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One of the most significant recent additions to the world of high tech sports watches is the GPS Watch. With GPS technology becoming far more common in the consumer market, companies have been quick to add the technology to their repertoire. The result. A wide range of exciting new GPS Watches for the athlete to choose from.

A modern sports watch distance tracker that utilizes the power of GPS, is a tool that can be utilized in a variety of different sports and outdoor activities, especially those where tracking motion is of some benefit to the wearer. Knowing one’s instantaneous speed, pace can be extremely advantageous to know in a sport like running or cycling where speed is of the essence as can knowing the overall distance you have covered in the course of a workout and GPS running watches tell you just that.

But the benefits of GPS are not only useful as a GPS watch running tool with a view to better performance. GPS can be extremely beneficial as a navigation tool, or for the tracking of one’s exercise and fitness level.

Keeping fit it is a modern day dilema. More and more people are seeking ways to improve the quality of their health and physical condition. Thanks to modern luxuries, it has become much easier live a comfortable lifestyle. But the downside of this is that we tend to exercise less and consume more food. Running can be a fun and cheap way to improve and maintain ones level of fitness orto lose weight and many gps sport watches offer features to accurately track your total exercise and perhaps more importantly, number of calories burned.
top rated gps sport watch

On the other hand you may be an outdoors type who is fit already. You regularly go hiking across the countryside and need a navigation tool to ensure you do not get lost while out in the wilderness in unknown countryside. The GPS wrist watch routes concept that can be as handy for hiking as it is running. Essentially a GPS watch can hold an entire route in memory, letting you know if you are on a known course or have deviated. There is a big market for adventure watch GPS systems, not just running watch GPS for endurance and fitness enthusiast.

No matter what your purposes. If you are undertaking a sport or activity that involves moving from point A to point B, then the gps sports watch best suited to your chosen activity can assist you in your pursuit.

The GPS or Global Positioning System network is a constellation of between 24 and 32 satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, allowing GPS receivers to measure their current location, the exact time and velocity. The GPS network became fully operational in 1993 and can be used freely by civilians for navigation purposes.

The availability of GPS has sparked a flood of mobile consumer GPS devices including hand held devices, mobile phones and in recently GPS wristwatch systems.

The benefits of sport watches with GPS is that one does not have to carry bulky unit around, the disadvantage is a small screen size allows limited mapping and navigation information, however a sport watches GPS can present speed, pace, distance and elevation making it ideal for sports like running, cycling, skiing and rowing.

sport watches GPS systems tend to fall into two distinct categories in functionality (with some crossover in between). GPS running watch and GPS navigation watches.

GPS Watches and Accuracy

If you were to ask the Government or manufacturers of sport watch GPS receivers, you would be told to expect accuracy to with 15 meters (49 feet). In practice with corrected location data, actual GPS readings has been measured to within 1 meter laterally and 1.5 meters vertically.

When considering the accuracy of a gps sport watch for running (or whatever sport it is you do), the chipset is important. Most modern watches now use the SirFStarIII chipset or an equivalent, but older watches like the Forerunners 101, 201 and 301 and the Suunto X9/i and X9M/i use older receivers. Needless to say Garmin GPS watch accuracy in these older models is inferior. These older units take much longer to pick up a signal and will lose it more easily than newer models (like the Suunto x10 gps watch + running features) and Forerunner 405CX .

The following article talks in greater depth about GPS watch accuracy.

Running Watches With GPS

Running GPS watches measure changes in your position to calculate your speed and distance in addition to the watch’s basic running features. In a sense, GPS and running are a perfect match, as even before the invention of GPS systems, runners would obsessively their runs in running diaries and attempt to approximate the kilomters run per week, per month and even over a cumulative year. Now with a running GPS stop watch fitted watch, it is taken care of.

A good Runners Watches + GPS system now offers a serious running a wide host of features such as:
Interval Timers and Session History Logging.

