What is Important in a Sports Watch?

Watches are a lifestyle item. Which design we choose has an influence on how we portray ourselves. However, when it comes to a wristwatch, we aren’t just buying an accessory. Instead, the watch has features that can be used for certain activities. In a sports watch, these are abilities that make it suitable to wear during training. What is important to look for in a sports watch beside its quality and looks?

Watch Types – Between Functionality and Aesthetics

In each product group that can be deemed as decorative, there are some items that are entirely reduced to the aesthetic, while others carry critical features. This is true for watches. Diver’s watches, for example, have some of the most influential designs in the history of the industry with many models stealing their look. However, not every model that looks the part is actually suitable for underwater use.

The same applies to sports watches. By definition, the sports watch is suitable to wear during training and other physical activities. In turn, this means it must be able to withstand a lot of motion, possible impacts, and fluids like sweat. Additionally, they often have features that help us keep track of our progress or share important information.

However, there are many sports watches out there that either exclusively share the aesthetics established by popular sports watches to appeal to the same target market, or some that are bought without any of their helpful features ever being used.

What exactly can a good sports watch do, and what do you need it for?

What is a Sports Watch?

A sports watch is not only defined by its design. The definition is mostly tied to its features.

Overall, the sports watch is supposed to:

a) withstand the strain it is put under in a workout.
b) have features that help us measure and keep track of our efforts.
c) provide critical information.

On the modern market, we can divide sports watches into more traditional analogue watches, the newly risen smartwatches, and hybrids. The digital watches are especially advertised for fitness tracking purposes, since they often include sensors, analysis tools, and can be linked to fitness apps.

Depending on the watch you choose, they can have a different array of helpful features. These span from reliably telling time to include timers or display environmental and physical conditions. A Seiko 5 Sports watch at Chrono24 has different functionalities than a smartwatch or specialized diver’s watches for underwater use. When looking for a sport’s watch, it is important to select the suitable watch for your specific use.

Features of Sports Watches

The following list includes popular features for sports watches:

GPS – Smartwatches make use of the GPS functionality in multiple ways. It can help track the distances you have covered, find the most suitable routes for jogging and co., or help you determine your altitude when hiking or climbing.
Air Pressure Measurement – Depending on the kind of sport you do, having information about the air pressure and sea level air pressure can be helpful.
Altitude Measurement – For any kind of mountaineering sport, it is helpful to keep track of your altitude and how much distance you have already covered.
Temperature Measurement – Current temperature stats and weather forecast are helpful in planning training sessions and deciding on when it is best to stop to protect your health.
(Electronic) Compass – Especially when you like to hike or climb, the compass function will help you orient yourself and stay on track.
Pedometer – Counting your steps and movement types helps you keep an eye on your physical activity and its improvement.
Calorie Measurement or Calculations – By entering your weight and comparing data with the amount of physical activity and your goals, a watch can estimate your calorie consumption and how long you will need to be active to burn the needed number of calories.
Waterproof/resistant – Since physical activity leads to sweating, a sports watch should always be water-resistant. However, for some sports, like swimming, it needs to be waterproof. For specific demands, like when diving, you will need to make sure the watch can withstand the water pressure at certain depths.
Recording Functions & Interconnectivity – If your watch uses sensors and allows you to enter data, it should be able to record and store the information, and at best transfer it to a location where it is easily accessed and analyzed.
Training Plans – Smart sports watches can often calculate optimized training plans based on the information it collects and data you enter yourself. It can send reminders or add gamification features that make it more fun to stick to workouts.
Durability – The watch needs to be durable. Anti-collision functions are typically a must. In many sports, like football, the watch is vulnerable to being impacted with high force. Thus, it should be robust and scratch resistant.
Battery Life – Especially when we use a smartwatch, the battery needs to have a reliable and long battery life, so we can use it without constant disruptions.

Conclusion

Overall, a sports watch can help us measure and guide our physical activity by recording and analyzing data, and adding gamification elements to our training regimen. For some types of sports, it can even provide vital information, like altitude and air pressure.

If we are looking to buy a good sports watch, we should always select the right model for our individual purpose. For some, simple analogue watches with timer functionalities and a robust built are sufficient, while others will benefit from interactivity and interconnectivity with other technologies.

What is Important in a Sports Watch?