Sports watches have come a long way since their humble beginnings; now so much more than a recorder of your stats, the best ones promise to be both a fitness companion and a handy tool for your downtime too. Today’s sports watches will not only look after your health, but also virtually coach you to do better (see our guide to wearable tech and biowearables for more suggestions), offer expert tips and sync with your emails and texts.
Garmin ‘Fēnix 7 Sapphire Solar’ is a well-rounded sports watch
Take the Garmin ‘Fēnix 7 Sapphire Solar’, which not only gives you standard heart and pulse rate information but is also on hand as a running coach, advising on particulars such as the challenges of the terrain. A range of carefully considered built-in sports apps also allows you to track your performance across activities including swimming, running, biking, hiking, rowing, skiing, golfing, surfing and indoor climbing.
A sporty watch design and special features offer a well-rounded user experience. Ski extras will map out your ascent and descent as you tackle a mountain, providing stats to study later. An additional chest strap studies the effect of your alpine exercise session, while surfers may find a camera that captures the waves they ride useful. Mountain bikers and HIIT fans will enjoy tracking their performance, with scores given to beat next time. A map feature is handy for those who need to physically plan their workout.
Functionality is key, with a solar charging feature that tops up the battery between charges, providing 22 days of battery life when in smartwatch mode. Extensive health features put wellness front and centre, with sleep and stress monitoring and respiration and hydration tracking providing a view of your overall health. The watch is not just for sports use – features encompass everything you may need for daily life, from a music app and notifications that let you receive your texts and emails to your wrist, to contactless payments and safety features that can share your location with close contacts in the event of an emergency.
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