Examples of what a running gps watch can offer include:

• Real time speed measurement in kilometers per hour or miles per hour
• Real time pace measurement in minutes per kilometer or minutes per mile
• Elevation gains or losses
• Overall distance travelled
• Distance based alerts
• Distance based lap splits
• Auto-correcting time based on split-second, precise GPS time readings
• Altitude ascent rate
• Altitude descent rate
• Altitude/Elevation alarm

There are many a brand of watches with GPS that are designed specific runners watches with GPS. The most popular of these and arguably the best GPS watches for runners are:

Garmin GPS Watches: Garmin Watches
Garmin have aggresively pushed their GPS technology used in their mainstream GPS devices into running fitness watches and have arguably come up with the best GPS watch for running on the market… The Garmin Forerunner. The Forerunner is heralded by runners worldwide as the best GPS running watch and we of SportsWatchInformant.com think for good reason. While other sports watch makers added GPS to their existing sports watches, almost as an after-thought, the Garmin Forerunner watch has clearly been designed as specialist GPS Watches first and foremost. While each GPS timepiece has something unique to offer, we think that if you’re looking for the absolute best GPS sports running watch, with just about every major feature runners commonly need, than you could do worse than to use the Garmin Forerunner watch line is a starting point.

Timex GPS Watches: Timex GPS Watch and Timex Speed + Distance Watches

Suunto GPS Watches
Suunto sports watches offer outdoor GPS watch systems as well as GPS tracking as part of their Suunto Watch Pace and Speed capable fitness line, the Suunto Training Series Watches. These watches have fitness features that are exclusive to Suunto such as measurement of EPOC and training effect. The GPS of these watches requires an external GPS pod, rather than an all-in-one watch like the Forerunner. (See GPS Watch Types)

Polar GPS Watches Polar RS Series
Garmin v Polar GPS running watch Systems: Most Polar GPS watch systems are from Polar’s “Running Watch” RS series. These take the best running features Polar has developed over the years and enhance them with a GPS unit. In other words a Polar GPS Running Watch is less a conventional “GPS watch for runners“, than a running watch with GPS added. Still, Polar’s watches are great time and distance watches, but do not handle navigation and courses/routes as well as a Garmin Forerunner watch which is probably the best GPS watch for runners available.

The Legacy of The Casio GPS Outdoors Sports Watch

The Casio watch maker introduced the world’s first wrist watch with in-built GPS to market back in 1999. It has now been discontinued, but may be obtainable on the second hand market. The watch was bulky, like many of the older style GPS watches, but provided a wearer with the advantage of not having to attach an external device to their body like is the case with many modern day GPS systems today.

Benefits Of Gps Watch For Runner

Runners Watches with GPS are the most commmon type of sports watches that use GPS technology and the Garmin company have captured this market with their Forerunner line, arguably the best GPS watch for running you can get.

Time and distance watches provide a number of benefits to athletes in terms of the data that can be viewed while working out, the saving of statistics for future analysis and as well as recording and tracking of route information and other data. Running watches for speed and distance tracking have numerous benefits as you will see below.

Speed and Pace

One of the most powerful and most used features of a GPS watch for running is its ability to measure instantaneous speed or pace. This information is very useful to runners who are striving to achieve a personal best time in a competitive event, or pushing for a fast time in a time trial, or just trying not to push too fast on their sunday long run. A brief glance at their running pace GPS watch and they know in a flash if they are on target or not.

When looking for a running pace GPS watch, it is important to realize that some of the cheaper running pace watch GPS systems only measure your flat-line speed and pace, but not elevation above sea level. These systems are often called 2D GPS systems. The best sport watches track distance pace, horizontal speed and distance, but also elevation and may even be capable of measuring ascention and descention rate.

A running watch pace GPS system typically displays your speed in in kilometers per hour, or miles per hour, (with an option to switch between metric and imperial units). Such a watch can be a minutes per kilometer or minutes per mile watch. Sports watch GPS systems are capable of measuring your speed over a session as well as average speed and pace and maximum and minimum speed and pace not just over a session, but over individual laps within a session.

Top running watch pace GPS watches are available from all leading watch manufacturers. GPS is a very accurate pace running watch method, but can suffer near large objects or enclosed areas where satellite signals can be disrupted. Accelerometers foot pods are an alternative to running GPS pace watches. They are not disrupted indoors or around objects, but like 2D GPS systems, do not measure altitude.

Distance Measurement

Using satellite triangulation to calculate the precise position of the runner, by periodically checking your position, the watches distance tally can be calculated, updated, stored in memory and displayed in real-time to the wearer. A GPS watch that measures distance run can tell you precisely how far you have fun as well as how fast you are running.

