Beware: premature Suunto D4 Strap failures

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Thanks for this info. I just got a D4 about 4 months ago. Pretty expensive piece of gear to lose because of a $5 piece of plastic.
 
To some extent it's a problem with all plastic straps that are worn every day. I think the problem is skin oils and sweat that cause the plastic to harden and crack. It helps to wear the strap loose on your wrist. There should be a good gap between the skin and the strap.

Adam
 
To some extent it's a problem with all plastic straps that are worn every day.
That makes sense. I only wear mine on dive trips because, well...because I'm not a dork. Sorry guys.:D
 
Yeah, but the D4 is so small, it's easy to wear like a watch. I put mine on in my boat before free diving and later that night while getting in the shower, I realize it's still on my wrist. !?!

But the strap is "thin" in its design. It has the wide adjustment slits instead of just holes so the thickest (widest?) part is only 2-3 mm or so, compared to a plastic band that used small holes for adjustment.
 
There is a solution - I bought a strap from Modena watch co and though it is not an exact replacement, I made it work. Cost me about $11 or $12 bucks incl shipping and has performed beautifully for the past year.
 
Fitted Strap No 4 today :-(

So that's really nicely following a 12 month lifetime for these straps... 3 straps, bought from different countries, all failing in January/February, as regular as clockwork.
This just isn't on considering they're a key part of diver safety/health.

So Suunto apparently subbed out the manufacture of the D4 strap to good ol' China, instead of making them in-house, in Finland, like the D6/D9 elastomer straps are... So Suunto hasn't seemed to check/ensure the quality of the straps coming back... Assuming, which i do, that the design/material spec are good.

If i get the chance, i'll take a photo of all the failed straps lined up, they're turning into a crumbling mess.
 
If it makes you feel better, I've had the same issue with the D6.

It's not my daily watch, but it does get heavy use even when I'm not diving. Real pain when it breaks far away from Suunto repair service.
 

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