The alternatives: 3 more adventure watches

These sporty strappers are all worthy rivals to the new Fenix 7

Coros Vertix 2 £599 / stuff.tv/vertix2 What’s the story?

Coros’s second-gen flagship outdoor watch packs a mind-boggling 140hrs of GPS battery life. But there’s more to it than staying power. With all-systems dual-frequency GPS, offline topo maps, wrist ECG, music storage and offline playback, plus a pretty comprehensive suite of sports tracking and training tools, this is a serious all-round adventurer.

Is it any good?

It might not quite match the Fenix 7 on features… but if you want the longest battery life in the business in a durable, adventurous build, the Vertix 2 is it. Whether you’re training an hour a day or tackling multi-day endurance trips, the staying power is beyond impressive. GPS and heart-rate monitoring are solid, though the lack of turn-by-turn hampers the navigation skills and the breadth of training insights on offer is almost overwhelming.

KEY SPECS Screen 1.4in 280x280

GPS battery life 140hrs Weight 89g Polar Grit X Pro £439 / stuff.tv/gritxpro What’s the story?

Polar’s most adventure-ready rugged watch, the Grit X Pro mashes up some solid outdoor skills with all the training insights and recovery smarts you’ll find on Polar’s other watches – including daily workout recommendations, overnight recovery readouts, 100m water-resistance, turn-by-turn navigation and back-to-start routing.

Is it any good?

With its 40hr GPS battery life, the Polar might be eclipsed by it’s longer-lasting rivals, but there’s plenty to recommend this multi-sport tracker. It’s light and compact, and has some of the best tracking tools going for sleep, recovery and wellness. We love the dedicated tests that benchmark your running and cycling performance, and the recovery tests that add a layer of insights to your training decision-making. Komoot route-planning is handy too.

KEY SPECS Screen 1.2in 240x240

GPS battery life 40 hrs Weight 79g Garmin Enduro £650 / stuff.tv/enduro What’s the story?

Before the Fenix 7 and the Vertix 2, the Enduro was the endurance king. Its full GPS battery life promises up to 80hrs, extendable to 300hrs in power-saving mode. Its training and fitness tools include suggested daily workouts, a recovery time advisor, heat and altitude acclimatisation plus sleep, stress, hydration and blood oxygen monitoring.

Is it any good?

If feats of lengthy running, cycling, climbing or swimming are your fitness bag – or you just hate charging your watch – the Enduro is a fine choice. With solar charging to slow the battery burn rate, even with daily training you’ll only need to plug it in once a month. The lack of colour topo maps and offline music is frustrating, but you still get OK nav tools including breadcrumb turn-by-turn navigation and the ability to create, load and follow routes.

KEY SPECS Screen 1.4in 280x280

GPS battery life 70/80hrs Weight 89g