Revision as of 16:18, 11 January 2015

This article is a concise guide to the best running watches available today at differing prices and functionality. As well as recommendations for the best watch, I also have a few that are worth considering in spite of their flaws, and some to avoid.

• The Garmin 310XT is great value for money and has all the features you're likely to need.
• If the 310XT is too big and you want something more watch like, then the Garmin 610 is great, and it's often available refurbished at a great price.
• The Garmin 620 is a lovely watch, but it's more expensive and you can't get your current pace from a Footpod.
• The Garmin 920XT is the first of the Garmin watches to support downloadable apps using Connect IQ. This provides the type of extensibility you get with apps on a smartphone, and could be revolutionary.
• I rather like the Suunto Ambit2 R, which has some nice features at a reasonable price. The more expensive versions of the Ambit2 are worth considering, but I would avoid the updated Ambit3.
• Consider using a Smartphone; if you already have one they are a cheap option and can have outstanding GPS Accuracy.

For a lighthearted look at running watches, check out If Running Watches were Sports Cars?

1 Comparison

Here's a table of these features for each of the watches I recommend (all have GPS). For details of the meaning of each column see the reviews referenced in the table. I evaluate running watches in three distinct ways. Firstly, you can use a watch on its own, without any kind of Footpod. This is probably the most common way runners use their watch, but you miss out on a lot. The second rating is with a standard Footpod that is available quite cheaply. These Footpod's can be reasonably accurate once the calibrated, but calibration is a little tedious. The final evaluation is with the Stryd Footpod, which is vastly more accurate than any other type of Footpod, or and more accurate than GPS. The table below looks at the score, and the value for money of each watch for each of the three conditions. (I’ve also tested the Apple Watch 3, but I’ve not included it in these tables as it’s not really a running watch.)

The score is the sum of how well each watch can answer the four basic questions (how far, how fast, where are you, what's your cadence), plus some bonus points.

1. The "How far you've run" will be based on GPS only for "without Footpod" and "with Standard Footpod", but based on Stryd if supported in the "with Stryd Footpod" table..
2. How fast you're running assumes you're using a Footpod if it's supported, otherwise the rating is 0-2 based on GPS accuracy.
3. The "Where are you?" is based on various navigation features such as back to start, breadcrumbs, and preloaded maps. For some watches, you have to turn GPS off to get the benefit of Stryd, so those watches have worse "where are you scores" with Stryd than without.
4. The cadence score uses 1 point for an internal cadence sensor, 2 points for footpod support, 1 point for support from chest strap cadence, and 1 point for cadence alerts.
5. I give 1-2 bonus points for application support, 1-2 bonus points for data upload, 1-2 bonus points for Optical Heart Rate Monitoring, and 0-1 bonus points for battery life.
6. Value for money is the score divided by the price (at the time I last updated the table.) Your needs may be different, so you might weight the different aspects of the watches differently, or be basing your decision on different criteria totally. Hopefully this table will give you a good starting point for your decision.

1.1 Score Breakdown without a Footpod

1.2 Score Breakdown with a Standard Footpod

1.3 Score Breakdown with a Stryd Footpod

1.4 Basic Features

2 Navigation Features

For "navigation":

• Color Maps gives you full color maps, rather like a smart phone, with roads and paths marked out.
• Track Outline is a display of where you've run, rather like a breadcrumb trail. If there are maps, the outline is superimposed otherwise this is just the outline on its own without any context.
• Course Outline is an outline of a route that can be downloaded. I've found this useful during ultras or in unfamiliar cities where I've needed to know where to go.
• Back To Start is a simple arrow point to your starting point, so it won't help you backtrack.
• Back To Waypoint returns you to a previously marked location using a simple arrow to point.
• Compass. A magnetic compass can help you orient yourself or the map. Without a magnetic compass you have to be moving for the GPS to give you a sense of direction.

(Older Reviews: Polar RC3 GPS, Soleus 1.0, Motorola Motoactv.)

