Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

Are you looking to get a new tri watch? Well, you have obviously came to the right place. We have brought you the list of best triathlon watches that are considered as the cream of the current crop. Also, we believe that these watches are the best any Company can offer right now.

Triathlon is a wonderful sport and it’s worth it if you practice only one of its concepts beforehand like swimming, cycling and running as well. When triathlon tests your stamina, you can pick one that matches your fitness level the best because there are so many different lengths of competition.

We are saying this quite safely that the preparations for race should be taken quite seriously. It doesn’t matter if you could swim for 10 meters when you were in school 20 years ago.

You’d have to start practicing again for at least 10 to 12 weeks in order to get yourself ready for a 700-meter open water swimming challenge. It can also be called as the triathlon sprint. You can think about 20 km cycling race and 5 km running race later.

It is extremely important to understand and not repeat the most common mistakes such as getting your pace wrong and not being aware of the heart rate zone you’re training. This is exactly where a triathlon watch comes in really useful.

It will monitor and track your heart rate accurately along with speed and pace monitoring as well. These features will come in handy everywhere whether you’re running, cycling or swimming underwater.

How to choose the best Triathlon Watch

A strong trial watch has several additional features in addition to those of a standard smartwatch. First of all, it needs to be water-resistant. Otherwise a triathlon race would be difficult to carry. The most important requirements are:

Battery life:

On average, you’d be looking at 3-4 hours of race time and a normal triathlon race will last from a couple of hours to a couple of days. A successful triathlon watch will be able to last at least 6 to 8 hours in GPS mode in order to ensure that it does not die on your wrist shortly prior to the end of the race, and that it loses all the details and conceited rights after that.

We can take the example of Coros Apex that promises to last up to 100 hours in GPS mode. Also, the Suunto Baro 9 can give you up to 120 hours.

Water-tight construction:

We have already said that it is going to be extremely difficult to monitor a watch that is not water-rated for at least 50 meters underwater. In addition to swim-proofing, the best triathlon watch will even calculate the heart rate underwater on the wrist and adopt advanced swimming techniques, such as stroke counts, speed and SWOLF.

Multi-sport transition:

The ability to switch between sport modes without pressing unnecessary buttons is also significant. When you come out of the water, don’t even try finding the right menu set for switching from swimming to bike-tracking, you will be very concerned about taking off your suit and using your bike gear.

Most smartwatches of the top-level offer one-button transition to multiple sports, with even a dedicated triathlon mode to add comfort.

Fit and comfort:

A basic and standard triathlon watch will surely give you a comfortable feeling and you wouldn’t be wasting your time checking the incorrect HR readings on your wrist because races sometimes last for a few hours and the accuracy of readings is also pretty important.

You need a flexible silicone strap and a smooth case material in order to obtain a satisfying experience. The curved designs of Polar Vantage V and Suunto Baro 9 make your triathlon watch fit your wrist comfortably and cozily.

Ruggedness:

This is an extremely important part. For those who use their devices roughly, you wouldn’t want your watch to get a scratch or gets broken into pieces when it falls off your wrist.

The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Titanium has a titanium case and is fitted with a Sapphire crystal at the top and weighs just about 49 grams. Most Top Watches come in Gorilla Glass or Sapphire crystal lens and solid packaging. And yes, the 49 grams weight is only of the case.

You might also want to check it out: List Of Best Fitness Trackers To Buy In 2022

The Best Triathlon Watches

Garmin Forerunner 945

Price: $549.99

Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2021 - Reviews & Guides
Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

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The Garmin Forerunner 945, while not at all a compromise, represents the ultimate balance between features and pricing. You’re going to hear most of the people saying that the Forerunner 945 has completely taken the look of its predecessor i.e. Forerunner 935.

Also, we believe that the similarities are very much there as far as the looks of the device are concerned. However, the Garmin Forerunner 945 is completely different from inside.

Let us start with the heart-rate monitor. It comes with Garmin’s new ELEVATE heart-rate sensor and obviously it is of no match with the Forerunner 935. The heart-rate sensor in the 945 is more accurate and precise underwater.

