features

Which of these wrist coaches packs the coolest and most useful extras?

All three watches offer features for swimming, too

All of the watches in this test record GPS and heart-rate data with impressive accuracy – nothing does it better. So it’s the other features they offer that will be the key weapons in this battle for supremacy. These sports watches will give you at least three bits of information – of your choice – on your screen at a time. That could be your distance, pace (or average pace), speed (or average), ascent, descent, cadence (useful for runners trying to adapt to a more efficient technique), exercise duration, heart rate (or average), calories burned, lap times and even mapping of sorts. All three watches offer features for swimming, too – stroke count, laps and distance.

Meanwhile, key navigation features include barometers, altimeters and compasses. You can import gpx files, while other route-planning functions will strongly appeal to hillwalkers and weekend warriors. If you get lost while GPS is recording, both the Garmin Fenix 3 and the Suunto Ambit3 Sport HR let you retrace your steps. All three sync via Bluetooth to smartphone apps and desktop software, for an absurdly detailed analysis of your training.

If you’re a runner, cyclist, swimmer or triathlete, both the Polar V800 and the Ambit3 are top training aids. The V800 doesn’t do much in the way of navigation tools, but it does offer a raft of workout modes, even strength training and crossfit – though it only records cadence with the addition of a stride sensor. The Ambit3 is targeting the triathlete, recording power on your bike and your heart rate when swimming. The Ambit3’s activity tracking, however, is limited to calories, and it doesn’t track sleep. The Fenix pretty much does all that the other two do; there’s a triathlon mode that auto-jumps between activities, and it also appeals to the walker, the cross-country skier and the outdoor generalist. It even recognises the key differences between, say, indoor, outdoor and trail running, and pool and open-water swimming. The runner is aided by vertical oscillation and ground-contact time. Via Bluetooth, the Fenix also gives you a weather forecast and more.