Choosing your GPS running watch

A GPS watch transforms training: it measures, guides and motivates. But the offer is vast and prices range from low to quadruple. Here's how to choose based on YOUR practice, without overpaying.

The truly useful features

• Reliable GPS (distance, pace, route): the basics.
• Wrist-based heart rate to monitor effort and train by heart rate zones.
• Training load and recovery monitoring (HRV, training status) on mid/high-end models.
• Structured sessions guided on your wrist (intervals, pace/power targets): very useful for quality workouts.

Adapt to your practice

For leisure running, an entry-level watch is more than enough. For trail (mapping, long battery life) or triathlon (multisport mode, bike/swimming sensors), you need to go up a level. No point paying for worldwide mapping if you always run in the city.

Heart rate accuracy: a limitation to know about

Optical heart rate at the wrist is sometimes inaccurate during highly varied efforts (interval training). For detailed monitoring, a chest heart rate monitor remains more reliable — an inexpensive accessory and often more useful than a more expensive watch.

Battery life

Check GPS mode battery life: sufficient for a 10 km on all models, but decisive for an ultra or a long run.

Exploit your data

A watch collects data; but you still need to make a plan out of it. Sports Coach AI connects to your data (Garmin, Strava, Intervals.icu) and transforms your figures into concrete sessions, pushed directly to your watch.