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SYDNEY, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- February 2026 marks 90 years since the foundation of Suunto, the world-renowned Finnish brand that has long been at the forefront of sports and dive wearables, driving continuous innovation since its beginnings in 1936. Pioneering exploration has been in Suunto's DNA from the start: for over nine decades, Suunto instruments have accompanied adventurers to the bottom of the oceans, across the wilderness, and to the highest peaks of mountains.
Suunto's journey began in 1936 when Finnish inventor Tuomas Vohlonen set out to create a more accurate and stable compass capable of enduring the harshest Nordic conditions. His liquid-filled compass laid the foundation for a company defined by precision, innovation and a deep respect for the rugged nature of the brand's native Finland and the demands it sets for outdoor adventures. After Vohlonen's passing in 1939, his wife Elli Vohlonen safeguarded these values and guided Suunto through its early formative years until the 1950's and cemented the legacy Suunto is known for today.
This spirit of Finnish functionality, quiet confidence, endurance and clarity of design, has shaped every Suunto instrument since.
Defining the outdoors – A heritage forged through adventure and innovation
Adventure is not defined by extremes but by mindset: the desire to push further, climb higher, dive deeper or simply step outside to discover something new. The Suunto community trusts the brand because Suunto has been present at every leap into the unknown, offering guidance when it matters most.
Suunto has repeatedly defined new eras in outdoor, endurance and diving technology. In 1965, the discovery that a Suunto compass functioned flawlessly underwater led to the first dedicated Suunto dive compass. In 1997, the Suunto Spyder became the world's first watch-sized dive computer, bringing full dive-computer capability into a compact wristwatch.
The Suunto Vector, launched in 1998, created an entirely new category as the world's first "ABC watch" integrating an altimeter, barometer and compass. It became a defining tool for mountaineers and explorers worldwide. Suunto was an early pioneer also in GPS wearables, developing the Suunto X9 and the G9 in the early 2000's. The G9 was one of the earliest GPS wearables designed specifically for golf, offering advanced shot tracking long before GPS golf watches were common.
Suunto's sport-specific intelligence has brought structure and clarity to training and exploration. Free offline maps worldwide in all Suunto GPS watches, and heatmaps for various sports have helped athletes discover the safest and most frequented routes. Innovations, such as automatic interval detection for swimming, real-time ski-and-shoot tracking for biathlon and automatic sprint recognition for cycling further illustrate Suunto's commitment to understanding the true essence of each sport.
The brand has also been a pioneer in physiological analytics. Launched in 2004, the Suunto T6 delivered real-time HRV-based training load insights. Suunto introduced DDFA analysis to better quantify aerobic versus anaerobic effort, built one of the first systems capable of buffering HR data for later synchronization, and as one of the brand's major innovations in latest years, Suunto introduced ZoneSense in 2024: an HRV-based real-time intensity guidance that requires no laboratory testing.
This innovation has always been shaped by the Suunto community, and bringing the outdoor community together and to the core of the brand is integral to Suunto. SuuntoSports.com, launched in 2002, gave athletes a space to log activities, share insights and join discussions, predating many later mainstream platforms. From the Movescount AppZone to the evolving SuuntoPlus Store, Suunto has consistently kept its platform open to athletes and developers who help shape the next generation of tools.
Towards the next 90
As Suunto enters its next 90 years, the company remains committed to advancing navigation, endurance performance, physiological intelligence, and material durability, while continuing to reduce its environmental impact through responsible operations and processes, repairability, and long-lasting product design. Suunto continues to be the brand of the outdoor community, and the brand's mission is to ensure that adventure is for everyone and becomes accessible to more people, supporting a broader, more inclusive outdoor community.
Throughout the anniversary year, Suunto will host pop-up exhibitions and community gatherings, panel-discussions and adventurous community challenges in key locations worldwide. These events will showcase Suunto's most influential instruments, share stories from decades of exploration and celebrate the adventurers who shaped the brand's past and those who will define its future.
Learn more at: https://apac.suunto.com/pages/90th-anniversary-campaign
Suunto 90 years film: https://youtu.be/n79r2FGpq7E
About Suunto
Suunto is a Finnish brand, established in 1936. It was founded by Finnish inventor Tuomas Vohlonen, who pioneered a new standard for navigational precision. That same year, his innovation – a field compass – was stronger, steadier, and more accurate than any other handheld navigational tool of its time. It was the first of many Suunto products built to withstand the harsh conditions of our native Finland.
In the near century since, Tuomas's spirit of innovation has continued to chart Suunto's course. From some of history's first dive computers and high-altitude wrist altimeters to today's GPS watches, Suunto remains a trusted companion for outdoor adventurers across the globe.
