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Get the most out of your Suunto product by checking the product manual, watching the how-to videos, and reading the Questions and Answers. Select your product from the drop-down menu below.
Suunto 5 is a sports watch that tracks your movement and other metrics, such as heart rate and calories. Suunto 5 is only for recreational use and not meant for medical purposes of any kind.
Do not use Suunto 5 outside the operating temperature intervals as it might damage the product. Do not use the product above the operating temperature as it might cause skin burns.
Types of safety precautions
Safety precautions
Allergic reactions or skin irritations may occur when the product is in contact with skin, even though our products comply with industry standards. In such event, stop use immediately and consult a doctor.
Always consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program. Overexertion may cause serious injury.
Only for recreational use.
Do not entirely rely on the GPS or battery lifetime of the product. Always use maps and other backup material to ensure your safety.
Do not apply solvent of any kind to the product, as it may damage the surface.
Do not apply insect repellent on the product, as it may damage the surface.
Do not throw the product away, but treat it as electronic waste to preserve the environment.
Do not knock or drop the product, as it may get damaged.
At Suunto we use advanced sensors and algorithms to generate metrics that can help you in your activities and adventures. We strive to be as accurate as possible. However, none of the data our products and services collect is perfectly reliable, nor are the metrics they generate absolutely precise. Calories, heart rate, location, movement detection, shot recognition, physical stress indicators and other measurements may not match the real world. Suunto products and services are intended for recreational use only and are not meant for medical purposes of any kind.
Suunto 5 has five buttons you can use to navigate through displays and features.
1. Upper left button
2. Upper right button
3. Middle button
4. Lower left button
5. Lower right button
When you are recording an exercise, the buttons have different functions:
1. Upper left button
2. Upper right button
3. Middle button
4. Lower left button
5. Lower right button
Download and install SuuntoLink on your PC or Mac to update your watch software.
We strongly recommend updating your watch when a new software release is available. If an update is available, you are notified via SuuntoLink as well as the Suunto app.
Visit www.suunto.com/SuuntoLink for further information.
To update your watch software:
With the Suunto app, you can further enrich your Suunto 5 experience. Pair your watch with the mobile app to optimize the GPS, get mobile notifications, insights and more.
You cannot pair anything if airplane mode is on. Turn off airplane mode before pairing.
To pair your watch with Suunto app:
Some features require an internet connection over WiFi or mobile network. Carrier data connection fees may apply.
Optical heart rate measurement from the wrist is an easy and convenient way to track your heart rate. Best results for heart rate measurement may be affected by the following factors:
The optical heart rate feature may not be accurate for every user during every activity. Optical heart rate may also be affected by an individual’s unique anatomy and skin pigmentation. Your actual heart rate may be higher or lower than the optical sensor reading.
Only for recreational use; the optical heart rate feature is not for medical use.
Always consult a doctor before beginning a training program. Overexertion may cause serious injury.
Allergic reaction or skin irritations may occur when products are in contact with skin, even though our products comply with industry standards. In such event, stop use immediately and consult a doctor.
To adjust a setting:
Press the upper right button until you see the settings icon, then press the middle button to enter the settings menu.
Scroll through the settings menu by pressing the upper right or lower right buttons.
Select a setting by pressing the middle button when the setting is highlighted. Go back in the menu by pressing the lower left button.
For settings with a value range, change the value by pressing the upper right or lower right button.
For settings with just on or off, change the value by pressing the middle button.
You can also access general settings from the shortcuts menu by keeping the middle button pressed.
While recording an exercise you can lock the buttons by keeping the lower right button pressed. Once locked, you cannot change the display views, but you can turn on the backlight with any button press if the backlight is in automatic mode.
To unlock, keep the lower right button pressed again.
When you are not recording an exercise, the screen dims after a short period of inactivity. To activate the screen, press any button.
After a longer period of inactivity, the watch goes into hibernation mode and turns the screen off completely. Any movement reactivates the screen.
The backlight features can be adjusted from the settings under General » Backlight.
You can also set the backlight to be always on. Keep the middle button pressed to enter the Shortcuts menu, scroll to Backlight and toggle the switch to force backlight on.
Tones and vibration alerts are used for notifications, alarms and other key events and actions. Both can be adjusted from the settings under General » Tones.
Under General » Tones » General, you can select from the following options:
Under General » Tones » Alarms you can switch vibrations on and off.
You can select from the following options:
Suunto 5 uses Bluetooth technology to send and receive information from your mobile device when you have paired your watch with the Suunto app. Same technology is also used when pairing PODs and sensors.
However, if you do not want your watch to be visible for Bluetooth scanners, you can activate or deactivate the discovery setting from the settings under Connectivity » Discovery.
The Bluetooth can also be completely turned off by activating airplane mode, see Airplane mode
Activate airplane mode when needed to turn off wireless transmissions. You can activate or deactivate airplane mode from the settings under Connectivity.
To pair anything with your device, you need to first turn off airplane mode if you have it on.
The Do Not Disturb mode is a setting that mutes all sounds and vibrations and dims the screen, making it a very useful option when wearing the watch in, for example, a theater or any environment where you want the watch to operate as usual, but silently.
To turn on the Do Not Disturb mode:
If you have an alarm set, it sounds as normal and disables Do Not Disturb mode unless you snooze the alarm.
If you have paired your watch with the Suunto app and using an Android phone, you can recieve notifications of incoming calls and text messages, for example, on your watch.
When you pair your watch with the app, notifications are on by default. You can turn them off from the settings under Notifications.
Messages recieved from some apps used for communication might not be compatible with Suunto 5.
When a notification arrives, a pop-up appears on the watch face.
If the message doesn't fit on the screen, press the lower right button to scroll through the full text.
Press Actions to interact with the notification (the available options vary depending on which of your mobile apps sent the notification).
For apps used for communcations you can use your watch to send a Quick reply. You can select and modify the predefined messages in Suunto app.
If you have unread notifications or missed calls on your mobile device, you can view them on your watch.
From the watch face, press the middle button and then press the lower button to scroll through the notification history.
The notification history is cleared when you check the messages on your mobile device.