Most sports watches with GPS can tally up the event or session distance. That is the accumulated distance you have traveled over a run or event. Some runners distance watch systems like Polars also feature a longer-term “odometer” that can log your distance over a much longer time-frame, the running distance watch storing your cumulative distance over course of weeks or months.

The benefits of a running watch calculate distance are numerous. With a GPS mile watch you can now pinpoint just how far you are really running on your long runs. A running watch with miles recording and a built-in odometer system can make it much easier to fill in your training diary and often running watch time and distance systems come packaged with sophisticated software that includes an electronic journal, so you can download your sessions directly onto your PC.

Another very handy use for a “track miles GPS watch” is measuring a course, or more commonly verifying the precise course distance after the race to find out just how close that “5K” fun run was to the true 5000m distance. Tech-savvy officials can use a mile measurement watch when marking out their fun runs or cross country courses.

Altitude Measurement

Running watches GPS systems work in three dimensions, so altitude can be calculated, not just speed and distance. The altitude component of GPS is less accurate than horizontal measurements. Usually a barometric altimeter is required to determine your height accurately, however a modern sports watch with GPS is able to provide a relatively accurate account of your ascent or descent rate, your current altitude above sea level and elevation gain or loss since you started the running chronograph.

Auto Pause

Some GPS watches for running feature a Hands Free mode that pauses the running Chrono when your speed drops close to zero. When you commence running again, the watch automatically starts the Chrono again. This is useful when running in urban areas where you occasionally need to stop for traffic, people or other interruptions.

Auto Lap/Split

This feature automatic records a lap in memory when you have traveled a specified distance. This is useful when you are training for speed, but do not have the benefit of a 400m Olympic running track.

Individual Lap Speed/Pace and Distance

We have mentioned that modern GPSwatches can log speed and distance data over an individual lap and usually heart rate data too. The following data fields can be logged over a lap in most modern day sports wrist watch GPS systems.

• Lap Average Speed: Average velocity for the period that chronograph has been running
• Lap Average Pace: Average per-minute speed for the period that chronograph has been running
• Lap Distance: Distance traveled for the lap
• Lap Altitude: Altitude displays the height above sea level at the end of your lap
• Lap Elevation Change: Elevation is the net change in altitude during the lap

Virtual Competitor

The Garmin Forerunner has a unique tool called Virtual Partner^TM that is designed to compete with you automatically during quick workouts and courses. When switched on, the Forerunner will display whether you are ahead or behind your virtual competitor and by how much.

Courses

Another Forerunner feature that can assist your training is the ability to create a course based on a previously recorded activity. When activated you can run over the same course and attempt to match or pass your previous best effort for the course. Courses ties into the Virtual Partner feature, the “stick man” runs at the pace you are attempting to beat.

Customized Workouts

Garmin Forerunner watches also allow you to create flexible, customized workouts in three or four structured formats.

• Simple Workouts allow you to  get up and running as quickly as possible.
• Interval Workouts are efforts run over a specified time or distance with a recovery in between hard runs.
• Heart Rate Workouts are Simple Workouts, but with the addition of heart rate limits
• Advanced Workouts are complex workouts with workout “steps”. For each progression in a workout, goals can be set in advanced workouts as well as varied distances, times and calories. Advanced workouts can also be scheduled ahead of time.

Target Speed, Pace and Distance Alarms

Most runners GPS watch systems feature the ability to set alarms based on distance, speed, pace and sometimes elevation. This features lets you specify an upper or lower limit for either speed or pace. When you run outside this limit an alarm will alert you to keep you on track. You can configure the watch to alert you with an alarm when you have traveled a specific distance or each time you cover a set distance (such as each kilometer).

GPS and Elevation Tracking For Sports
While cheaper GPS sysems only track motion in two dimensions (2D GPS systems), higher-end GPS systems such as the Garmin Forerunner watches, Timex Bodylink, Polar RS800 watches and Suunto T6C are capable of measuring elevation and even ascention/descention information. A GPS watches altitude ability is less accurate than its ability to track horizontal distance. You should note that the best running GPS devices elevation readings are less accurate than a barometric altitude system. Watches like the Suunto T6C feature such a system, so give slightly more accurate elevation readings.

