I had the opportunity to test dive the brand new Suunto watch in the new Elementum line, this is the Aqua, and is the most dedicated diving watch I have ever owned. The time functions are standard date and time. The diving functions are all automatic and only operate underwater. There is a small sensor on the watch located at 10 o’clock. This is a dual purpose sensor for depth and temperature. When the watch is under water a small water drop icon shows up on the dial and the watch enters “dive mode.” The screen changes to show 4 pieces of information: 1) Dive time, 2) current depth, 3) maximum depth, 4) water temperature which is a bar type graph displayed around the dial. After the dive you can use the log function to retrieve this data. It is just that simple. A no nonsense, no instruction necessary dive watch. The Suunto Elementum Aqua is the ultimate in diving gear simplicity. For people out there who don’t want to remember another set of instructions for complicated computers and gear this watch is for you. Diving is a sport that requires a lot of equipment, has a lot of rules, and requires a lot to remember. The options might be limited, but it does all the basics, and it does them well. The dive log function stores information for the last 14 dives. It also keeps information like the surface time, the dates of the dives, and the number of dives. Plus, who doesn’t get a reassuring and cool feeling when they see “Manufactured In Finland” It’s a great companion to my Suunto Cobra 2 dive computer which I will be diving with both for a long time to come. |