The Suunto Elementum Aqua showed up in a discrete black cube, with just one word crafted on: “SUUNTO.” The one I was given has black case, black rubberized band, and positive face. The black case is stainless 316L, the common “marine grade stainless steel,” and it is extremely tasteful. From some distance it may resemble a stylish black G-Shock watch.
The fact is a friend of mine made precisely this remark; nevertheless a closer inspection discloses its originality. The 41mm frame has 8 hex screws and its combination with the sapphire glass as well as the curved case remind me of the viewing port of an atmospheric scuba diving suit. In fact I believe that this is actually the most beautiful characteristic of the watch, even though it appears like the bezel of a UTS model, the setup by Suunto seems wonderful.
One more exclusive characteristic of the watch could be the enormous crown pusher at 2 o’ clock, the one feature which is shared among all of the Elementum devices.
Being bigger than the simple pusher at three o’ clock, it really sticks out, adding an extra touch of various design culture. The crystal has yellow circular and linear markings that determine the measurements taken under water. The 2 yellow lines help to inform about the current and maximum depth, and the dive time, while the round marking may be the analogue temperature scale.
Suunto Elementum Aqua operates in a couple of modes: TIME and DIVE mode. The time function is easy enough, the hour and the minutes are placed at the middle of the display, while at the bottom of the display the date is found. Do not question the reading of seconds, the primary display lacks it, regardless of the empty top part of the display that could supply the best space for this reading. The explanation for this omission could be an attempt to avoid the refreshing of the screen every second and preserve some battery. The setup of the time requires pushing the crown for a few seconds. Then the time, date, and alarm setup is extremely effortless by screwing the crown clockwise or anti-clockwise. Another intriguing feature of the watch is a button locking mechanism function, which can be triggered by pressing the two pushers concurrently. Furthermore, by pushing the middle pusher firmly in any mode, the backlight is started.
Jack Russel is a long time watch collector and knows few things about them, especially the outdoor/sport kinds. So his opnion on Suunto Elementum and especially his favorite Suunto Elementum Ventus may be considered before buying one. To find out more: http://suuntoelementum.com/