Who makes digital modules?

[mark a.]

Having just got a Suunto Core for Christmas, I was wondering who makes the digital module for "wrist-top computers" like Suunto and Polar. Surely they're not purely in-house? I can imagine Casio doing it with their Pathfinders, but I don't know if Polar or Suunto are big enough to do their own R&D for the micro-processors etc.

Texas Instruments, perhaps?

Any experts on digital watches who knows?

[mark a.]

Anyone? :?:

[growfins]

Interesting question , there was something about this on WUS recently :-

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f233/fi...er-490452.html

David

[Seabadger]

Interesting - some info about the Chinese watch mentioned:

http://www.digisportinstruments.com/Page/eweb/e6.htm

Possibly this could also be the source of these Gill branded sailing watches:

http://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/55 ... i-new-2012

http://www.force4.co.uk/5115/Gill-Regat ... Watch.html

[mark a.]

Thanks for the links. Those Chinese watches look similar to, but not quite exactly like, various Suunto watches, but it's not clear if they're using the same base tech or if someone is copying someone else.

It reminds me of the ezChronos project on the WUS HEQ forum:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f9/ezchron ... 98121.html

which uses a TI watch:

http://www.ti.com/tool/ez430-chronos

The watch itself looks very much like a Polar although obviously adjusted for wi-fi and USB instead of heart-rate monitoring, for example. So I wondered if Polar uses TI modules and hence whether Suunto does too.

But then nowadays it's probably not too difficult to design and spec whatever digital processors etc you need so perhaps Suunto is doing it essentially in-house.

[Huertecilla]

But then nowadays it's probably not too difficult to design and spec whatever digital processors etc you need so perhaps Suunto is doing it essentially in-house.

What about doing the R&D and design in house, outsource the parts wherever and have them assembled in like Korea.

It is what Hughes Aircraft did with assembly in Mexico and these modules where then for sale to everybody to be per example badge engineered into Wittnauer, Longines and JaegerLeCoultre watches.

Some of their competitors set up assembly shop in Korea and so Korea grew up into being a major player in electronics.

A friend of mine works as a designer for electronic modules and is specialised in the aesthetics of them; basically designing circuitry (of anything and possibly a watch module) to also lóók clean and organised. He works for a firm that is an outside contracter with clients from all over the globe.

A theoretical watch ´manufacturer´ can design the specs of the watch they wish to market and subcontract just about everything with the end stages coming together in the ´county of origin´ and qualify as sufficiently made there.
This applies to both electronics and mechanical things :idea:
Electronics are just a lot more flexible.

[mark a.]

What about doing the R&D and design in house, outsource the parts wherever and have them assembled in like Korea.

That's why I said "essentially" because the line could be drawn anywhere. I doubt they have a chip foundry on site, but they could put all the chips and components onto the PCBs in-house. I recently visited a relatively small hi-fi company and even they put the electronics together themselves with high-tech robots. However, I wouldn't be surprised Suunto/Polar outsource the manufacturing and just do the R&D in Scandinavia.