical 2, maybe I would change my mind.

[duffman19]

@Ecki-D. said:

Suunto should build the Leica of endurance watches

I really like the Leica analogy. The 9 Peak design looks and feels very purpose-built and understated, much like the cameras. And the original retail price for the 9 Peak set it apart from the competition despite its lack of certain state-of-the-art technology, much like Leica. (Okay, maybe not quite as bad as a Leica.)

I was going to say that I thought the ship had sailed on Suunto producing the type of watch you described above. After all, it seems that since the new ownership, there has been a significant push to introduce more and more features. Some of these are playing catch-up to the competition, and others are things that users have been asking for. And, at this point, it feels like Suunto watches are becoming more complicated to use. Certainly not as bad as Garmin, but they are on the path towards “feature overload” that simply didn’t exist in the 9 series days.

But, then I remembered the impending release of the Core 2. So it appears that Suunto is developing two distinct watch branches: the do-it-all, not-quite-a-smartwatch, adventure watches (Vertical and Race); and the bare-bones, hardcore, basics watch (Core).

Maybe there’s hope that a new branch will emerge that bridges the gap between these two? A watch that does a little more than the Core, but not quite everything that the Vertical does? And if it looks anything like the 9 Peak, I’d imagine it’d be pretty close to the “Leica of endurance watches ”.