Suunto Observer elastomer strap may have serious defect

Suunto Observer Titanium strap snapped apart after about two-three years of use.

Cracks all over the strap. It is NOT an accident that it tears apart.

Another section of the strap shows many cracks that almost cut through the strap. Image of its opposite is shown in right.

No obvious sign of wear and tear on external surface even though it is seriously damaged (see picture in left) and can break apart any time.

Suunto is a Finnish brand I liked. My former boss and friend Christian Lindholm has some interesting comments to Suunto product user interface (UI) design.

I bought a Suunto Observer Titanium, top-of-the-line model, about two or three years ago. I was in overall quite happy with the watch, or 'wristop computer' as called by Suunto. It is my primary choice when I am traveling or outdoor.  I am not such an 'adventurer' often exposed to extreme conditions.  Couple of ski trips to Finnish Lapland in winter can be the most 'demanding' circumstance to the Observer and I have been relatively idle with sport activities in recent two years due to my new-born son.  It more than surprised me when the Observer slipped off my wrist one day when I was playing with my son in our bedroom about a month ago.

A little inspection to the strap revealed that it was not an accident that the strap broke apart.  Cracks are all over the (inner) surface with many cutting through almost the whole strap.  In short, the strap is sure to break apart at any day, along any of the long cracks.

Considering the very moderate use and age of the device, there seems to be serious defects with the design, material or manufacturing of the strap.  I can not expect the strap of such a watch will break within 2-3 years with normal use.  My cheap 10-year old plastic Casio watch works still very fine.  I consider myself lucky that I was not swimming in a lake or carving in deep snow when the strap finally snapped apart.

Replacement of the strap (with titanium bars) would cost about 80 (?) euros.  Most important, I no longer feel comfortable wearing it any more because I fear the strap may break apart soon.

Suunto's current CEO Juha Pinomaa had long experience with Nokia's mobile handset business divisions before joining Suunto.  Perhaps his understanding to consumer insight and product reliability could contribute a lot to Suunto's business.

Comments

[Ni Jian]

I did send an email to Suunto customer service but never heard from them.

[JP]

I had the same problem with the Stainless Band deteriorating between the pins in the band after almost exactly 3-years. Has Suunto ever announced a "recall" or something similar on their bands? I was pissed when I found out that 1/3 the cost of the watch was the crappy-ass wrist band!!
JP.

[Joe]

I too, had the same issue with my strap. from your pictures here, it looks as though you had more luck with yours, mine just completely crumbled apart like sugar in water. Basically both sides of that clasp started to crack and within a few weeks it was gone.
I have contected Suunto about this numerous times, and have had the same smug reply from them everytime. The cost of a replacement strap to me negates the cost of the watch. Their argument is that you can buy a regular Oberserver elastomer band for $39.99 and that will do, my argument is that Id rather spend $150 and have the option to get a steel or titanium strap with no elastomer/rubber/silicon in there at all.
I think Ill be buying a Swiss Army watch instead.

[Marek_Slovakia]

I had the same problem, but with stainless steel strap, after 2 years it broken down, the same way as yours. My brother has one strap only, elastomer one, and its without problems; therefore, Ive bought the elastomer.