You set time and date during the initial startup of your watch. After this, your watch uses GPS time to correct any offset.
Once you have paired with Suunto app, your watch gets updated time, date, time zone and daylight-saving time from mobile devices.
Under General » Time/date, tap Auto time update to toggle the feature on and off.
You can manually adjust time and date from the settings under General » Time/date where you can also change time and date formats.
In addition to the main time, you can use dual time to follow the time at a different location, for example, when you are traveling. Under General » Time/date, tap Dual time to set the time zone by selecting a location.
Your watch has an alarm clock that can sound once or repeat on specific days. Activate the alarm from the settings under Alarms » Alarm clock.
To set an alarm:
First select how often you want the alarm to sound. The options are:
Set the hour and minutes and then exit the settings.
When the alarm sounds, you can dismiss it to end the alarm, or you can select the snooze option. The snooze time is 10 minutes and can be repeated up to 10 times.
If you let the alarm continue to sound, it will automatically snooze after 30 seconds.
You can change your watch language and unit system from the settings under General » Language.
Suunto 5 comes with several watch faces to choose from, both digital and analog styles.
To change the watch face:
Go to the Watch face setting from the launcher or keep the middle button pressed to open the in-context menu. Press the middle button to select Watch face
Use the upper right or lower right buttons to scroll through the watch face previews and select the one you want to use by pressing the middle button.
Use the upper right or lower right buttons to scroll through the color options and select the one you want to use.
Each watch face has additional information, such as date or dual time. Press the middle button to switch between views.
In addition to sunrise and sunset times, your watch can track moon phases. The moon phase is based on date you have set in your watch.
The moon phase is available as a view in the outdoor style watch face. Press the top left button to change the lower row until you see the moon phase.
The phases are presented as an icon with percentage as follows:
The sunrise/sunset alarms in your Suunto 5 are adaptive alarms based on your location. Instead of setting a fixed time, you set the alarm for how much in advance you want to be alerted before the actual sunrise or sunset.
The sunrise and sunset times are determined via GPS, so your watch relies on the GPS data from the last time you used GPS.
To set sunset/sunrise alarms:
Scroll to the alarm that you want to set and select by pressing the middle button.
Set minutes in the same way.
A watch face is also availalbe that shows sunrise and sunset times.
Sunrise and sunset times and alarms require a GPS fix. The times are blank until GPS data is available.
Your watch includes a power saving option that turns off all vibration, daily HR and Bluetooth notifications to extend battery life during normal daily use. For power saving options while recording activities, see Battery power management.
Enable/disable power saving from the settings under General » Power saving.
Power saving is automatically enabled when the battery level reaches 10%.
The position format is the way your GPS position is displayed on the watch. All the formats relate to the same location, they only express it in a different way.
You can change the position format in the watch settings under Navigation » Position format.
Latitude/longitude is the most commonly used grid and has three different formats:
Other common position formats available include:
Suunto 5 also supports the following local position formats:
Some position formats cannot be used in the areas north of 84° and south of 80°, or outside the countries that they are intended for. If you are outside the allowed area, your location coordinates cannot be displayed on the watch.
You can check details of your watch software and hardware from the settings under General » About.
In addition to 24/7 activity monitoring, you can use your watch to record your training sessions or other activities to get detailed feedback and follow your progress.
To record an exercise:
Scroll up to the exercise icon and select with the middle button.
Press upper right or lower right button to scroll through the sport modes and press the middle button to select the one you want to use.
Above the start indicator, a set of icons appear, depending on what you are using with the sport mode (such as heart rate and connected GPS). The arrow icon (connected GPS) flash gray while searching and turn green once a signal is found. The heart icon (heart rate) flash gray while searching and when once a signal is found, it turns into a colored heart attached to a belt if you are using a heart rate sensor or a colored heart without the belt if you are using the optical heart rate sensor.
If you are using a heart rate sensor but the icon turns green, check that the heart rate sensor is paired, see Pairing PODs and sensors, and select the sport mode again.
You can wait for each icon to turn green or red or start the recording as soon as you like by pressing the middle button.
Once the recording is started, the selected heart rate source is locked and cannot be changed during the ongoing training session.
While recording, you can switch between displays with the middle button.
Press the upper right button to pause the recording. Stop and save with the lower right button or continue resume with the upper right button.
If the sport mode you selected has options, such as setting a duration target, you can adjust them before starting the recording by pressing the lower right button. You can also adjust sport mode options while recording by keeping the middle button pressed.
If you are using a multisport mode, switch sports by keeping the upper right button pressed.
After you stop the recording, you are asked how you felt. You can answer or skip the question (see Feeling). Then you get a summary of the activity that you can browse through with the upper or lower right buttons.
If you made a recording you don't want to keep, you can delete the log entry by scrolling down to Delete and confirm with the middle button. You can also delete logs in the same way from the logbook.
Your watch comes with a wide range of pre-defined sport modes. The modes are designed for specific activities and purposes, from a casual walk outside to a triathlon race.
When you record an exercise (see Recording an exercise), you can scroll up and down to see the short list of sport modes. Tap the icon at the end of the short list to view the complete list and see all sport modes.
Each sport mode has a unique set of displays that show different data depending on the selected sport mode. You can edit and customize the data shown on the watch display during your exercise with Suunto app.
Learn how to customize sport modes in Suunto app (Android) or Suunto app (iOS).
It is possible to set different targets with your Suunto 5 when exercising.
If the sport mode you selected has targets as an option, you can adjust them before starting the recording by pressing the lower right button.
To exercise with general target:
When you have general targets activated, a target gauge is visible on every data display showing your progress.
You will also receive a notification when you have reached 50% of your target and when your selected target is fulfilled.
To exercise with intensity target:
You can navigate a route or to a POI while you are recording an exercise.
The sport mode you are using needs to have GPS enabled to be able to access the navigation options. If the sport mode GPS accuracy is OK when you select a route or POI, the GPS accuracy is changed to Best.
To navigate during exercise:
If you have not started the exercise recording yet, the last step takes you back to the sport mode options. Scroll up to the start view and start your recording as normal.
