Suunto Core 2: A Garmin Fenix With a 2-Year Battery? It might even be 5 years.

Suunto is bringing the Core back. Expect Garmin Fenix capability (ABC, weather, maps, durable materials) but this time on a single replaceable battery.

A new model, the Suunto Core 2, has now appeared in an FCC filing (model: OW245) with limited but enlightening details over and above the re-emergence of the old 2007 model’s name.

• Stainless steel case marking
• 100 m water resistance
• Bluetooth Low Energy
• CR3032 lithium battery

It’s not an understatement to say that the battery choice has the potential to reframe the outdoor watch category.

A Two-Decade Hardware Template

For two decades, the modern outdoor watch has broadly converged towards a single hardware template. Rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Multi-band GNSS. Optical heart rate. AMOLED or transflective colour display. Bluetooth, WiFi, music, payments. Garmin’s Fenix line is the reference design, and Suunto’s own Vertical, Race 2 and Run watches sit on the same template, narrowly distinguished on materials, features and price. Battery life across the category runs to days or low weeks, and a proprietary charging cable is standard kit on every multi-day trip…just in case.

The Core 2 filing walks away from this. The watch carries a replaceable battery.

Why a Replaceable Battery Works in 2026

The battery choice is realistic in 2026 because every aspect of the internal tech has changed. Low-power Bluetooth chipsets, MEMS sensors and reflective displays have all moved to standby power requirements far below the 2007 baseline. Whether Suunto has built the Core 2 to take full advantage of that headroom will be confirmed when the watch ships of course.

Nevertheless based on some offline calculations I game-played, the CR3032 has the energy budget for a runtime measured in years rather than weeks.

CR3032, Not CR2032

The battery itself deserves a closer look. The label specifies a CR3032, not a CR2032. The two are easy to visually confuse. A CR2032 holds roughly 220 to 240 mAh. A CR3032 shares the same 3 V lithium chemistry and the same 3.2 mm thickness, but is significantly larger in diameter at 30 mm against 20 mm. The extra surface area lifts capacity from roughly 220 mAh on the CR2032 to 500 mAh on the CR3032, more than twice the energy.

CR3032 batteries are unusual in consumer electronics, used in a small number of medical devices and industrial sensors but rarely in watches.

What the FCC Filing Confirms

• Brand and product name on the label: Suunto Core 2
• Model number: OW245
• FCC ID: RYPOW245, filed under Suunto Oy, Finland
• IC: 5175A-OW245
• KC: R-R-SUU-OW245
• Japan MIC: R 217-263136
• Battery: CR3032 lithium, user-replaceable. Note: CR3032, not CR2032
• Water resistance: 100 m / 328 ft
• Material reference: stainless steel
• Wireless: Bluetooth Low Energy, 2402 to 2480 MHz
• Country of manufacture: China. Designed in Finland
• Conformity marks: FCC, IC, CE, UKCA, EAC, KC, RCM (Australia), Telec (Japan), WEEE
• Confidentiality on documents: runs to September 2026

The Fenix Comparison

A Garmin Fenix sets the benchmark for what a modern outdoor watch delivers. Multi-band GNSS, mapping, training load, optical heart rate, music, payments and an AMOLED option, with battery life on the order of two to three weeks in smartwatch mode and a charging cable required at every multi-day stop. The Core 2 looks set to land in the same capability bracket, sitting alongside the Vertical and Race in the modern Suunto line rather than below it.

The differentiator is the battery footing ie A modern outdoor watch that runs for years on a single replaceable battery, against rechargeables that need a cable every fortnight, is a category move that nothing in the Fenix range can match.

A Full-Circle Decision

The full-circle nature of this battery decision lifts Core 2 beyond a simple new product filing. Industry effort has gone into squeezing more days out of rechargeable batteries. Suunto appears to have solved the problem from the other end. Rather than charging the watch more often or fitting a bigger lithium-ion pack, the company has paired modern outdoor-watch electronics with a replaceable battery and let efficient silicon do the work. The judgement on whether that delivers in practice will have to wait for review units but I can see no reason why suunto will let us down.

Confidentiality on the FCC documents runs to September 2026, which typically aligns with a planned market release.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Suunto Core 2?

The Suunto Core 2 is a new outdoor watch from Suunto that has appeared in an FCC filing under model number OW245. It is the successor to the original Suunto Core, which has been in continuous production since 2007 through the Core, Core Alpha and Core Alpha Stealth variants. Suunto has not yet announced the watch officially.

When will the Suunto Core 2 be released?

Suunto has not confirmed a release date. The confidentiality period on the FCC documents runs to September 2026, which typically aligns with a planned market launch. An autumn 2026 release is the most likely window.

What battery does the Suunto Core 2 use?

The Suunto Core 2 uses a CR3032 lithium battery according to the FCC filing. The battery is user-replaceable. Note that this is a CR3032, not the more common CR2032. The CR3032 has the same 20 mm diameter as a CR2032 but is thicker at 3.2 mm and holds more than twice the energy at roughly 500 to 560 mAh.

How long will the Suunto Core 2 battery last?

Suunto has not published a runtime figure. The CR3032 has the energy budget for a runtime measured in years rather than weeks. The actual figure will depend on how aggressively Suunto wakes the Bluetooth radio, sensor duty cycle and backlight use.

Will the Suunto Core 2 have GPS?

The FCC filing does not reference any GNSS or GPS receiver, but the filing covers radio interfaces only and does not exhaust the watch’s feature set. Modern low-power GNSS chipsets are compatible with coin-cell power budgets when used in short bursts rather than continuous tracking. Suunto has not confirmed the GPS position either way.

Will the Suunto Core 2 have wrist heart rate?

The FCC filing does not address optical heart rate. Modern OHR sensors operate at duty cycles that are compatible with multi-year battery life on a CR3032. Suunto has not confirmed the position.

Is the Suunto Core 2 waterproof?

The Suunto Core 2 is rated to 100 m of water resistance according to the FCC label. This is a meaningful upgrade on the 30 m rating of the existing Core line. A 100 m rating is suitable for swimming and surface watersports.

Will the Suunto Core 2 work with the Suunto app?

The FCC filing confirms a Bluetooth Low Energy radio, which makes app pairing the most likely use case. Suunto has not detailed app functionality. Settings sync, firmware updates and log export are the typical functions added when an outdoor watch first gains Bluetooth.

Where is the Suunto Core 2 made?

The FCC label states Made in China and Designed in Finland. The filing itself is held under Suunto Oy in Finland (FCC ID RYPOW245).

How does the Suunto Core 2 compare to a Garmin Fenix?

The Suunto Core 2 looks positioned to sit in the same capability bracket as a Garmin Fenix in modern outdoor watch terms, alongside the Suunto Vertical and Race rather than below them. The differentiator is the battery. A modern feature set on a replaceable battery rated in years against the Fenix’s rechargeable cycle of two to three weeks. Final feature-by-feature comparisons will have to wait for the official specification.

Where can I buy a CR3032 battery?

CR3032 batteries are available from major electronics retailers, watch parts suppliers and online marketplaces. They are less common than CR2032 batteries because they are mainly used in medical devices and industrial sensors. Brands include Panasonic, Renata and Maxell.

Last Updated on 29 April 2026 by the5krunner