Supporting explorers, athletes, and weekend warriors alike remains our core mission – providing the tools to dive deeper, climb higher, and push the limits of human potential.
SYDNEY, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- February 2026 marks 90 years since the foundation of Suunto, the world-renowned Finnish brand that has long been at the forefront of sports and dive wearables, driving continuous innovation since its beginnings in 1936. Pioneering exploration has been in Suunto's DNA from the start: for over nine decades, Suunto instruments have accompanied adventurers to the bottom of the oceans, across the wilderness, and to the highest peaks of mountains.
Suunto's journey began in 1936 when Finnish inventor Tuomas Vohlonen set out to create a more accurate and stable compass capable of enduring the harshest Nordic conditions. His liquid-filled compass laid the foundation for a company defined by precision, innovation and a deep respect for the rugged nature of the brand's native Finland and the demands it sets for outdoor adventures. After Vohlonen's passing in 1939, his wife Elli Vohlonen safeguarded these values and guided Suunto through its early formative years until the 1950's and cemented the legacy Suunto is known for today.
This spirit of Finnish functionality, quiet confidence, endurance and clarity of design, has shaped every Suunto instrument since.
Defining the outdoors – A heritage forged through adventure and innovation
Adventure is not defined by extremes but by mindset: the desire to push further, climb higher, dive deeper or simply step outside to discover something new. The Suunto community trusts the brand because Suunto has been present at every leap into the unknown, offering guidance when it matters most.
Suunto has repeatedly defined new eras in outdoor, endurance and diving technology. In 1965, the discovery that a Suunto compass functioned flawlessly underwater led to the first dedicated Suunto dive compass. In 1997, the Suunto Spyder became the world's first watch-sized dive computer, bringing full dive-computer capability into a compact wristwatch.
The Suunto Vector, launched in 1998, created an entirely new category as the world's first "ABC watch" integrating an altimeter, barometer and compass. It became a defining tool for mountaineers and explorers worldwide. Suunto was an early pioneer also in GPS wearables, developing the Suunto X9 and the G9 in the early 2000's. The G9 was one of the earliest GPS wearables designed specifically for golf, offering advanced shot tracking long before GPS golf watches were common.
Suunto's sport-specific intelligence has brought structure and clarity to training and exploration. Free offline maps worldwide in all Suunto GPS watches, and heatmaps for various sports have helped athletes discover the safest and most frequented routes. Innovations, such as automatic interval detection for swimming, real-time ski-and-shoot tracking for biathlon and automatic sprint recognition for cycling further illustrate Suunto's commitment to understanding the true essence of each sport.
The brand has also been a pioneer in physiological analytics. Launched in 2004, the Suunto T6 delivered real-time HRV-based training load insights. Suunto introduced DDFA analysis to better quantify aerobic versus anaerobic effort, built one of the first systems capable of buffering HR data for later synchronization, and as one of the brand's major innovations in latest years, Suunto introduced ZoneSense in 2024: an HRV-based real-time intensity guidance that requires no laboratory testing.
This innovation has always been shaped by the Suunto community, and bringing the outdoor community together and to the core of the brand is integral to Suunto. SuuntoSports.com, launched in 2002, gave athletes a space to log activities, share insights and join discussions, predating many later mainstream platforms. From the Movescount AppZone to the evolving SuuntoPlus Store, Suunto has consistently kept its platform open to athletes and developers who help shape the next generation of tools.
Towards the next 90
As Suunto enters its next 90 years, the company remains committed to advancing navigation, endurance performance, physiological intelligence, and material durability, while continuing to reduce its environmental impact through responsible operations and processes, repairability, and long-lasting product design. Suunto continues to be the brand of the outdoor community, and the brand's mission is to ensure that adventure is for everyone and becomes accessible to more people, supporting a broader, more inclusive outdoor community.
Throughout the anniversary year, Suunto will host pop-up exhibitions and community gatherings, panel-discussions and adventurous community challenges in key locations worldwide. These events will showcase Suunto's most influential instruments, share stories from decades of exploration and celebrate the adventurers who shaped the brand's past and those who will define its future.
Learn more at: https://apac.suunto.com/pages/90th-anniversary-campaign
Suunto 90 years film: https://youtu.be/n79r2FGpq7E
About Suunto
Suunto is a Finnish brand, established in 1936. It was founded by Finnish inventor Tuomas Vohlonen, who pioneered a new standard for navigational precision. That same year, his innovation – a field compass – was stronger, steadier, and more accurate than any other handheld navigational tool of its time. It was the first of many Suunto products built to withstand the harsh conditions of our native Finland.