While exercising, press the middle button to scroll to the navigation display where you will see the route or POI that you selected. For more information on the navigation display, see Navigating to a POI and Routes.
While in this display you can swipe up or press the lower button to open your navigation options. From the navigation options, you can, for example, select a different route or POI, check your current location coordinates, as well as end navigation by selecting Breadcrumb.
Your Suunto 5 has a battery power management system uses intelligent battery technology to help ensure you watch does not run out of power when you need it most.
Before you start recording an exercise (see Recording an exercise) you see an estimate of how much battery life you have left in the current battery mode.
There are two predefined battery modes; Performance (default), and Endurance. Changing between these modes will change the lifetime of the battery but also change the performance of the watch.
In start display, tap Options » Battery mode to change battery modes and see how each mode affects the performance of the watch.
You can also quickly change the battery mode in the start display by pressing the upper button.
In addition to these two predefined battery modes, you can also create a custom battery mode with your own desired settings. The custom mode is specific for that sport mode, making it possible to create a custom battery mode for every sport mode.
If while exercising you start navigating or use navigation data like estimated time of arrival (ETA), the GPS goes to Best, regardless of the battery mode.
In addition to the battery modes, your watch uses smart reminders to help you ensure you have enough battery life for your next adventure. Some reminders are preemptive based on, for example, your activity history. You also get notified, for example, when the watch notices you are running low on battery while recording an activity. It will automatically suggest changing to a different battery mode.
Your watch will alert you once when the battery is at 20% and again at 10%.
You can use your Suunto 5 for swimming in pools.
When you use a pool swimming sport mode, the watch relies on the pool length to determine distance. You can change the pool length as needed under the sport mode options before you start swimming.
The wrist heart rate sensor may not work under water. Use a chest heart rate sensor to get a more reliable HR tracking.
Interval workouts are a common form of training consisting of repetitive sets of high and low intensity efforts. With Suunto 5, you can define in the watch your own interval training for each sport mode.
When defining your intervals, you have four items to set:
Keep in mind that if you use distance to define your intervals, you need to be in a sport mode that measures distance. The measurement can be based on GPS, or from a foot or bike POD, for example.
If you are using intervals, you cannot activate navigation.
To train with intervals:
Toggle intervals on and adjust the settings described above.
Scroll up to Back and confirm with the middle button.
Press the lower left button to change the view to intervals display and press the upper right button when you are ready to start your interval training.
If you want to stop the interval training before you have completed all your repetitions, keep the middle button pressed to open the sport mode options and toggle off Intervals.
While you are in the intervals display, buttons work as normal, for example, pressing the upper right button pauses the exercise recording, not just the interval training.
After you have stopped your exercise recording, interval training is automatically toggled off for that sport mode. The other settings, however, are maintained so you can easily start the same workout the next time you use the sport mode.
To increase the readability of your watch screen while exercising, you can change between light and dark themes.
With the light theme, the display background is light and the numbers dark.
With the dark theme, the contrast is reverse, with the background dark and the numbers light.
The theme is a global setting that you can change in your watch from any of your sport mode options.
To change display theme in sport mode options:
Autopause pauses the recording of your exercise when your speed is less than 2 km/h (1.2 mph). When your speed increases to more than 3 km/h (1.9 mph), the recording continues automatically.
You can turn autopause on/off for each sport mode from the sport mode settings in the watch before you start your exercise recording.
If autopause is on during a recording, a pop-up notifies you when the recording is paused automatically.
Press the middle button to see and switch between the current distance, HR, time, battery level.
You can let the recording resume automatically when you start moving again, or manually resume from the pop-up screen by pressing the upper right button.
If you are training regularly, following how you feel after each session is an important indicator of your overall physical condition.
There are five degrees of feeling to choose from:
What these options mean exactly are up to you to decide. The important thing is that you use them consistently.
For each training session, you can record how you felt in the watch directly after stopping the recording by answering the 'How was it?' question.
You can skip answering the question by pressing the middle button.
Your Suunto 5 can be used to control the music, podcast, other media played on your phone or being cast from your phone to another device. The media controls are on by default but can be turned off under Settings » Media controls.
You need to pair your watch with your phone before you can use Media controls.
To access the media controls, press the middle button from watch face or, during an exercise, press the middle button until the media control display is shown.
In the media control display, the buttons have the following functions:
Press the middle button to exit the media control display.
You can access the logbook from the launcher.
Scroll through the log by pressing the upper right or lower right buttons. Press the middle button to open and view the entry of your choice.
To exit the log, press the lower left button.
If you are navigating a route that has altitude information, you can also navigate based on ascent and descent using the altitude profile display. While in the main navigation display (where you see your route), press the middle button to switch to the altitude profile display.
The altitude profile display shows you the following information:
If you stray too far off from the route while using altitude navigation, your watch will give you an Off route message in the altitude profile display. If you see this message, scroll to the route navigation display to get back on track before continuing with altitude navigation.
Suunto 5 uses GPS to measure altitude. Under optimal signal conditions, eliminating potential errors typical in calculating GPS position, the GPS altitude reading should give a pretty good indication of your elevation.
Because Suunto 5 relies solely on GPS to measure altitude, if the GPS is not set for maximum accuracy, any filtering is subject to error and may result in potentially inaccurate altitude readings.
If you need good elevation readings, ensure your GPS accuracy is set to Best during the recording.
However, even with the best accuracy, GPS altitude should not be considered an absolute position. It is an estimation of your real elevation, and the accuracy of this estimation is heavily dependent on the surrounding conditions.
You can use your Suunto 5 to navigate routes.
To navigate on a route:
Scroll to Navigation and press the middle button.
Scroll to Routes and press the middle button to open your list of routes.
Scroll to the route you want to navigate to and press the middle button.
Select Start exercise if you want to use the route for exercising or select Navigate only if you only want to navigate the route.
If you only navigate the route, nothing will be save or logged in Suunto app.
Press the upper right button again at any time to stop navigating.
In the detailed view, zoom in and out by keeping the middle button pressed. Adjust the zoom level with the upper right and lower right buttons.
While you are in the navigation display, you can press the lower button to open a list of shortcuts. The shortcuts give you quick access to navigation actions such as saving your current location or selecting another route to navigate.
