The best Triathlon watches work like a personal, wearable “medical assistant” that keeps a record of athletes’ rigorous physical activities, such as workouts and competition performance, and provides them instant updates about their exertion levels. Triathlons involve extremely challenging physical activities, and athletes competing in these events require meticulous training.
To achieve their maximum potential, these athletes will benefit by smartwatches that track their activities. Any physical impact can be judged instantly, and athletes can improve their performance. In other words, you can think of a triathlon watch as a “live data analytical tool” that reports your performance-related crucial data with every step, or even every breath.
Here is a list of 15 best triathlon watches that we have compiled for you with their specific features, advantages, and disadvantages.
Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Be it any terrestrial or aquatic event, you can trust the Garmin Forerunner 910XT to serve you well. It is one of those revolutionary sports watches that support GPS functionality and can be used while running, cycling, or swimming. That makes it the most suitable watch for triathlon training.
With this watch, you can track your heart rate while running or cycling, and switch to swim metrics in aquatic events. It has a wide range of these metrics, namely stroke identification, swim distance, and stroke count. But despite being tech-heavy, it is easy to operate and has a sturdy design.
Its best feature is definitely the multi-sport functionality, which allows you to change sporting functions with a simple button push. You can also set up vibrating alerts for reminding you of specific milestones, or even the necessary time for taking your nutritional supplements. You can customize the screen of your Garmin Forerunner 910XT watch, compute your calorie intake based on your heart rate, and set up an alarm to go off when you complete any of your goals. It’s the ideal watch to help you monitor and improve your performance.
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Suunto 9 GPS Watch
This watch focuses on providing an enhanced battery experience. The Suunto 9 GPS Watch boasts of an “intelligent battery” that has the capacity to track exercises up to 120 hours continuously. Its software optimizes the battery while in use and alerts you to set your watch for charging once the battery is nearing depletion.
It is specially designed for sporting events and provides technical support for more than 80 sports as well as many multi-sport competitions. It displays your training summary in graphs and shows your data in tables.
It has a good GPS function that puts it among the top triathlon watches. For athletes competing in ultra-long events, the Suunto 9 GPS watch has a feature that facilitates distance and track monitoring in a more accurate way. This triathlon watch also connects to an innovative Suunto app, where all your physical activities, sleep patterns, and complete fitness details are recorded. You can then use this data for analyzing your strength and weaknesses. The app also has its own community where, like other social media platforms, you can share your important fitness milestones with others and engage with like-minded people for advice and encouragement.
Polar Vantage V
The Polar Vantage V comes with an ultra-strong battery that can withstand up to 40 hours of rigorous training and has an active GPS.
This watch has two exclusive features that put it in a class apart from other triathlon watches. The first is its amazing Polar wrist heart rate Technology. This latest technology provides wrist heart rate data and has the highest accuracy rate. Its second special feature is tracking running power which, unlike other smartwatches, does not need any additional accessory pod.
With a combination of heart rate data and running power, this watch measures your physical activity clearly and provides instant data analysis so that you can judge how hard you are working and how much difference it is making to your performance.
This triathlon watch can track both open water swimming and pool swimming. It has a multi-sport function to transition between activities, such as swimming and cycling. It also has a long battery life, which can last up to 40 hours while running the GPS and heart rate mode. And, as we said earlier, the best triathlon watch must be thin and lightweight, and the Polar Vantage V fulfills both of these criteria.
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Garmin Forerunner 935
If you are looking for GPS technology and Wi-Fi in a triathlon watch, then the Garmin Forerunner 935 should top your list. Apart from these features, this triathlon watch provides advanced technological support for running, swimming, and cycling.
Not only that, but it can also keep tabs on and measure your heart rate. The glass display of this watch is chemically strengthened, which makes it extra durable. Its battery life is also impressive and can run up to 24 hours in GPS mode and lasts up to 15 days in regular watch mode.
The Forerunner 935 is water-resistant down to 50 meters and, due to the presence of Wi-Fi and other connectivity facilities, you can link this watch with a wide range of other electronic devices. Its special display screen keeps it transparent even in bright, sunlit outdoor conditions.
