Khokeyma Reed assembles a watch at the Shinola Watch factory on January 4, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. Shinola, a young American company, is trying to make its mark by reinventing an iconic brand and selling products made in the USA like bicycles and watches manufactured in the industrial wastelands of Detroit. / AFP / JEFF KOWALSKY / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY LUC OLINGA: Globalization-US-politics-manufacturing-Shinola JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Suunto is planning layoffs that could end 118 of its roughly 160 jobs in Finland, Yle reported Thursday, citing Helsingin Sanomat. The newspaper said Suunto's Chinese owner, Liesheng, plans to move operations to China and other European countries. Suunto's management had not responded to requests for comment, and the planned negotiations would cover all staff except top management. If every proposed cut proceeds, about 42 people would remain.

The cuts matter beyond Finland. Liesheng is a Guangdong company, and its ownership raises a practical question for Suunto owners: which country's laws attach to the heart-rate, sleep and GPS history their watches generate. The sections below separate what is documented from what is disputed.

Suunto Puts 118 of 160 Finnish Jobs at Risk as 2025 Revenue Rose 27%

The job figure is a plan, not a final count. Under Finland's Act on Co-operation within Undertakings, employers must hold change negotiations before making final redundancy decisions, so the number could change.

The timing is notable because the business has been growing. Suunto's consolidated turnover rose 27% to €106.5 million in 2025 (approximately $118.5 million), according to filed accounts reported by the5krunner. The same report shows research and development spending falling from €10.7 million (approximately $11.9 million) in 2024 to €7.4 million (approximately $8.2 million) in 2025, a drop of about 31%. Against the €13.7 million (approximately $15.2 million) spent in 2023, the decline is about 46%.

Finnish Headcount Had Already Shrunk Before the Latest Plan

In June 2024, Suunto's chief financial officer said the company would cut 76 jobs from slightly fewer than 300 staff and transfer part of its production and product development to China, according to MTV News as relayed by the5krunner. Average headcount was 276 in 2024 and 214 in 2025, an annual average rather than a year-end count.

Suunto's Finnish factory made 42% of total production in 2025, according to Gadgets & Wearables, which quoted Suunto sustainability information. Suunto's own sustainability page shows 63% for 2024. When Liesheng's purchase was announced in 2022, Suunto said the buyer had indicated the company would continue from Vantaa, and DC Rainmaker noted that virtually all Suunto production was in Finland at the time.

Is Suunto Chinese-Owned? Liesheng Has Held Suunto Since 2022

Yes. Amer Sports announced the sale of Suunto to Liesheng on Jan. 10, 2022. Liesheng was founded in Guangdong in 2015. Amer was itself bought in 2019 by a consortium that included Anta Sports of China, so Suunto has had Chinese-linked ownership through two successive parents. Liesheng should not be confused with the maker of Amazfit watches: that brand belongs to Zepp Health.

Suunto's newest models have also moved up in price. The Run 2 launched at $349 for the 4GB model, against $249 for the original Run, and the Race 3S costs $599 in the US, compared with $349 at launch for the Race S. Price is not the main buyer question here, as the sections below explain.

China's National Intelligence Law, Cybersecurity Law and Data Security Law Govern Liesheng

Three Chinese laws shape what a company in China can be required to do. Whether they reach a foreign subsidiary such as Suunto Oy in Finland is disputed.

The 2017 National Intelligence Law says in Article 7 that all organizations and citizens shall support, assist and cooperate with national intelligence efforts, and Article 14 lets intelligence institutions request that cooperation. The 2017 Cybersecurity Law's Article 28 requires network operators to give technical support to public security and national security bodies. The 2021 Data Security Law's Article 36 bars organizations in China from giving data stored there to overseas judicial or law enforcement bodies without approval from Chinese authorities.

Lawyers disagree on the reach. Swedish law firm Mannheimer Swartling concluded in January 2019, on a literal reading of an English translation, that overseas subsidiaries of Chinese companies could be subject to the law. A May 2018 opinion from Chinese firm Zhong Lun, submitted by Huawei, stated that Huawei's overseas subsidiaries and employees are not subject to its territorial jurisdiction. No public reporting describes Liesheng or Suunto being compelled to hand over user data.