It is also possible to start an exercise from the shortcut list. Selecting Start exercise will open the sport modes menu and you can start recording your exercise. If you end the exercise, the navigation will also end.
All sport modes with GPS also have a route selection option. See Navigating during exercise.
As you navigate a route, your watch helps you stay on the correct path by giving you additional notifications as you progress along the route.
For example, if you go more than 100 m (330 ft) off route, the watch notifies you that you are not on the right track, as well as lets you know when you are back on route.
Once you reach a waypoint of POI on the route, you get an informative popup showing you the distance and estimated time en route (ETE) to the next waypoint or POI.
If you navigating a route that crosses itself, such as a figure-8, and you make a wrong turn at the crossing, your watch assumes you are intentionally going in a different on the route. The watch shows the next waypoint based on the current, new direction of travel. So, keep an eye on your breadcrumb trail to ensure you are going the right way when you are navigating a complicated route.
When creating routes in Suunto app, you can choose to activate turn-by-turn instructions. When the route is transferred to your watch and used for navigation, it will give you turn-by-turn instructions with a sound alert and information on which way to turn.
If you are using GPS when recording an activity, Suunto 5 automatically saves the starting point of your exercise. With Find back, Suunto 5 can guide you directly back to your starting point.
To start find back:
The navigation guidance is shown as the last display on the selected sport mode.
If you are a Komoot member, you can find or plan routes with Komoot and sync these to your Suunto 5 via Suunto app. In addition, your exercises recorded with your watch will automatically be synchronized to Komoot.
When using route navigation with your Suunto 5 together with routes from Komoot, your watch will give you turn-by-turn instructions with a sound alert and a text on which way to turn.
To use turn-by-turn navigation powered by Komoot:
All your selected or planned routes (called “tours” in Komoot) in Komoot will automatically synchronize to Suunto app, which you then easily can transfer to your watch.
Follow the instructions in section Routes and select your route from Komoot to get turn-by-turn instructions.
For more information regarding the partnership between Suunto and Komoot, please see http://www.suunto.com/komoot
Komoot is currently not available in China.
A point of interest, or POI, is a special location, such as camping spot or vista along a trail, you can save and navigate to later. You can create POIs in Suunto app from a map and do not have to be at the POI location. Creating a POI in your watch is done by saving your current location.
Each POI is defined by:
You can store up to 250 POIs in your watch.
You can navigate to any POI that is in your watch POI list.
When navigating to a POI, your watch uses full power GPS.
To navigate to a POI:
To stop navigating, press the upper button again at any time.
While you are moving, the POI navigation has two views:
POI view with direction indicator and distance to the POI
map view showing your current location relative to the POI and your breadcrumb trail (the track you have traveled)
Press the middle button to switch between views. If you stop moving, the watch cannot determine which direction you are going based on GPS.
While in the POI view, tap on the screen to see additional information in the lower row such as altitude difference between current position and POI and estimated time of arrival (ETA) or en route (ETE).
In the map view, other POIs nearby are shown in gray. Press the upper left button to switch between the overview map and a more detailed view. In the detailed view, you adjust the zoom level by pressing the middle button and then zooming in and out with the upper and lower buttons.
While navigating, press the lower right button to open a list of shortcuts. The shortcuts give you quick access to POI details and actions such as saving your current location or selecting another POI to navigate to, as well as ending navigation.
The following POI types are available in Suunto 5:
 |
generic point of interest |
 |
Bedding (animal, for hunting) |
 |
Begin (start of a route or trail) |
 |
Big game (animal, for hunting) |
 |
Bird (animal, for hunting) |
 |
Building, home |
 |
Cafe, food, restaurant |
 |
Camp, camping |
 |
Car, parking |
 |
Cave |
 |
Cliff, hill, mountain, valley |
 |
Coast, lake, river, water |
 |
Crossroad |
 |
Emergency |
 |
End (end of a route or trail) |
 |
Fish, fishing spot |
 |
Forest |
 |
Geogache |
 |
Hostel, hotel, lodging |
 |
Info |
 |
Meadow |
 |
Peak |
 |
Prints (animal tracks, for hunting) |
 |
Road |
 |
Rock |
 |
Rub (animal marking, for hunting) |
 |
Scrape (animal marking, for hunting) |
 |
Shot (for hunting) |
 |
Sight |
 |
Small game (animal, for hunting) |
 |
Stand (for hunting) |
 |
Trail |
 |
Trail cam (for hunting) |
 |
Waterfall |
You can add a POI to your watch either with Suunto app or by saving your current location in the watch.
If you are outside with your watch and come across a spot you want to save as a POI, you can add the location directly in your watch.
To add a POI with your watch:
You can remove a POI by deleting the POI from the POI list in the watch or removing it in Suunto app.
To delete a POI in your watch:
When you delete a POI from your watch, the POI is not permanently deleted.
To permanently delete a POI, you need to delete the POI in Suunto app.
The GPS fix rate determines the accuracy of your track - the shorter the interval is between fixes, the better the track accuracy is. Each GPS fix is recorded in your log when recording an exercise.
The GPS fix rate also directly affects battery life. By reducing GPS accuracy, you can extend the battery life of your watch.
The GPS accuracy options are:
You can change GPS accuracy from the sport options in your watch or in Suunto app.
Whenever you navigate a route or a POI, the GPS accuracy is automatically set to Best.
The first time you exercise or navigate with GPS, wait for the watch to acquire a GPS fix before starting. This may take 30 seconds or more depending on conditions.
Your watch keeps track of your overall activity level throughout the day. This is an important factor whether you just aim to be fit and healthy or you are training for an upcoming competition. It is good to be active, but when training hard, you need to have proper rest days with low activity.
The activity counter automatically resets at midnight every day. At the end of the week, the watch provides a summary of your activity.
From the watch face display, press the lower right button to see your total steps for the day.
Your watch counts steps using an accelerometer. The total step count accumulates 24/7, also while recording training sessions and other activities. However, with some specific sports, such as swimming and cycling, steps are not counted.
