Suunto has long designed watches for hardcore outdoor athletes, like divers, climbers and runners. It's now making bigger a play for more everyday lifestyle adventurers and explorers. A few weeks ago, we saw the Traverse GPS watch, and next Suunto will launch the Kailash, a watch for world travelers.
The debut watch of Suunto's new World Collection, the Kailash gets its name from the holy 22,000-foot (6,700-m) Tibetan peak that has never been climbed. As Suunto describes it, the peak stands as a symbol of the human calling to reach our potential. More simply, we'd say that the name of such a large, mysterious mountain brings to mind the type of intrigue and challenge that inspire people to explore the world in search of great sights and adventures.
Like the Traverse, the Kailash has both GPS and GLONASS for accurate location tracking. At the push of a button, it shows you the distance and direction to your home or starting point, such as a hotel. It also provides automatic time and location updating.
With the help of the navigation chipset, the integrated logbook keeps track of the number of countries and cities you've visited, number of days traveled, distance traveled and more. You can quickly reference your "travel stats" on the watch and use the 7R iPhone app to see and share a travel timeline map. The app also enables watch-based phone notifications.
The Kailash has a glass-fiber composite body and space-grade titanium bezel for lightweight wear and durability. The sapphire crystal glass enhances the watch's toughness, while the silicone strap provides a snug fit.
The Kailash will hit retailers by the end of the month for the rather high price of US$950. It will come in a dual-purpose weatherproof aluminum case that can be used to store valuables during travel. GLONASS support will be added later on this year.
Source: Suunto