Suunto 9 Baro Titanium, accepts challenges of 170 hours

We had never trained with a Suunto before and the expectations we had of the Finnish sports watch specialist were very high. Our first time was with the latest addition: the Suunto 9 Baro Titanium.

In fact, more than a new model it is a new finish for the current Suunto 9 Baro. The main innovations are the ferrule of the watch, which is now titanium, and the nylon strap, a durable material that repels water and sweat, instead of silicone.

Two strap sizes are included in the package, one longer and one shorter, to fit different sized wrists, or to use it over the jacket.

In addition to aesthetic details, both changes contribute to reducing the weight of the watch by about 14 grams, to arrive at the current 66.9 grams: in fact, although it is definitely a large watch (which perhaps could move a little away the female audience) is light and comfortable on the wrist.

Returning to titanium: it is an ultra-resistant material that gives the watch an elegant matte finish. The specimen we are testing is Granite Blue Titanium, a very dark blue softened by a thin yellow line surrounding the display. The latter is controlled both with the touch screen and with the three buttons on the right of the ring.

The new model also brings with it a firmware update with new features, which will also join the rest of the current Suunto range. The most important, which makes the sportwatch an almost obligatory choice for those who train or compete over long distances, is the new battery saving mode, called Tour mode, which allows you to use the product continuously with GPS active for up to 170 hours. Proof that it is a product that is not afraid of challenges is that it was tested compared to the US military standard 810H and has passed several demanding tests in extreme temperatures, bumps and drops, sand and dust, humidity and freezing rain.

But mind you, it’s anything but spartan (albeit with a simple and clean design), but it has a number of refined features, including full weather monitoring. Furthermore, already has 80 sports modes integrated, including hiking, running and trail-running, skiing and mountain-biking. But there are also sports that are often not covered in monitoring apps, such as obstacle course, weightlifting with customizable screens and unlimited possibilities of views during the activity.

Very useful, especially for beginners of hiking or for those who are venturing for the first time on a path is the new turn-by-turn function: every time we arrive at a detour we receive a warning and we proceed at a brisk pace towards the goal.

But there is also the “Navigation of points of interest”: You can save a target position before setting off in the Suunto app and be guided without worries to your destination. Or you can decide to go there another day and your point of interest will still be saved.

Although the clock has always guided us precisely, we got lost a bit … We got lost sifting through all the available functions: it is not difficult to understand how it works, but it takes a little dedication. Just like in training.

Suunto 9 Baro Titanium is available in two different colors inspired by nature, Granite Blue Titanium, Charcoal Black Titanium, at a price of 599 euros.

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