To improve the step tracking accuracy, define the position and way you will be wearing your watch when setting up your Suunto or under Settings » General » Personal » Device position.
In addition to steps, you can press the upper left button to see estimated calories for the day.
The large number in the center of the display is the estimated amount of active calories you have burned so far during the day. Below this you see the total calories burned. The total includes both active calories and your Basal Metabolic Rate (see below).
The ring in both displays indicates how close you are to your daily activity goals. These targets can be adjusted to your personal preferences (see below).
You can also check your steps over the last seven days by pressing the middle button. Press the middle button again to see the calories.
Activity goals
You can adjust your daily goals for both steps and calories. While in the activity display, keep the middle button pressed to open the activity goal settings.
When setting your steps goal, you define the total number of steps for the day.
The total calories you burn per day is based on two factors: your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your physical activity.
Your BMR is the amount of calories your body burns while at rest. These are the calories your body needs to stay warm and perform basic function like blink your eyes or beat your heart. This number is based on your personal profile, including factors such as age and gender.
When you set a calorie goal, you define how many calories you want to burn in addition to your BMR. These are your so-called active calories. The ring around the activity display advances according to how many active calories you burn during the day compared to your goal.
The instant heart rate (HR) display provides a quick snapshot of your heart rate.
From the watch face view, press the lower right button to scroll to the HR display.
Press the upper button to exit the display and return to the watch face view.
The daily HR display provides a 12-hour view of your heart rate. This is a helpful source of information about, for example, your recovery after a hard training session.
The display shows your heart rate over 12 hours as a graph. The graph is plotted using your average heart rate based on 24-minute time slots. In addition, by pressing the lower right button, you get an estimation of your average hourly calorie consumption rate and your lowest heart rate during the 12- hour period.
Your minimum heart rate from the last 12 hours is a good indicator of your recovery state. If it is higher than normal, you probably are not yet fully recovered from your last training session.
If you record an exercise, the daily HR values reflect the elevated heart rate and calorie consumption from your training. But keep in mind that the graph and consumption rates are averages. If your heart rate peaks at 200 bpm while exercising, the graph does not show that maximum value, but rather the average from the 24 minutes during which you hit that peak rate.
Before you can see the daily HR display, you need to activate the daily HR feature. You can toggle the feature on or off from the settings under Activity. If you are in the daily HR display, you can also access the activity settings by keeping the middle button pressed.
With the daily HR feature on, your watch activates the optical heart rate sensor on a regular basis to check your heart rate. This slightly increases battery power consumption.
Once activated, your watch needs 24 minutes before it can start display daily HR information.
To view daily HR:
After a period of inactivity, such as when you are not wearing the watch or sleeping soundly, the watch goes into hibernation mode and turns off the optical heart rate sensor. If you want to get heart rate tracking during the night, activate Do Not Disturb mode (see Do Not Disturb mode).
Your watch provides an overview of your training activity.
Press the lower right button to scroll to the training insight view
Press the middle button twice to see a graph with all your activities for the last 3 weeks and the average duration. Press the upper left button to toggle between the different activities you have done for the last 3 weeks.
From the totals view you can press the upper left button to toggle between your top three sports.
Press the lower right button to see the summary for the current week. The summary includes total time, distance and calories for the sport chosen in the totals view. Pressing the lower right button when a specific activity is chosen will show details of that activity.
Your Suunto 5 automatically generates a 7-day training plan to help you maintain, improve, or boost your aerobic fitness. The weekly training loads and workout intensities are different in the three training programs.
Select your fitness goal:
Select the “maintain” option if you are already fairly fit and want to maintain your current fitness level. This option can also be useful for people just getting started with regular exercise. Once you get going, you can always change the program you follow to a more demanding one.
The “improve” option is targeted at improving your aerobic fitness with a moderate progress curve. If you want to improve your fitness more quickly, choose the “boost” program. This will bring you harder workouts and faster results.
The training plan consist of planned exercises with a target duration and intensity. Each exercise is planned with the goal of helping you maintain and improve your fitness gradually without over-stressing your body. If you miss an exercise, or do a little more than planned, Suunto 5 automatically adapts your training plan accordingly.
When you start a planned exercise, your watch will guide you with visual and audio indicators to help you stay at the right intensity and keep track of your progress.
The HR zones settings (see Heart rate zones) affect the adaptive training plan. The upcoming activities in the training plan include intensity. If your HR zones are not set correctly, the intensity guidance during a planned exercise may not correlate to the real intensity of your exercise.
To see your next planned training sessions:
From the watch face, press the lower right button to scroll to the training insight view.
Press the middle button to view your plan for the current week.
Press the lower right button to see additional information; training day, duration and intensity level (based on the heart rate zones, see Intensity zones.
Press the lower left button to exit the planned exercise views and return to the time display.
Today's planned activity is also visible when pressing the middle button in the watch face view.
Adaptive training guidance has the goals of maintaining, improving, or boosting your fitness. If you are already very fit and exercise frequently, the 7-day plan may not suite your existing routine.
If you have been ill, the training plan may not adjust enough when you start exercising again. Be extra cautious and exercise easy after an illness.
The watch cannot tell if you have an injury. Follow the recommendations of your doctor to recover from the injury before following the training plan in your watch.
To disable your personalized training plan:
Toggle the Guidance to off.
If you don't want the adaptive guidance but would like an exercise goal, you can define a target number of hours as your weekly goal from the settings under Training.
Select your new Weekly goal by pressing the upper right or lower right buttons.
Confirm by pressing the middle button.
If you have a planned exercise scheduled for the current day, that activity appears as the first option in the sport mode list when you enter the exercise view to start an exercise recording. If you want real-time guidance, start the recommended exercise as you would a normal recording, see Recording an exercise.
Today's planned activity is also visible when pressing the middle button in the watch face view.
When exercising according to a planned exercise, you will see a green progress bar and percentage of your progress. The goal is estimated based on planned intensity and duration. When you exercise within the planned intensity (based on your heart rate), you should reach the goal around the planned duration. Higher exercise intensity will get you to the goal faster. Similarly a lower intensity will take longer.
Recovery time is an estimate in hours of how long your body needs to recuperate after training. The time is based on the duration and intensity of the training session, as well as your overall fatigue.