GPS For Cyclists

Runners must be content with a GPS sport watch for running, Cyclists on the other hand, have the option of purchasing hand-held sized GPS devices like the Garmin Edge 705, which can be mounted on a bike’s handlebars. With a much larger screen size, the Edge, unlike most GPS sports watches used for running it can display street maps and if used with a bicycle cadence device, can present data that is specific to cycling such as bike wheel cadence.

If you are a triathlete or duathlete and like to mix up running and riding or even swimming, cyling and running GPS systems like the the Garmin Forerunner 305 and the new 310XT features multi sport profiles. When you use multi-sport workouts, you can switch between sport modes at any time and view your time and distance for each sporting discipline. So if you are riding, you could switch to “Biking Mode”, then if you finished your ride and decided to run for a while, you’d switch from “Biking Mode” to “Running Mode”.

The Garmin Forerunner 305 multi sport workout sport mode list.
You can even include transition time from one sport to the next, simply press the LAP button to change sports

GPS Watches For Swimmers

Activity GPS watches aren’t exactly your best choice when it comes to water sports, with one recent exception. Garmin have recently released the Forerunner 310XT, an upgrade of the 305. It features a much improved battery lifetime (20 hours, compared about 8 hours in the 305), GPS Hotfix for quicker tracking, improved calories burned measurement, ANT+ transmission (same as Forerunner 405) and water resistance to 50 meters (the 305 could only survive submersed to about 1 meter).

Before swimmers and triathletes get too excited, while this watch is waterproof, GPS cannot detect signals accurately in water, so this watch won’t measure speed and distance while you’re swimming or heart rate data for that matter, but if you are looking for a gps watch for swimming that can safely be used in the water than the 310XT may be it.

GPS For Navigation

Photo courtesy of Matt Biddulph.

Some GPS navigation watch running systems contain similar features to their larger hand-held counterparts that have navigation features can guide you to landmarks, or backtrack to your starting location if you get lost or to a marked waypoint along your route.

The Forerunners 205, 305, 310XT as well as the GlobalSat GH-625 are examples of a running watch with GPS and map and feature large screens that can accomodate a map view mode which allowes you to view your present location on a map. GPS can also determine your current facing when you are moving and can direct you to a waypoint on a route.

When you arrive home, a GPS navigation watch will allow you to download your data onto PC for viewing in a mapping software application.

GPS wrist watch routes can be created by using a “breadcrumb” feature, that logs your position at periodic intervals. Watches like the Suunot X10 accomodate this feature. The other method of creating routes is to manually create a collections of marked waypoint coordinates. This can often be done using software and transfered into the watch.

Many GPS watches like the Suunto X10 also include a compass feature and various “outdoors” features like thermometer and barometer. The Suunto X10 also has a barometric altimeter which is a more accurate measure of elevation data than GPS.

You can consider the following GPS watches can to have at least a basic level of navigation features:

• Garmin Forerunner 405 and 405CX
• Garmin Forerunner 205, 305 and 310XT
• Garmin Forerunner 301
• Garmin Forerunner 201
• Timex IRONMAN Bodylink Trail Runner
• Suunto X9/i and X9M/i
• Suunto X10
• Globalsat GH-615
• Globalsat GH-625

If you are looking for the ultimate adventure watch, the Suunto X9/i and it’s successor the X10 answer the call. These watches are capable of displaying your ETA to the next waypoint based on current speed and position, the altitude difference between waypoints and the X9M/i also has 6400 MILS bearing display and 360 degree compass.

The Forerunner 205, 305 and the newer 310XT models, while primarily sports watches also offer a very good navigation system with a map view mode. The lesser known GlobalSat watches offer excellent value as well, with the capacity to store 6,000 unique routes, a compass feature and 6,000 track capacity.

If you are planning that weekend expedition to the Andes, then you might want to add one of these great watches to your gadget list and survival gear.

GPS Alternatives

If you don’t care about maps, routes and navigation and just want a way of accurately measuring your speed, pace and distance, there are alternatives to a GPS system. We will consider each in turn.

Pedometer Watches

A popular pedometer watch based on
accelerometer technology is the Tech 4 O

A pedometer is a watch that is capable of sensing your body’s motion and counting your footsteps. Distance can then by calculated based on the number of steps and length of your stride. Pedometers vary in terms of accuracy as there are many varied methods of counting steps including: accelerometers, coiled springs and a hair spring mechanism.

