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The best triathlon watches have a long battery life, GPS, and the right measurements to keep track of how well you run, swim, and bike. It’s one of the most important things you need at a race to keep track of your pace and see if you’re on track for that all-important personal best. That’s why choosing and buying the best triathlon watch is one of the most important things you can do.
Best Triathlon Watches Comparison Table
| Watch Name | Material | Sport Type | Dimensions | Weight (grams) | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polar Pacer | Stainless Steel | Running | 45 x 45 x 9.9 mm | 45 | 299.95 |
| Coros Apex 2 Pro | Titanium | Multisport | 47 x 47 x 13.4 mm | 59 | 499.99 |
| Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar | Fiber-reinforced Polymer with Metal Rear Cover | Running, Multisport | 47 x 47 x 14.7 mm | 59 | 699.99 |
| Garmin fenix 7X Solar | Titanium | Multisport | 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm | 93 | 1,199.99 |
| Garmin Forerunner 945 | Fiber-reinforced Polymer with Metal Rear Cover | Running, Triathlon | 47 x 47 x 13.7 mm | 50 | 599.99 |
| Suunto 9 Baro | Stainless Steel, Glass fiber reinforced polyamide | Multisport | 50 x 50 x 16.5 mm | 81 | 499.00 |
| Garmin Forerunner 255 | Fiber-reinforced Polymer with Metal Rear Cover | Running, Multisport | 42 x 42 x 11.4 mm | 38.5 | 299.99 |
| Polar Vantage V2 | Aluminum, Stainless Steel | Multisport | 47 x 47 x 13 mm | 52 | 499.95 |
Polar Pacer
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 40 hours |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 30 meters |
| Display | Color touch screen |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
The Polar Pacer is an important watch. Before the Polar Pacer came out, the Coros Pace 2 was the only triathlon/multisport watch that could be used for open water/pool swimming, cycling, running, and triathlon/multisport for less than $300.
Even though the $200 Pace 2 is still one of our favorite watches under $400, the fact that Polar (finally) has a good budget smartwatch is a big deal. We hope that as technology gets cheaper to make, other brands will follow suit. Aside from that, most triathletes will find the Polar Pacer to be a great smartwatch.
The Good
- For accurate data, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Long battery life so you can work out for longer
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- A color touch screen makes it easy to get around.
The Bad
- Compared to higher-end models, it has fewer features.
- May not have metrics for advanced training
Coros Apex 2 Pro
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 40 hours in GPS mode |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 100 meters |
| Display | Sapphire glass touch screen |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
Coros is known for their “smartwatch is a tool” philosophy, and the Apex 2 and Apex 2 Pro show this more than anywhere else. The Pace 2 is a cheap, fast, and light smartwatch, and the Vertix 2 is a big, strong “overlander” watch. The Apex 2 is right in the middle, and the only thing that makes it stand out is that it works very well.
The super long battery life of 30 days for a smartwatch and 75 hours for full GPS is already pretty rare; it’s usually only found in “adventure watches” that cost $600 or more. Most athletes might think this is too much, but triathletes who train every day and might use their smartwatch once or twice might see 30 days as more like 20 days or less.
The Good
- For accurate data, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Long battery life so you can work out for longer
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- The touch screen is made of tough sapphire glass to protect it even more.
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it may be pricey.
- May not have as many features for advanced training
- Few ways to change things
Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 24 days in smartwatch mode, up to 60 hours in GPS mode |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 100 meters |
| Display | Color touch screen |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
| Solar Charging | Yes |
The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar is a big improvement over its predecessor, the Forerunner 935. It costs almost the same as the Forerunner 945, but has a lot more features and newer sensors. The top Forerunner looks a lot like the other models, but it has a bigger screen with better resolution and, of course.
The solar-collecting Power Glass, which can help you get more out of your battery if you train outside for a long time. During our tests, we really liked the new features Training Readiness, Morning Report, and the handy Race Day Widget.
The Good
- For accurate data, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Long-lasting batteries that can be charged by the sun for longer use
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- A color touch screen makes it easy to get around.
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it may be pricey.
- Features that are more complex may be harder to learn.
Garmin fenix 7X Solar
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 21 days in smartwatch mode, up to 60 hours in GPS mode |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 100 meters |
| Display | Sapphire glass touch screen |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
| Solar Charging | Yes |
We love everything about Fenix’s newest and best model, the 7X. It’s big, bold, and very powerful. Garmin made the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro even better by improving the Power Glass, which combines the solar harvesting feature with a tough Sapphire glass lens. This means that the Fenix 7 is more durable and has a longer battery life than its predecessor.
This was clear when we tested the watch in and out of the water. The new Stamina feature is a great addition. It measures both short-term and long-term endurance when running or cycling. Keeping track of how much energy you have left can be helpful and even push you to work harder at the end of a session. During long triathlons, this was very helpful.
The Good
- For accurate data, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Long-lasting batteries that can be charged by the sun for longer use
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- The touch screen is made of tough sapphire glass to protect it even more.