Recovery time accumulates from all types of exercise. In other words, you accumulate recovery time on long, low intensity training session as well as at high intensity.
The time is cumulative across training sessions, so if you train again before the time has expired, the newly accumulated time is added to the remainder from your previous training session.
To view your recovery time, from the watch face, press the lower right button until you see the recovery display.
Because recovery time is an estimation only, the accumulated hours count down steadily regardless of your fitness level or other individual factors. If you are very fit, you may recover faster than estimated. On the other hand, if you have the flu, for example, your recovery may be slower than estimated.
A good night's sleep is important for a healthy mind and body. You can use your watch to track your sleep and follow how much sleep you are getting on average.
When you wear your watch to bed, Suunto 5 tracks your sleep based on accelerometer data.
To track sleep:
Toggle on Sleep tracking.
Set the times for going to bed and waking up according to your normal sleep schedule.
After you have defined your bedtime, you can choose to have your watch in Do Not Disturb mode during your sleeping hours.
Step 3 above, defines your bedtime. Your watch uses that period to determine when you are sleeping (during your bedtime) and reporting all sleep as one session. If you get up for a drink of water during the night, for example, your watch still counts any sleep after that as the same session.
If you go to bed before your bedtime and also wake up after your bedtime, your watch does not count that as a sleep session. You should set your bedtime according to the earliest you may go to bed and the latest you may wake up.
Once you have enabled sleep tracking, you can also set your sleep target. A typical adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per day, though your ideal amount of sleep may vary from the norms.
When you wake up, you are greeted with a summary of your sleep. The summary includes, for example, the total duration of your sleep, as well as the estimated time you were awake (moving around) and the time you were in deep sleep (no movement).
In addition to the sleep summary, you can follow your overall sleep trend with the sleep insight. From the watch face, press the lower right button until you see the Sleep display. The first view shows your last sleep compared to your sleep target.
While in the sleep display you can press the middle button to see your average sleep over the last seven days. Press the lower right button to see your actual sleeping hours for the last seven days.
While in the average sleep display you can press the middle button to see a graph over your average HR values for the last seven days.
Press the lower right button to see the actual HR values for the last seven days.
From the Sleep display, you can keep the middle button pressed to access sleep tracking settings.
All sleep measurements are based on movement only, so they are estimates that may not reflect your actual sleep habits.
In addition to duration, your watch can also assess sleep quality by following your heart rate variability during sleep. The variation is an indication of how well your sleep is helping you rest and recover. Sleep quality is shown on scale from 0 to 100 in the sleep summary, with 100 being the best quality.
If you wear your watch during the night, you can get additional feedback on your heart rate while sleeping. To keep the optical heart rate on during the night, ensure that Daily HR is enabled (see Daily HR).
You can use the auto Do Not Disturb setting to automatically enable Do Not Distrub mode while you sleep.
Your resources are a good indication of your body's energy levels and translate into your ability to handle stress and cope with the day's challenges.
Stress and physical activity deplete your resources, while rest and recovery restore them. Good sleep is an essential part of ensuring your body has the resources it needs.
When your resource levels are high, you will likely feel fresh and energetic. Going for a run when your resources are high means you'll probably have a great run, because your body has the energy it needs to adapt and improve as a result.
Being able to track your resources can help you manage and use them wisely. You can also use your resource levels as a guide to identify stress factors, personally effective recovery boosting strategies, and the impact of good nutrition.
Stress and recovery uses optical heart sensor readings and to get those during the day, daily HR must be enabled, see Daily HR.
It is important that your Max HR and Rest HR are set to match your heart rate to ensure that you get the most accurate readings. By default, the Rest HR is set to 60 bpm and the Max HR is based on your age.
These HR values can easily be changed in the settings under GENERAL -> PERSONAL.
Use the lowest heart rate reading measured during your sleep as your Rest HR.
Press the lower right button to scroll to the stress and recovery display.
The gauge around this display indicates your overall resource level. If it is green, it means you are recovering. The status and time indicator tell you your current state (active, inactive, recovering or stressed) and for how long you have been in that state. In this screenshot, for example, you have been recovering for the last four hours.
Press the middle button to see a bar chart of your resources over the last 16 hours.
The green bars indicate periods where you have been recovering. The percentage value is an estimate of your current resource level.
Good aerobic fitness is important for your overall health, well-being and sports performance.
Your aerobic fitness level is defined as VO2max (maximal oxygen consumption), a widely recognized measure of aerobic endurance capacity. In other words, VO2max shows how well your body can use oxygen. The higher your VO2max, the better you can use oxygen.
The estimation of your fitness level is based on detecting your heart rate response during each recorded running or walking workout. To get your fitness level estimated, record a run or walk with a duration for at least 15 minutes while wearing your Suunto 5.
Your watch is able to provide an estimation of your fitness level for all running and walking workouts.
Your current estimated fitness level is shown in the fitness level display. From the watch face, press the lower right button to scroll to the fitness level display.
If the watch hasn't estimated your fitness level yet, the fitness level display will instruct you further.
Historical data, from recorded running and walking workouts, plays a role in ensuring the accuracy of your VO2max estimate. The more activities you record with your Suunto 5, the more accurate your VO2max estimate becomes.
There are eight fitness levels, from low to high: Very poor, Poor, Fair, Average, Good, Very good, Excellent and Superior. The value is dependent of your age and gender and the higher value you have, the better your fitness level is.
Press the upper left button to view your estimated fitness age. Fitness age is a metric value that reinterprets your VO2max value in terms of age. Regularly engaging in the right types of physical activity will help you boost your VO2max value and reduce your fitness age.
Improvement of VO2max is highly individual and it depends on factors such as age, gender, genetics and training background. If you are already very fit, increasing your fitness level will be slower. If you are just starting to exercise regularly, you may see a quick increase in fitness.
You can use a Bluetooth® Smart compatible heart rate sensor, such as the Suunto Smart Sensor, with your Suunto 5 to get accurate information about your exercise intensity.
