The best Garmin watches

Sports watches blur the lines between smartwatches and fitness trackers, serving up features that allow athletes and active individuals to optimize their training. From wind speed sensors to oximeter sensors, sports watches provide wearers with a comprehensive overview of health and fitness in a way that makes it easy to tailor workouts and track improvements.

However, choosing a smartwatch that goes with your style is only part of the challenge. You’ll also need to factor in the features that make each brand and model unique. Garmin watches are popular for active individuals as they are smartwatches, fitness trackers, and stylish sport watches all rolled into one. Here’s what to look for when comparing today’s top Garmin watches.

Heart rate monitor

With a built-in heart rate monitor, a Garmin watch will use electrodes to monitor your heart’s signals. From there, the device transmits your heart rate data to the receiver via a wireless signal. It allows you to track your vitals throughout the day (and particularly during a strenuous workout). When you’re beginning any fitness journey, monitoring your heart rate is crucial as it allows you to ensure you’re not pushing yourself past your current limits.

Sweat-resistant & waterproof

If you’re worried about dripping sweat onto your Garmin watch, there’s no need to. Most are sweat-resistant enough to ensure you can get it pretty drenched without fear of damage.  However, if you’re a professional diver or are planning on wearing the watch with you as you swim laps at the pool, be sure to check that the watch can handle the depth of water that you’ll wade into.

Exercise tagging & goal setting

Improving your heart health is easier when you focus on setting smaller, manageable goals. Find a smartwatch that has goal-setting features to allow you to indulge in the daily excitement of meeting and exceeding fitness goals. It also helps if the fitness tracker provides you with the ability to tag exercise routines and will generate activity reports for you. All are helpful when you’re switching off between cardio, strength, core, and various other types of exercises.

Battery life

Whether you rely on your Garmin watch to track your steps, swim strokes, or simply as a stylish add-on to your daily professional wear at work, you want it to last as long as you need it to, right? Longer battery life means you don’t have to worry about charging it as often. The Garmin Vivoactive 4 can last up to eight days on one charge, for example, while the brand’s solar watches are able to hold a charge for nearly two weeks.