3 What to Look for in a Running Watch

• GPS. GPS provides an easy measure of how far you've run, which is critical for your training. While it is possible to map out a run afterwards, this tends to be tedious and is typically less accurate than GPS. However, GPS is not accurate enough to display your current pace. The Garmin 910XT, 310XT and 610 can display current pace from the Foodpod while using GPS for distance.
• GPS Accuracy. I've Analyzed the Accuracy of GPS watches, and I've found that there are wide differences in accuracy. The Garmin 10 and Polar M400 are especially poor. Interestingly, adding a Footpod to the 310XT improves their accuracy noticeably. I've not tested all the watches yet, but more devices will be added as time allows. (My testing methodology requires me to run 100s of miles with each watch.)
• Current pace from a Footpod. A Footpod can be used to provide pace and distance. Displaying pace from the Footpod provides a far more accurate indication of current pace than GPS, which is important for any training program that requires running at a specific pace. Unlike GPS, Footpods need to be calibrated to provide accurate pace/distance, but this is relatively easy. For most runners, once the Footpod is calibrated it will display the right pace across a wide range of paces.
• Weight. None of these devices weigh enough to have a noticeable impact on running performance, but the weight can be noticeable.
• Size. The size of these devices varies widely, and the larger devices can feel a little bulky, especially if you have a smaller wrist. I've provided the size as the volume in cubic centimeters to give a single number to compare.
• Waterproofing. Even if you don't swim, having good waterproofing is important to prevent your watch being destroyed by the rain or sweat.
• Heart Rate Monitor. Heart Rate is important information when training, though it is important to understand the limitations of heart rate based training. Having a Heart Rate Monitor that will record your heart rate is particularly valuable for evaluating your training.
  • Optical heart rate monitoring is more convenient, but does not work very well.
  • While the chest strap based monitoring is remarkably reliable, you can have problems with chaffing and poor reception in some situations, but there are Fixes for Heart Rate Monitor Problems.
• Cadence. A display of Cadence is a critical training tool and newer watches are able to use an internal accelerometer to provide Cadence without any accessories. Other watches may need a Foodpod or the newer Garmin watches can use the running dynamics heart rate strap. A Cadence alert will help you stay in the right cadence range, and is a useful feature.
• Data Upload. The ability to record your workout and store it in a training log such as Dailymile or SportTracks is vital. All of the recommended watches here have that ability. I'd strongly advise even a new runner to store their data so that they can look back over the months and years to understand their progress. A watch that can upload to a PC makes recording your workouts much easier.
• Battery Life. How much battery life you need depends on how long you run for. It's best to have a watch that will last quite a bit longer than your longest run.
• Altimeter. An altimeter will measure the atmospheric pressure and give you altitude. This is more accurate than GPS, but will require calibration to adjust for weather related pressure changes.
• Navigation. The primary purpose of GPS in these devices is to measure distance, but some of them can also provide navigation. This navigation varies from a simple compass needle showing the direction to return to the start to a display of the route you've just run or a preloaded course. The Motoactv and Fenix 2 can display preloaded maps showing roads and names.
• Training Effect. This is a measure of how hard a training run is as a numeric value of 1.0 to 5.0, based on an analysis of Heart Rate Variability.
• Heart Rate Variability. There is a growing interest in the possibility of using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) to evaluate training stress. While only one device will display HRV, there are several that will record HRV for later analysis.
• GPS Pre-cache. Some newer watches will download the predicted positions of the GPS satellites for faster initial acquisition. This pre-cache works remarkably well, and the data is usually downloaded automatically when the watch is connected to the internet. However, the data is only valid for a few days, so after that time the device will fall back to the usual approach of scanning for satellites.

4 GPS Accuracy

An infographic of GPS Accuracy of running watches. The top right corner represents the most accurate watches. (This graphic uses ISO 5725 terminology.)

5 Using a Smartphone

Main article: Running With A Smartphone

Most smartphones have a GPS built in and support various applications that allow them to function as sports watches. These phones can have remarkable levels of GPS Accuracy as well as many other advantages.

6 Watches for Ultrarunning

Choosing a watch for an ultramarathon requires some tradeoffs and there's no simple answer. The main factor is battery life, and some runners will want navigation.

• The Garmin 310XT, Garmin 910XT, and Garmin Fenix 2 will show an outline of your run and allow you to load a course outline to follow. The Garmin 920XT has a map display, but Garmin has crippled the 920XT by removing the ability to zoom the display.
• The longest battery life that's available with good GPS is 24 hours with the Garmin 920XT, or 20 hours for the Garmin 310XT and Garmin 910XT. If you need longer than 24 hours, which is common in 100 mile races, you end up with some compromises.
• You can turn off GPS and use a Footpod, which boost the battery life of most Garmin watches to several days. Obviously you lose navigation and while the accuracy of a Footpod can be better than GPS, the Footpod does not do so well if you're taking Walking Breaks or running on twisty single track.
• Some watches can extend the battery life by only taking a GPS fix less frequently. This can be acceptable on a straight course like the Keys 100 or Badwater, but it can be appalling on twisty trails.
  • The Garmin 920XT gives 40 hours in extended mode, and it has some mapping capabilities, but the lack of zoom cripples this functionality.
  • The Suunto Ambit2 R gives 25 hours in extended mode and the more expensive Ambit2 gives 50 hours. There is some map capability, but it's not as good as the 310/910.
  • The Polar V800 gives 50 hours in extended mode, but has no map display.
  • The Garmin Fenix 2 will give 50 hours in extended mode, but it has mediocre GPS Accuracy even in normal mode and it has the occasional "lost satellite reception" problem.
• You can extend the battery life a little by avoiding using the backlight or changing the display. Showing the map on the 310/910 seems to drain the battery quite fast. I've had 37+ hours out of the Suunto Ambit2 R.
• Another option, depending on the race, is to have two watches and swap part way through.
• Some runners will recharge their watch during a race, but that seems to be more hassle than it's worth as you have to carry a battery pack and the cable. (You can't charge the Garmin 920XT while it's in use, but you can charge the Garmin 310XT and Garmin 910XT.)