If you use the Suunto Smart Sensor, you also have the added advantage of heart rate memory. The sensor memory function buffers data if the connection to your watch is interrupted, for example, when swimming (no transmission under water).
It also means you can even leave your watch behind after starting a recording. For more information, please refer to the Suunto Smart Sensor User Guide.
Refer to the user guide for Suunto Smart Sensor or other BluetoothⓇ Smart compatible heart rate sensor for additional information.
See Pairing PODs and sensors for instructions on how to pair an HR sensor with your watch.
Pair your watch with Bluetooth Smart PODs and sensors to collect additional information, such as cycling power, when recording an exercise.
Suunto 5 supports the following types of PODs and sensors:
You cannot pair anything if airplane mode is on. Turn off airplane mode before pairing. See Airplane mode.
To pair a POD or sensor:
Press the lower right button to scroll through the list and select the sensor type with the middle button.
Follow the instructions in the watch to complete pairing (refer to sensor or POD manual if needed), pressing the middle button to advance to the next step.
If the POD has required settings, such as crank length for a power POD, you are prompted to enter a value during the pairing process.
Once the POD or sensor is paired, your watch searches for it as soon as you select a sport mode that uses that sensor type.
You can see the full list of paired devices in your watch from the settings under Connectivity » Paired devices.
From this list, you can remove (unpair) the device if needed. Select the device you want to remove, and tap Forget.
For bike PODs, you need to set the wheel circumference in your watch. The circumference shall be in millimeters and it is done as a step in the calibration. If you change the wheels (with new circumference) of your bike, the wheel circumference setting in the watch must also be changed.
To change the wheel circumference:
When you pair a foot POD, your watch automatically calibrates the POD using GPS. We recommend using the automatic calibration, but you can disable it if needed from the POD settings under Connectivity » Paired devices.
For the first calibration with GPS, you should select a sport mode where the foot POD is used and the GPS accuracy is set to Best. Start the recording and run at a steady pace on a level surface, if possible, for at least 15 minutes.
Run at your normal average pace for the initial calibration, and then stop the exercise recording. The next time you use the foot POD, the calibration is ready.
Your watch automatically re-calibrates the foot POD as needed whenever GPS speed is available.
For power PODs (power meters), you need to initiate the calibration from the sport mode options in your watch.
To calibrate a power POD:
You should re-calibrate the power POD from time to time.
Your watch includes a stopwatch and countdown timer for basic time measurement. From the watch face, open the launcher and scroll up until you see the timer icon. Press the middle button to open the timer display.
When you first enter the display, it shows the stopwatch. After that, it remembers whatever you used last, stopwatch or countdown timer.
Press the lower right button to open the Set timer shortcuts menu where you can change the timer settings.
Start the stopwatch by pressing the middle button.
Stop the stopwatch by pressing the middle button. You can resume by pressing the middle button again. Reset by pressing the lower button.
Exit the timer by keeping the middle button pressed.
In the timer display, press the lower button to open the shortcuts menu. From there you can select a pre-defined countdown time or create custom countdown time.
Stop and reset as needed with the middle and lower right buttons.
Exit the timer by keeping the middle button pressed.
Using intensity zones for exercising helps guide your fitness development. Each intensity zone stresses your body in different ways, leading to different effects on your physical fitness. There are five different zones, numbered 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), defined as percentage ranges based on your maximum heart rate (max HR), pace or power.
It is important to train with intensity in mind and understand how that intensity should feel. And don't forget, regardless of your planned training, that you should always take time to warm up before an exercise.
The five different intensity zones used in Suunto 5 are:
Zone 1: Easy
Exercising in zone 1 is relatively easy on your body. When it comes to fitness training, intensity this low is significant mainly in restorative training and improving your basic fitness when you are just beginning to exercise, or after a long break. Everyday exercise – walking, climbing stairs, cycling to work, etc. – is usually performed within this intensity zone.
Zone 2: Moderate
Exercising at zone 2 improves your basic fitness level effectively. Exercising at this intensity feels easy, but workouts with a long duration can have a very high training effect. The majority of cardiovascular conditioning training should be performed within this zone. Improving basic fitness builds a foundation for other exercise and prepares your system for more energetic activity. Long duration workouts at this zone consume a lot of energy, especially from your body’s stored fat.
Zone 3: Hard
Exercising at zone 3 begins to be quite energetic and feels like pretty hard going. It will improve your ability to move quickly and economically. In this zone, lactic acid begins to form in your system, but your body is still able to completely flush it out. You should train at this intensity at most a couple of times per week, as it puts your body under a lot of stress.
Zone 4: Very hard
Exercising at zone 4 will prepare your system for competition type events and high speeds. Workouts in this zone can be performed either at constant speed or as interval training (combinations of shorter training phases with intermittent breaks). High-intensity training develops your fitness level quickly and effectively, but done too often or at too high intensity may lead to overtraining, which may force you to take a long break from your training program.
Zone 5: Maximal
When your heart rate during a workout reaches zone 5, the training will feel extremely hard. Lactic acid will build up in your system much faster than it can be removed, and you will be forced to stop after a few minutes at most. Athletes include these maximum-intensity workouts in their training program in a very controlled manner, fitness enthusiasts do not require them at all.
Heart rate zones are defined as percentage ranges based on your maximum heart rate (max HR).
By default, your max HR is calculated using the standard equation: 220 - your age. If you know your exact max HR, you should adjust the default value accordingly.
Suunto 5 has default and activity-specific HR zones. The default zones can be used for all activities, but for more advanced training, you can use specific HR zones for running and cycling activities.
Set max HR
Set your maximum HR from the settings under Training » Intensity zones » Default zones.
You can also set your maximum HR from the settings under General » Personal.
Set default HR zones
Set your default HR zones from the settings under Training » Intensity zones » Default zones.
Selecting Reset in the HR zones view will reset the HR zones to the default value.
Set activity specific HR zones
Set your activity specific HR zones from the settings under Training » Intensity zones » Advanced zones.
When you record an exercise (see Recording an exercise), and have selected heart rate as an intensity target (see Using targets when exercising), an HR zone gauge, divided into five sections, is shown around the outer edge of the sport mode display (for all sport modes that support HR). The gauge indicates in which HR zone you are currently training by lighting up the corresponding section. The small arrow in the gauge indicates where you are within the zone range.
