Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/773724
A street date of the Suunto Traverse Alpha was at the early 2016 – the Suunto markets it as a perfect choice for people addicted to active lifestyle such us hunting, fishing or hiking. The watch has been designed, manu- factured and tried & tested in Finland. It has been tested according to the military standards. Admittedly, I am not a hunter, I am hiking rather occasionally, but due to the other activities I have assumed that this model is good for me. So, let's look closed at this watch, which I have worn on my left wrist for a several weeks. DESIGN Size: 50 x 50 x 15 mm Weight: 80 grams – with NATO webbing strap and 75 grams with a silicon strap. At the first glance it can be assumed as quite a lot, but you can quickly get used to it. Bezel: Stainless steel bezel is finished in gray matte color. Its lower part is nicely rounded and all the elements that get in contact with skin are very pleasant to touch. In the bottom part there are also slits of the sensors and a loud- speaker, which BTW works very well in this model. As a matter of fact, it is one of the first watches that has been able to wake me up – the others, which I have owned, were definitely too silent. The upper part of the bezel is screwed with four screws integrated in way that they do not protrude at all. Plus, they even give some stylish look. A finish of a fixed substitute of a bezel with a sharp knurling is a drawback for me. Such finish makes sense when used in the parts, which require a hand to adjust but in this watch it results in catching shirt or a jacket, as well as often causes unpleasant chaffing. Maybe, it looks pretty good, but it can be only used as substitute of a nail file ;) Buttons: Suunto Traverse Alpha buttons are metal and finished in the same way as the upper case of the be- zel, but here this makes sense. There are three buttons (Start, Next, Light) on the right side of its case, and two on the left (Back, View). Each button operates in two modes – it can be pressed for a while or hold for a longer time and then its function changes. Start – on click – select activity menu. Start – on hold – starts recording activity (one of a few apps to choose). Next – on click – next screen (one small drawback - when you press "Back" you do not return to the previous screen, but you must cycle through the menu, in order to get to start and sometimes it takes a while). Next – on hold – options menu. Light – on click – activates momentary backlight. Light – on hold – activates a flashlight, regardless a backlight mode set, full white backlight of the entire screen. Back – one click – back. Back – on hold – locking of the buttons (more below). View – on click – changes display options. View – on hold – saves current location. The buttons protrude to such an extent that if the watch is loose on the wrist that it often happens to switch a screen option or enter menu unintentionally, what can be irritating. A solution is to lock all the buttons. A disadvan- tage of this is a fact that backlight also gets deactivated. These are small details, which will be probably solved with software upgrade, but now it works like that. Charger A charging socket is located on the back of Suunto Traverse Alpha. While using a special clip (included in a kit) you can charge the watch with a network charger or USB port. Charging is quick, and its progress is displayed on the screen (% of charged battery). You can use the watch during charging and due to a clip profile, which enables to wear the watch on the wrist and connect a power bank to it and the latter will charge the watch even when you walk. Strap The watch comes with NATO Strap as a standard, which beside nice appearance, is fit for nothing at all. Probably it is a very harsh feedback, but at the beginning the strap is rigid and rough making it un- comfortable to wear. It was quite hard to arrange it and furthermore its metal eyelets are placed in such a way that even with my wrist circumference an end of strap protrudes and catches on everything. After a few days of wearing the strap starts to fit and its wearing becomes a little more pleasant, although oc- curs a further disadvantage … the webbing absorbs sweat. Maybe some people do not sweat or they wear www.fragoutmag.com