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it may be pricey.
- Features that are more complex may be harder to learn.
- Solar charging might not work as well in low light.
Garmin Forerunner 945
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 36 hours in GPS mode |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 50 meters |
| Display | Color touch screen |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
| Music Storage | Yes |
Garmin has so many triathlon watches on the market that it’s hard to choose just one. However, the Forerunner 945 is our favorite of all of them. For what Garmin considers to be a low price, you get a lot of features that other brands don’t have and the top-notch quality that Garmin is known for.
Some of these new features include the Garmin ClimbPro, which finds upcoming climbs and shows them on the watch’s screen along with details about them. Garmin’s cycling computers can also help you get used to high altitudes and hot weather. There are also contactless payments, which is a great feature for long training rides with stops at cafes.
The Good
- For accurate data, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Long battery life so you can work out for longer
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- A color touch screen makes it easy to get around.
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it may be pricey.
- May not have all the advanced training features of more expensive models.
- The amount of music you can store may be limited.
Suunto 9 Baro
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 120 hours with GPS |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 100 meters |
| Display | Color touch screen |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
| Barometer | Yes |
The Suunto 9 Baro feels like a high-end sports watch. It is a bit heavy—almost twice as heavy as some of the other watches on this list—but it is made well. The sapphire crystal glass screen and titanium band are the best. There are four ways to change how long the GPS battery will last. This is one of the best Triathlon Watches that you can buy right now.
The longest battery life is 25 hours, and the shortest is 170 hours in a setting called Tour mode. Heart rate and fitness tracking are as good as you’d expect from a watch at this price, but if you want to track your heart rate underwater, you’ll need the Suunto Heart Rate Belt and Suunto Smart Sensor.
The Good
- For accurate data, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Long battery life for trips that last a long time
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- A color touch screen makes it easy to get around.
- Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity make it easy to send and receive data.
- Tracking activity and sleep to get a full picture of health
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it may be big and heavy.
- May not have as many high-tech features as more expensive models
- There aren’t many watch faces and apps to choose from.
Garmin Forerunner 255
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 hours in GPS mode |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 50 meters |
| Display | Color display |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
A triathlete’s dream watch is the Garmin Forerunner 255. It has a great set of features and costs only $350, which makes it a great choice for anyone looking for a triathlon watch. The Forerunner 255 is full of features that are made to meet the needs of triathletes.
The GPS tracking is one of the best things about the Forerunner 255. The watch has advanced GPS technology that can track you accurately and reliably when you swim, ride a bike, or run. Triathletes need this feature because it lets them track their progress and look at how they did in training and competitions.
The Good
- For accurate data, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- Data can be seen easily on a color screen.
- Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity make it easy to send and receive data.
- Tracking activity and sleep to get a full picture of health
- fit for races and shorter workouts
The Bad
- Compared to other models, it has a shorter battery life.
- May not have all the advanced training features of more expensive models.
Polar Vantage V2
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| GPS | Yes |
| Heart Rate | Yes |
| Battery Life | Up to 40 hours in training mode |
| Water Resistance | Yes, 100 meters |
| Display | Color touch screen |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth, ANT+ |
| Activity Tracking | Yes |
| Sleep Tracking | Yes |
| Recovery Pro | Yes |
Polar made some changes to the Vantage V with the new Vantage V2, which has a new design and some new features. On the outside, the Vantage V2 doesn’t seem to have changed much. It still has 5 buttons and a touchscreen, just like it did before.
But the case of the Vantage V2 is now made of aluminum instead of stainless steel, which makes it lighter and is supposed to make the GPS work better. The Polar Precision Prime Heart Rate Sensor in the Vantage V2 is the newest and best.
The Good
- For accurate data during workouts, GPS and heart rate tracking are used.
- Long-lasting batteries that can keep going for long training sessions
- Resistance to water for swimming and other water sports
- Color touch screen makes it easy to find and use features.
The Bad
- Compared to other models on the market, it may be a bit pricey.
- May not have all of the advanced training features that other brands’ high-end models do.
- Some people may find that the touch screen doesn’t work as well in certain situations.
FAQs
Professional triathletes often wear high-end watches made by companies like Garmin, Polar, and Suunto. The Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar, the Polar Vantage V2, and the Suunto 9 Baro Titanium are all popular models that pros like to use.
The Garmin Forerunner 245 is the best triathlon watch for beginners by a long shot. The Garmin Forerunner 245 is a real multisport watch that has everything a beginner runner, swimmer, cyclist, triathlete, or duathlete needs and more. Just for much less than the Garmin Forerunner 945.
If you want to keep track of your swim, bike, and run during an event, you might need a triathlon watch. Some triathlon watches can even keep track of time during transitions, which is especially helpful for triathletes.
And like other Garmin watches in this price range, like the Forerunner 965 and the Fenix 7X Sapphire, it has all tri features, onboard running with power, and a lot of training data/physio functions and features.