Your watch alerts you when you hit your selected target zone. During your exercise the watch will prompt you to speed up or slow down, if your heart rate is outside the selected target zone.
In the exercise summary, you get a breakdown of how much time you have spent in each zone.
Pace zones work just like HR zones but the intensity of your training is based on your pace instead of your heart rate. The pace zones are shown either as metric or imperial value depending on your settings.
Suunto 5 has five default pace zones that you can use or you can define your own.
Pace zones are available for running.
Set pace zones
Set your activity specific pace zones from the settings under Training » Intensity zones » Advanced zones.
Select your new pace zone by pressing the upper or lower buttons.
Press the middle button to select the new pace zone value.
When you record an exercise (see Recording an exercise), and have selected pace as an intensity target (see Using targets when exercising) a pace zone gauge, divided into five sections, is viewed. These five sections are shown around the outer edge of the sport mode display. The gauge indicates the pace zone you have chosen as an intensity target by lighting up the corresponding section. The small arrow in the gauge indicates where you are within the zone range.
Your watch alerts you when you hit your selected target zone. During your exercise the watch will prompt you to speed up or slow down, if your pace is outside the selected target zone.
In the exercise summary, you get a breakdown of how much time you have spent in each zone.
Power meter measures the amount of physical effort needed to perform a certain activity. The effort is measured in watts. The main advantage gained with a power meter is precision. The power meter reveals exactly how hard you really work and how much power you produce. It is also easy to see your progress when analyzing the watts.
Power zones can help you train with the correct power output.
Suunto 5 has five default power zones that you can use or you can define your own.
Power zones are available in all default sport modes for cycling, indoor cycling and mountain biking. For running and trail running, you need to use the specific “Power” sport modes to get power zones. If you are using custom sport modes, make sure your mode uses a power POD so that you also get power zones.
Set activity specific power zones
Set your activity specific power zones from the settings under Training » Intensity zones » Advanced zones.
Select your new power zone by pressing the upper or lower buttons.
Press the middle button to select the new power value.
You need to have a power pod paired with your watch to be able to use power zones when exercising, see Pairing PODs and sensors.
When you record an exercise (see Recording an exercise), and have selected power as an intensity target (see Using targets when exercising) a power zone gauge, divided into five sections, is viewed. These five sections are shown around the outer edge of the sport mode display. The gauge indicates the power zone you have chosen as an intensity target by lighting up the corresponding section. The small arrow in the gauge indicates where you are within the zone range.
Your watch alerts you when you hit your selected target zone. During your exercise the watch will prompt you to speed up or slow down, if your power is outside the selected target zone.
In the exercise summary, you get a breakdown of how much time you have spent in each zone.
FusedSpeed™ is a unique combination of GPS and wrist acceleration sensor readings for measuring your running speed more accurately. The GPS signal is adaptively filtered based on wrist acceleration, giving more accurate readings at steady running speeds and a quicker responses to changes in speed.
FusedSpeed benefits you the most when you need highly reactive speed readings during training, for example, when running on uneven terrain or during interval training. If you temporarily lose the GPS signal, for example, Suunto 5 is able to continue showing accurate speed readings with the help of the GPS calibrated accelerometer.
To get the most accurate readings with FusedSpeed, only glance shortly at the watch when needed. Holding the watch in front of you without moving it reduces the accuracy.
FusedSpeed is automatically enabled for running and other similar types of activities, such as orienteering, floor ball and football (soccer).
SuuntoPlus™ guides bring real-time guidance on your Suunto watch from your favorite sports and outdoor services. You can also find new guides from SuuntoPlus™ Store or create new ones with tools such as Suunto app workout planner.
For more information regarding all available guides and how to sync 3rd party guides to your device, visit www.suunto.com/suuntoplus/#HowToGuides.
To select SuuntoPlus™ guides in your watch:
Ensure that your Suunto 5 has the latest software version and that you have synced your watch with Suunto app.
SuuntoPlus™ sports apps equip your Suunto 5 with new tools and new insights to give you inspiration and new ways to enjoy your active lifestyle. You can find new sports apps from SuuntoPlus™ Store where new apps are being published for your Suunto 5. Select the ones you find interesting and sync them to your watch and get more out of your exercises!
To use SuuntoPlus™ sports apps:
You can select which SuuntoPlus™ sports apps you want to use in the watch in Suunto app. Visit Suunto.com/Suuntoplus to see which sports apps are available for your watch.
Ensure that your Suunto 5 has the latest software version and that you have synced your watch with Suunto app.
Handle the unit with care – do not knock or drop it.
Under normal circumstances, the watch does not require servicing. On a regular basis, rinse it with fresh water, mild soap, and carefully clean the housing with a moist, soft cloth or chamois.
Use only original Suunto accessories - damage caused by non-original accessories is not covered by warranty.
The duration on a single charge depends on how you use your watch and in what conditions. Low temperatures, for example, reduce the duration of a single charge. In general, the capacity of rechargeable batteries decreases over time.
In case of abnormal capacity decrease due to defective battery, Suunto covers battery replacement for one year or maximum 300 charging times, whichever comes first.
When the battery charge level is less than 20% and later 5%, your watch displays a low battery icon. If the charge level gets very low, your watch goes into a low power mode and display a charge icon.
Use the supplied USB cable to charge your watch. Once the battery level is high enough, the watch wakes up from lower power mode.
Only charge you watch using USB adapters that comply with the IEC 60950-1 standard for limited power supply. Using non-compliant adapters may damage your watch or cause a fire.
Please dispose of the device in accordance with local regulations for electronic waste. Do not throw it in the garbage. If you wish, you may return the device to your nearest Suunto dealer.
For compliance related information and detailed technical specifications, see “Product Safety and Regulatory Information” delivered together with your Suunto 5 or available at www.suunto.com/userguides.
Hereby, Suunto Oy, declares that the radio equipment type OW186 is in compliance with Directive 2014/53/EU. The full text of the EU declaration of conformity is available at the following internet address: www.suunto.com/EUconformity.