Suunto's Privacy Policy Lists Chinese Joint Controllers

A copy of Suunto's customer privacy policy hosted on the Sports Tracker community site, effective Nov. 1, 2024, names five joint controllers: Dongguan Liesheng Electronic, Suunto Oy, Liesheng HK Limited, and two Suunto Sports Technology companies in China. It lists transfers of personal data to China and other countries outside the EU and European Economic Area among the controllers' responsibilities, and says transfers to China rely on standard contractual clauses or another lawful mechanism. It says data of users outside mainland China is stored on servers in the European Economic Area, while data of users in mainland China is stored on servers there. Suunto's live policy page could not be loaded for this article, so owners should check the current version.

Europe adds its own rules. Under GDPR Chapter V, moving European user data to China requires a transfer tool such as standard contractual clauses. In its July 16, 2020 Schrems II ruling, the EU Court of Justice kept those clauses valid but said authorities can suspend transfers that do not comply, with the sender expected to assess the destination country's law. Ireland's Data Protection Commission fined TikTok €530 million (approximately $590 million) on May 2, 2025, including €485 million for infringing the GDPR's rules on transfers to China. No public reporting says whether Suunto's own transfer arrangements have been tested against those rules.

No Independent Audit Confirms What Suunto Watches Transmit

EFF's July 15 review of ten wearable makers, which included Suunto, relied on public policies and company emails rather than a technical audit. Only two of the ten publish transparency reports, and four publicly commit to notifying users of law enforcement requests; Suunto is not among them. Suunto told EFF it continuously evaluates its transparency practices and may eventually publish a report.

No public reporting describes an independent audit of Suunto's data transmission. That gap is a finding about verification, not an accusation.

Development Shifts Abroad After Suunto Pledged Vantaa Operations

Buyers get less certainty about who builds, supports and secures the product as work moves. Helsingin Sanomat reported that operations may move to China and other European countries, and the 2024 cuts already shifted part of production and development to China. R&D spending fell about 31% in 2025 before the latest plan emerged.

Owners looking to limit exposure will find no public documentation of a Suunto-specific setting that blocks data transfers. EFF's review points to local-only options on some other makers' watches and the third-party Gadgetbridge app. None of these steps changes the legal position of the parent company.

Buyers Face Legal Conditions That Price and Pedigree Do Not Change

Suunto's Finnish pedigree is thinning as 118 of 160 Finnish jobs come under review. Its parent operates under China's National Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Data Security laws, a legal condition that holds whatever the watch costs. No independent audit has verified what the watches send, Suunto does not commit to notify users of law enforcement requests, and evidence of compelled disclosure is absent rather than disproved. A buyer weighing a Suunto against rival sports-watch makers should treat jurisdiction, transparency and verification as three separate lines on the ledger, not as footnotes to the sticker price.

Dollar figures are approximate conversions at the European Central Bank's Nov. 11, 2026 euro reference rate of 1.1127 dollars per euro.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who owns Suunto now?

Liesheng, a Guangdong-based electronics company, bought Suunto from Amer Sports in a deal announced Jan. 10, 2022.

Does China's National Intelligence Law let Beijing demand my Suunto data?

The law requires organizations in China to cooperate with national intelligence work, and Liesheng is such an organization. Lawyers dispute how far it reaches Suunto's Finnish entity, and no public reporting describes compelled disclosure of Suunto user data.

What does the Finnish layoff mean for where Suunto watches are made?

Gadgets & Wearables reported that Suunto's Finnish factory made 42% of total production in 2025. Helsingin Sanomat reported that operations may move to China and other European countries, though the final scope depends on Finnish change negotiations.

Can I limit what my Suunto watch shares?

Partly, at best. No public documentation describes a Suunto setting that blocks data transfers, and EFF points to local-only options on some other makers' watches instead. Nothing here changes the legal obligations of the parent company.