The Forerunner 945 also comes with a new GPS chip that is used for managing the battery life accurately. It is useless to mention that it does a better job than the Forerunner 935.

Again, if we’re comparing the 935 with Forerunner 945 then we have to see the major differences as well. The Forerunner 935 was empty when it comes to music features and Garmin Pay. The Forerunner 945 provides both of them.

Also, these are the features that don’t come in handy when you’re running, cycling or swimming but, we also know that you will keep this watch on your non-racing days as well. That’s exactly where you will get to see the usefulness of these features.

In addition to the latest-generation features of Garmin, the Forerunner 945 includes PulseOx, live event sharing, incident or collision avoidance, body battery power monitor and training load concentration as well along with some other features.

Also, the most important maps feature is there as well in the Garmin Forerunner 945. You can use this function for map navigation and also for exploring new areas of interest. The 1.2-inch screen is not humongous but it will still show you the results in quite a precise manner.

You can also get used to it instead of your phone because the navigation feature is pretty much the specialty in the Garmin Forerunner 945.

Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Titanium (47mm Case)

Price: $549.99

Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2021 - Reviews & Guides
Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

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The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro is especially directed towards people who are fond of roaming outdoors. Also, the biggest triathlon races are also held outdoors and that’s what makes this Garmin Fenix 6 Pro a perfect choice for triathletes as well.

With an addition of some extremely important changes, the Garmin Company has managed to further enhance the Fenix series. The Fenix 6 Pro comes with much better battery life and the user interface has been altered as well just a little bit. Because of its widget view, things are looking much clearer on the screen and they’re extremely easy to glance over.

This device comes in two versions. A Titanium model and the Steel model as well. However, the Fenix 6 Pro is a very robust and strongly rugged device. It is not heavy at all and the Titanium version is also 11 grams lighter than the Steel version. That is what makes it a tough competitor for other comparable watches on the market.

You’d also find it very easy to switch between multisport mode and sport modes by only pressing a single button. All the features that we discussed already in the Forerunner 945 are also present in the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro. The only major difference is perhaps the stylish look of the Fenix 6.

You might also want to check it out: Best Garmin Smart Watches For Running, Multi-Sports, Outdoor And Swimming (February 2022))

Suunto 9 Baro

Price: $409.95

Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2021 - Reviews & Guides
Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

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This Suunto 9 Baro is especially known for its battery life. It can last up to 120 hours in Ultra mode but it is also important to mention that this device will only be able to track your position in this mode. Hence, we don’t see many people using this in Ultra mode all the time.

There is no heart-rate that works on your wrists. Bluetooth and vibration system is also not present in this device. However, the good part is that the Suunto Baro 9 can work up to almost 24 hours in performance mode. Also, this battery life of 24 hours in performance mode is more than enough for the majority of your tri-races.

It is a little bit heavier and stronger in build than the Garmin Forerunner 945. Also, by looking at its design and build quality, the Sunnto 9 Baro should be termed more as a diving watch rather than a running watch for athletes.

To wear the Suunto 9 Baro and also maximize its potential of heart-rate monitoring, you will have to show up with smaller wrists. It is because this device needs to sit cozily on your wrist in order to produce effective results. Also, this device can become a deal-breaker for all of those people who have tiny wrists.

We must mention the highest resolution display in this device. The design of the device is a bit larger but, the good thing is that the front is almost filled with display. You’re going to get resolution of 320 x 320 pixels which is the highest on our list of triathlons.

There is one drawback in the Suunto 9 Baro and that is its inability to monitor heart rate underwater on the wrist. But it monitors tons of other metrics, including swimming speed and distance, stroke rate, count and type along with SWOLF as well.

We forgot to tell you that there is a touch screen as well on this watch. However, it is not available during exercise mode just like Polar Vantage M.

Polar Vantage M

Price: $237.96

Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2021 - Reviews & Guides
Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

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We can say that the Polar Vantage M is almost £200 less costly than the Vantage V. However, if you’re not willing to get the running power metric and you don’t want to indulge yourself in ultra-high marathons then, you should perhaps stick with the former.

