TomTom Spark Cardio GPS Fitness Watch
A$299; NZ$349,
tomtom.com/sports/fitness-watches
This device hits the sweet spot between ease of use and nifty technology. Switch your training modes between running, cycling, gyming, swimming or treadmill running and measure your heart rate with the built-in heart rate monitor to capture your steps, minutes and kilojoules burnt. Use the data to challenge and set yourself daily or weekly goals.
Garmin Forerunner 630
A$579; NZ$599 or A$649; NZ$679 with HRM-Run,
garmin.com.au;www.garmin.co.nz
The Garmin Forerunner 630 boasts great running dynamics with touchscreen technology and physiological measurements, including ground contact time balance, stride length and vertical ratio. It’s also compatible with the Connect IQ™ smartwatch platform so you can customise your watch with additional apps, widgets, watch faces and data fields.
Polar M400
A$279; NZ$350 or A$349; NZ$400 with Heart Rate Monitor,
thepolarshop.com.au; polar.com/nz
Rain? No worries. This waterproof GPS running watch has 24/7 activity tracking and optional heart rate sensor and is developed for runners who want a comfortable and durable running watch with a sporty design. With advanced GPS and training features, you can track and record running as well as your other exercise, and accurately monitor your performance.
Suunto Ambit3 Sport
A$499; NZ$549
suunto.com/en-au;suunto.com/en-NZ
This is chunky but comfy and packs masses of functionality. Setup/use is fairly intuitive and it does the basics very well – GPS lock is quick and the data is extremely accurate. Data is reliable and there’s a lot beyond the basics, too: cadence data taken direct from your wrist movement; precise ascent/descent stats; navigation and strong multisport functionality.
