Suunto Oy, based in Finland, is a company that produces and markets magnetic sports compasses and other navigational products, along with various mechanical and electronic measurement devices. Suunto is best known for its traditional magnetic compasses. In 1933 the company's founder, Tuomas Vohlonen, a surveyor by profession, applied for a patent for a unique method of filling and sealing a lightweight compass housing made entirely of celluloid with liquid to dampen the needle and protect it from shock and wear due to excessive motion.
In 1935, Volhonen was granted a patent on his design, which went into mass production a year later as the wrist-mount M-311. Suunto introduced a compact liquid sighting compass, the m/40, during World War II for artillery officers and other users needing a precision instrument for measuring an azimuth. The company grew rapidly after World War II, supplying compasses and other navigational instruments to both civilian and military markets.
In 1996, Suunto Oy acquired Recta AG, a Swiss compass manufacturer. Suunto Oy was in turn acquired by Amer Sports Group in 1999, which now owns Recta AG.