Timex Ironman Sleek 150
If you are not looking for GPS functionality, then the Timex Ironman Sleek 150 will be a fabulous triathlon watch for you.
With a history of 30 years behind this watch, it is not surprising that it once topped the charts of sports watches, only to be toppled by GPS watches in later years.
It is a waterproof, lightweight, and thin triathlon watch with a large and clearly readable display. The screen is touch-sensitive, and you can activate various functions by tapping the display.
You can also program target-times in the watch, but it cannot track your speed or the distance of your laps. You can install audible reminders or alerts for different activities.
While this watch is not as technology-heavy and doesn’t have as many features as you will find in GPS-enabled triathlon watches, it is a favorite of people who prefer simplicity. It’s for those who want only the necessary features to help with their fitness training.
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Polar V800
The Polar V800 has been around for a few years more than contemporary watches. That is why it may not make it to the top of the lists featuring new and sophisticated sports watches. Still, it is a reliable and incredibly useful triathlon watch, especially for those who prefer to focus on tracking and analyzing their training programs in a simpler way.
The Polar V800 has multi-sport functionality, including cycling, like other top of the line sports watches. It also has the invariable thin design attractive in such a watch.
You can link it with your smartphone if you want to get important activity notifications. One of its special features is the heart rate monitor. This monitor first gathers your data, and then, its software quickly analyzes and reports the details of your overall fitness level and what kind of impact your training sessions are producing.
The Polar V800 has another special feature for swimmers. It can help monitor your heart rate in real-time when you are busy slashing the water. It also covers open water and pool tracking.
Garmin Fenix 5 Plus
This triathlon watch from the Garmin stable is quite similar to its cousin, the Forerunner 935. But there are tweaks and differences between these two smartwatches that put them both on the list.
The biggest difference is between their weight and material. The Garmin Fenix 5 is heavier compared to the Forerunner 935, but it has a more sophisticated look. This is because the Fenix 5 is made of tougher material and has a stronger outer casing, while the 935 is molded with plastic to be thin and lightweight.
If you prefer a more professional look, then the Fenix 5 will be your choice over the 935. Most of the other features are similar for both watches, but the Fenix 5 Plus also provides music storage and Garmin Pay, which allows you to pay for various items directly with the watch from anywhere.
The Fenix 5 is comparatively more expensive and has higher performance capabilities, including maps and music. It is a multi-sport watch with GPS functionality and a wrist-based heart rate monitor.
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Suunto Spartan Sport
This model is among the topmost triathlon watches because of its multi-sport and GPS functionality.
Like other watches, the Suunto Spartan Sport has swim tracking both in the pool and open water and has a wrist heart rate monitor.
It has been pre-programmed for more than 80 different types of physical activities of cross-training athletes. These sporting activities include cycling, swimming, and running, and it is easy to program this watch for tracking workouts and racing.
The Spartan Sport also helps you analyze your body’s reaction after a workout, and you can monitor this post-workout trend on a long-term basis.
Its battery life is comparatively low, though, and gives an average of only 10 hours in GPS mode. For those athletes who compete in shorter triathlons and want a watch for general training, this much battery life per charge should be sufficient.
Garmin Forerunner 920XT
This triathlon watch is for those who are looking for tri-specific features within a limited budget.
The 920XT includes features like multi-sport functionality, a thin design, swim tracking (both pool and open water), and is compatible with various cycling accessories.
This watch will also provide you data related to your training activities but mostly in numbers; it lacks the advanced graphical analytical features of other watches. It supports Bluetooth, but no Wi-Fi connectivity is available with the 920XT.
It records basic data, such as distance, speed, and ascent/descent. It also has a notification function, and if you decide to synchronize it with your smartphone, you can see your email, call alerts, text messages, and calendar reminders on the watch.
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TomTom Multisport
This is another triathlon watch that uses Bluetooth technology so that you can sync your smartphone with this watch to take advantage of various features and analyze your physical activities.
It has a scratch-resistant, impact-resistant display, so you can use it for any activity. Apart from these features, the display of this watch is extra-large, providing an easy view of data during sporting activities.
It has GPS functionality and is waterproof down to 50 meters to protect it from any kind of water damage during swimming events. Compared to some high-end triathlon watches, the battery life of the TomTom Multisport is restricted to nearly 10 hours in GPS mode but increases significantly if you are not using the GPS function.
