The Swamp

Hey Swmpers, I'm thinking of getting my son a good watch for running. Unfortunately, there are a jillion of these, even if you read a few "Best Of" lists.

Do any of you have personal experience with a watch you like?

A few criteria:
- Needs to be simple to use (he's not the most tech-able kid)
- Should also function as a regular watch - meaning you can look at it and see the time.
- Can set alarms (he prefers to use his watch instead of his phone)
- Accurate distance and pace. He's a fairly serious runner, so it can't be inaccurate. I don't know if this means GPS is a must or not.
- Doesn't require a phone to go on the run with it (some watches use a phone for their GPS).
- He won't care about music from the watch


Any suggestions?

I've been satisfied with my Garmin Forerunner 920. Had it about a year or so. It came with chest strap HR monitors for both Tri and pool swimming. It was a few hundred off when I got it, as the new models we're on their way. Also, I've seen discounts for the Garmin Forerunner 35 today for $140

I’m gonna say just get an Apple Watch.

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Nov 23, 2018 6:49 pm I’m gonna say just get an Apple Watch.

I will too, but with a qualifier. Does your boy have an iPhone? If he does, the Apple Watch is gonna be brilliant for what you need. If not, some of the cool features like getting notifications on your watch won't be applicable though (it'll still work great as a running watch/GPS though).

He does have an iPhone. I have an Apple Watch and do use it to track my runs (although I run much less and less seriously than he does).

So yeah, I agree that would work. But then, it's $280 for the Series 3 watch. $400 for the new one.

TBH, while I like my watch, I really don't use it for much other than time, weather, and activity tracking. Most of the apps are pretty useless. I do like getting email and text notifications on it that I can easily check without getting out my phone, but I'm pretty sure that's a non-issue for him.

Shirley wrote: ↑Sun Nov 25, 2018 3:59 pm He does have an iPhone. I have an Apple Watch and do use it to track my runs (although I run much less and less seriously than he does).

So yeah, I agree that would work. But then, it's $280 for the Series 3 watch. $400 for the new one.

TBH, while I like my watch, I really don't use it for much other than time, weather, and activity tracking. Most of the apps are pretty useless. I do like getting email and text notifications on it that I can easily check without getting out my phone, but I'm pretty sure that's a non-issue for him.

There were some black friday deals at Target, Best Buy, etc for the Series 3. Actually, just looked and Best Buy still has it for $229.

I wear a Garmin Vivoactive 3 -- I'm mixed on the running watch portion of it and I really think an Apple Watch might have been a better choice given that I have an Iphone. The notifications on the watch are nice but there's no way to respond and I haven't figured out how to get it to notify me with emails. I think I would have gone for one of the Forerunner Triathlon watches if I could do it again. There's some deals on the Fenix series right now which my buddy says is awesome, but I've got a small wrist and don't want a gigantic watch on there all the time.

BSF21 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 11:48 am I wear a Garmin Vivoactive 3 -- I'm mixed on the running watch portion of it and I really think an Apple Watch might have been a better choice given that I have an Iphone. The notifications on the watch are nice but there's no way to respond and I haven't figured out how to get it to notify me with emails. I think I would have gone for one of the Forerunner Triathlon watches if I could do it again. There's some deals on the Fenix series right now which my buddy says is awesome, but I've got a small wrist and don't want a gigantic watch on there all the time.

My Garmin Forerunner does have a larger face than I would have for an all day watch, as I also have small wrists. I did get some of the email/text/call updates on my watch while I was running/swimming/working out, but I turned that off because I don't need any of that while exercising.

The Vivoactive 3 is a much better looking watch than my Forerunner 920, but I use mine just for exercise, so I don't really care too much about aesthetics. The Forerunner 935 is a better looking watch, but I couldn't see spending $450-500 on it when I could get the 920 with 2 HR straps for $300.