The current generation of pedometers are more accurate than traditional pedometers as most use piezoelectric accelerometer technology to measure steps. These pedometer types can be accurate, provided they are used correctly and while do not offer nearly as many advanced features as a fully fledged GPS watch, they are a cheaper alternative.

A Note About GPS Pedometers

Some people inquire about GPS pedometers, but a GPS pedometer is a slight misnomer. Pedometers are small hand-held or clip-on devices that amongst other things, cound the step you take during the day. Advanced pedometers can then calculate your speed and pace based on your predicted stride length.

But there are currently no GPS pedometers on the market.

A GPS watch like the Garmin Forerunner can calculate speed, pace, distance traveled and approximate calories burned, but does not measure steps.

A pedomter like the Omron HJ-720ITC can accurately measure your steps, approximate calorie consumption, approximate distance travelled, aerobic steps and minutes (when walking faster than 60 steps a minute), but has no GPS.

Both feature sizeable data storage history, come with software that lets you analyze your workout data and feature the ability to transfer data to personal computer. Each has their distinct strenghts and weaknesses, but despite what you may have read, there is no hybrid model yet.

Accelerometer Foot Pods

Most top line sports watches made by leading brands such as Garmin, Polar and Sunnto support both accelerometer foot pod and GPS.

A foot pod threads into your laces and transmits
a wireless signal to the wristwatch.

A foot pod attaches to the top of your running shoe and by measuring your leg turnover and cadence can measure speed and distance about as accurately as GPS. The foot pod uses advanced algorithms to determine foot angles, gait and velocity based on data measured by internal inertial sensors that are sensitive enough to pick up the acceleration of the foot pod more than 1000 times per second. On average, the typical runner gets 97% accuracy from a foot pod sensor “out of the box”. With further calibration an even more accurate measurement can be achieved.

A foot pod device is typically lighter and less bulky than a GPS system as well as less power hungry. Unlike a GPS watch it can be used effectively indoors and around buildings and other large objects, but as it has no concept of position, cannot help you navigate, measure altitude, or record routes in 3D.

We have compiled a list of foot pod watches here. Foot Pod Watches.

Tips For Purchasing A GPS Watch

There are a wide selection of GPS wacthes on the market, but this segment is still a narrow niche. If you are seeking a basic GPS for running, you could consider a cheaper Timex Speed + Distance that only measures distance and speed horizontally. You could also look for a second hand Garmin Forerunner watch. The Forerunner 101, 201 and 301 watches are available cheaply on Amazon. Another way of saving a little money, is to look for used GPS running watches. Often you can find a great running gps watch offer on Ebay or a used watch on Amazon.

But if you’re seeking the best GPS sport watch, then expect to spend a little more money. High end watches like the Suunto X10 can sell for up to $500 US. The Garmin Forerunner 405CX, currently sells for around $349.95, but these watches are coming down in price all the time, so it will pay to shop around a bit when buying the best sport gps watch for your needs.

But, ignoring price every watch offers certain advantages depending on what you are looking for and there are a number of questions you can ask yourself before considering a purchase:

Consider Your Primary Activity

If you are looking for a great piece of equipment to take on your next African expedition, then clearly a gps watch for runners will probably not suit you. Running a marathon? Than a sport watch that calculates distance might be useful. It might be a smart idea to compare oranges to oranges and not to apples if you get my drift?

Many digital GPS sports watches cater to the GPS runner watches market. Others cater more to adventure and navigation and some support both groups of features. The Garmin Forerunner 305 for example has both sport and navigation functionality, although Garmin predominantly make gps watches for running.

Do you need real-time signal reliability?
Some sports GPS watch units can hold a signal better than others. If you are using a GPS more of navigation than for measuring speed and distance this will not be a problem, but if you require real-time signal reception then it’s worth looking for a GPS watch that supports the SirFStar III chipset.

Fashion and Style
Do you wish to wear your GPS watch throughout the day? Or will you only be unleashing it to the world during your track workouts or trail runs? GPS watches that house the GPS chip, tend to be chunky in nature and some are definitely lacking in the fashion department. For more information check out our guide to choosing a GPS sports watch.

Recommended Reading

Ladies GPS Watches
Garmin Forerunner Workout Types
External Vs Internal Mounting Options
How Accurate is a GPS Watch
How Do Garmin Forerunner Watches Differ
How Timex GPS Watches Differ
How to Buy a GPS Watch