It has vibration alerts that work as your reminder for a fitness to-do list. The watch has a slim design and one-button control, which helps you switch its settings from one sporting event to another.
GoLife GPS
This model has not received much hype, but it definitely has features worthy of mentioning its name in the list of best triathlon watches.
It includes different tri- features, such as running, interval tracking, a metronome, and GPS functionality. You can use its different features to track different types of metrics for any triathlon. The GoLife GPS is also water resistant down to 50 meters.
The interesting thing is that if you are using it in normal watch mode, it can run for full a three months on only one charge! However, if you decide to utilize the heart rate monitor or the GPS, then the battery life reduces to nearly 11 hours.
This watch has a monochrome display with a strong backlight to provide a clear and easy view of your data.
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Garmin Forerunner 735XT
This Garmin model has the important functionalities of GPS and heart rate monitoring. It also supports data for swimming, cycling, hiking, and of course, running.
The Forerunner 735XT cuts down on weight as it is made of plastic instead of metal and glass. What it loses in looks is compensated by its lightness, which sits well on your wrist during stiff competitions, when every second and every gram matters.
It has an amazing battery life, which can go on and on for 5 days, even when using all of its fitness features. You can also synchronize this watch with your smartphone.
Its display resolution is comparatively low but is still clear enough for easy visibility.
Garmin Vivoactive HR
Triathlon watches usually have similar technical features common to all, but some have features exclusive to them.
This watch works to combine two general features to create a unique advantage for athletes. It brings together heart rate technology and the GPS functionality. This combination of technology works to your favor by providing you with data related to your heart’s functioning during rigorous and long sporting events.
The Vivoactive HR measures your heart rate at the wrist. Its inbuilt accelerometer is another feature worthy of mention. It’s also useful for swimmers as it is waterproof with a 50-meter rating. This means you do not have to worry about it getting damaged in the pool or rainwater.
It also provides a good battery life if you decide to use it on simple watch mode. In that case, it can run for 8 days with one-time charging. If you switch to using the GPS, then its battery life is reduced to nearly 13 hours.
It can be synchronized with most smartphones, and you can access notifications from the watch itself. It has a very striking display with high resolution and a color touchscreen.
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Suunto Ambit3
For GPS smartwatches, this model tops the list. It has advanced functionalities that provide you with crucial data during your runs, such as distance, speed, and heart rate. You can also monitor your heart rate and record it during swimming events.
It has a steel body and is water-resistant so that you can use it for running in rainy seasons and while swimming too. It has one of the best battery lives in GPS mode, you can use it for 25 hours at a stretch. In simple watch mode, you won’t have to bother charging it again for 14 days.
You can link it to your smartphone for using it as a highly sophisticated smartwatch. It also provides access to the Movescount app, which is excellent for using voice guidance. Its display has an LED backlight, making it easy to read.
But although it has some very advanced design features, its heaviness can make some athletes think twice before choosing this watch as their “training assistant.”
Coros Pace
This is a comparatively new entry in triathlon watch market, but it has some very impressive features. Its battery life is especially amazing. You can use it for 30 days in regular watch mode, and the GPS mode gives an astounding 25 hours of use on a single charge.
Its GPS functionality is also super impressive. The only drawback we can find is that its accuracy is not that consistent in open water.
The fitness information is presented in a smooth and categorized way by the Coros app. The watch also provides your post-training data, and you can also check how many calories you burned during your activity.
It uses a unique algorithm (SWOLF) that measures various fitness metrics to analyze and provide you with results that will help you improve your performance and understand what is working for you.
Keep In Mind
If you are looking to buy a triathlon watch, the first thing you should check is if it has a multi-sport feature. A triathlon is a combination of three different athletic competitions, and so, triathlon watches should also be able to switch between different athletic activities, such as cycling, swimming, and running. The best triathlon watches include not one but many tri-related, innovative features.
Two distinct features of the best triathlon watches are that they are waterproof and have thin designs. Another feature to consider while looking for a triathlon watch will be its battery life. You would not want your smartwatch to die on you during a longer competition and stop giving you the data-feed crucial for your improved performance in the event.