It has a very sleek and slim design. The Vantage M only has a case of 28 grams and a more than enough 1.2-inch screen. It also comes with a resolution of 240×240 pixels.

There is a wide range of fancy colored straps available for this model and we personally like the lime green color for a strap. It will simply blow away everyone you meet.

You’d find this device compatible with enhanced swimming metrics and it will automatically spot your heart-rate, swimming style, distance and speed as well. Also, strokes and rest times will be monitored properly. In open water swimming, this device will give you the luxury of tracking distance and strokes.

Nine sensors are being used in this device thanks to its Precision Prime sensor technology. It is available in all of the Polar Vantage series. This technology helps you track the heart-rate with the help of nine sensors.

It also has an additional four skin-contact sensors that help in telling you about the exact, desired and correct place for measurement. The Polar Vantage M also features a multipurpose mode which makes it easy to switch between sports.

Garmin Forerunner 935

Price: $346.10

Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2021 - Reviews & Guides
Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

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We can’t really say much about the Garmin Forerunner 935 as we have already discussed this device previously on a couple of occasions. It is a very good multi-sport device that monitors your position accurately.

It also has a bundle of useful features and due to firmware update, 935 might lose them as well. However, the price is absolutely reasonable after the release of the Forerunner 945.

The GPS signals might get slower while reaching you compared to the speed of the Forerunner 945. Also, we also can’t promise its accuracy and there’s a massive chance of missing out on the new features in 945 if you keep yourself tied to the Forerunner 935.

There’s a Garmin last-generation heart-rate sensor used in this device and although it is precise, it is still not as reliable as the ELEVATE sensor.

However, the Forerunner 935 has a built-in barometer, altimeter and a compass as well as loads of training characteristics and strong battery life at an amazingly reasonable price.

Coros APEX (46mm)

Price: $349.99

Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2021 - Reviews & Guides
Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

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Coros is slowly and steadily making its name in this market and we understand that some of the oldest customers in this field might not be aware of its name. However, we can certainly claim that you will witness Coros making huge strides in the near future.

This is a Chinese company and they have stepped into the battle-field with their recently released device that is known as the Coros Apex. It is known as one of the soberest models on the list.

Compared to the other premium level devices in this market, Coros performs brilliantly and gives you almost the same if not better features. The features are of absolute quality and it will surely provide lots of value for your money and that is something most of the Chinese manufacturers struggle to provide.

An extremely bigger display of 1.8-inch is something that differentiates the Coros from other products in the market. It also has a 46mm display that is covered with a Sapphire crystal lens along with a screen resolution of 240×240 pixels.

There are other interesting features in this Chinese device and let’s have a look at them. The battery life of Coros is approximately 100 hours in UltraMax mode. When the UltraMax is turned on, for every 120 seconds, the GPS is going to start on for 30 seconds. After that, the intelligent stride algorithm along with motion sensors will do their job for the remaining 90 seconds.

It takes a minute or two to adapt to the turn dial, but once you have done this, it is quick and easy to switch between the displays. Actually, like that.

Timex Ironman Classic 30

Price: $39.92

Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2021 - Reviews & Guides
Best Triathlon Watches to Buy in 2022 – Reviews & Guides

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At last, we believe we have brought you something very special. Do you want a watch that is going to last forever without any learning curve? Also, if you’re not interested in advanced metrics and GPS positioning then take a look at this TIMEX IRONMAN CLASSIC 30.

If you simply want a time tracking machine and you’re not willing to spend any extra cash then this Timex Ironman Classic 30 is specifically made for you.

Let’s take a look at the additional features now. You will get a lap timer along with an alarm, backlight and a stopwatch as well. This Ironman also has a shatter-resistant acrylic window lens with a round high performance and durable resin case packed in a digital display

At last, you will also get a water-resistant in the Timex Ironman Classic 30 that only works up to 10 meters in the water. Anyways, you won’t be diving into the water while wearing it so it works fine according to us.