In the near century since, Tuomas's spirit of innovation has continued to chart Suunto's course. From some of history's first dive computers and high-altitude wrist altimeters to today's GPS watches, Suunto remains a trusted companion for outdoor adventurers across the globe.
Supporting explorers, athletes, and weekend warriors alike remains our core mission – providing the tools to dive deeper, climb higher, and push the limits of human potential.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Suunto: 90 years of adventure
Suunto: 90 years of adventure
KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 3rd International Business Events Forum – BE in SABAH 2026 officially opened today, convening a diverse international community of policymakers, industry leaders and practitioners as a regional Asia Pacific platform advancing collaboration, capability development and long-term industry relevance across East ASEAN and beyond.
Held at Sabah International Convention Centre, the forum brings together more than 900 delegates, including government representatives, convention and visitors bureaux, global industry associations, professional conference and exhibition organisers, consulting firms, academia, venue operators and private sector stakeholders from across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.
Anchored by the theme "Global Collaboration Through Business Events," BE in SABAH 2026 positions Business Events as structured platforms that enable economic diplomacy, trade engagement, investment dialogue, professional capability-building and cross-border collaboration in an increasingly selective global environment.
The forum was officially opened by Yang Berhormat Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister of Sabah, representing Yang Amat Berhormat Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Bin Haji Noor, Chief Minister of Sabah.
In his address, YB Datuk Joniston Bangkuai emphasised that Business Events today function as a practical interface between policy and practice, global expertise and local capability. He noted that meaningful international engagement increasingly takes place where readiness, reliability and professional standards are consistently demonstrated.
He further highlighted that Sabah recognises Business Events as part of its broader economic and development approach — supporting regional cooperation, facilitating investment dialogue and creating opportunities for participation across industries, including small and medium enterprises, professionals and emerging talent within East ASEAN and the wider Asia Pacific region.
In her welcoming remarks, Datuk Dr Hajah Rosmawati Haji Lasuki, J.P, the Organising Chairperson of BE in SABAH 2026 highlighted the forum's evolution from an initial local initiative into a returning regional platform shaped by continuity, learning and trust.
This year's programme features 33 speakers from 18 countries and territories, representing a broad cross-section of the global Business Events ecosystem, including international associations, convention bureaux, destination organisations, consulting and advisory firms, media and market intelligence organisations, as well as venue and hospitality operators.
Many of the speakers are active contributors to major international platforms such as IMEX, AIME, ICCA Congress and The Meetings Show, bringing current global insight and market experience into a regional Asia Pacific context.
Across two days, BE in SABAH 2026 will explore strategic issues shaping the Business Events industry, including:
- Business Events as enablers of trade, investment and market confidence
- Regional and cross-border collaboration in Asia Pacific
- Leadership, governance and industry resilience
- Artificial intelligence, innovation and data-led strategies
- Talent development, professional standards and future readiness
The opening keynote was delivered by Dr Senthil Gopinath, Chief Executive Officer of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), who shared global perspectives on industry performance, emerging risks and the importance of collaboration and standards in sustaining long-term growth.
Beyond dialogue, BE in SABAH 2026 incorporates structured pathways for collaboration, including the exchange of memoranda of understanding involving the Sabah International Convention Centre and international as well as local partners. These collaborations focus on knowledge exchange, capacity-building and destination development, and are intended to progress through continued engagement beyond the forum.
Jointly organised by the Sabah International Convention Centre and Malaysian Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS) Sabah Chapter, BE in SABAH 2026 is supported by national and regional partners committed to advancing professional standards and long-term industry development across the Asia Pacific Business Events ecosystem.
The official opening of BE in SABAH 2026 marks the start of two days of focused exchange, reinforcing the forum's role as a regional working platform — one that supports meaningful collaboration, practical outcomes and sustained relevance for the industry.
ABOUT SICC
Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) is owned by Innoprise Corporation Sdn Bhd of Yayasan Sabah Group – a state sanctioned organization in Sabah, Malaysia. SICC is the largest waterfront purpose-built convention, exhibition and entertainment facility in East Malaysia with a total function space of 153,197sqm. The gross built-up of the complex is 60,514sqm on a 6-hectare site. The multi-functional complex with its well-designed floor plan and extensive pre-function areas are well suited for a wide range of public and private events. For more information, please visit siccsabah.com or follow us on social media – LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About MACEOS Sabah Chapter
The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) Sabah Chapter represents the collective voice of Business Events organisers and suppliers in Sabah. It brings together industry practitioners across organising, venue services, logistics and event support to advance professional standards and strengthen collaboration within the Business Events ecosystem.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
BE in SABAH 2026 Officially Opens as a Regional Asia-Pacific Platform for Global Business Event Collaboration
