17 of the best triathlon watches reviewed for 2025

Choosing the right triathlon watch can make a significant difference in your training and race performance. Whether you’re a seasoned Ironman competitor, or a beginner to the sport tackling your first sprint triathlon, having a reliable triathlon watch can really help to streamline your training.

The best triathlon watches offer feedback on workouts, track vital stats, and help you optimise your performance across swimming, cycling, and running. With features like GPS tracking, heart rate monitoring, and transition timing, a good triathlon watch will feedback all the important data to you and more.

In this article, we review the best triathlon watches on the market, comparing their features, durability, and overall value for triathletes of all levels.

From high-end models with cutting-edge metrics to budget-friendly options that still deliver essential functions, we test the best of the bunch in this article.

• The best watches for running in 2025
• Best swimming watches in 2025
• Best cycling watches reviewed

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Best triathlon watches tried and tested in 2025

1. Garmin Fenix 8

Price	$999.99 / £949.99
Weight	2.1oz / 60g (Titanium)
Battery life	Up to 10 days smartwatch with ‘Gesture’ / 28 hours GPS mode
Display	1.7in/43mm, 1.9in/47mm and 2in/51mm options, AMOLED

Like many triathletes, the Fenix range has been my go-to for several years now, thanks to its mix of chunky reliability, long battery life and superb range of widgets and tracking. Until recently, that is, when the launch of the AMOLED screens across other models including the Epix and Forerunner turned my head.

With unbeaten brightness and clarity making reading my watch at a glance so easy, even underwater, I couldn’t go back so the Fenix took a back seat for me – until now.

The launch of the Garmin Fenix 8 is arguably the one we’ve been waiting for, as it brings that AMOLED screen to the range, creating a do-it-all watch with nothing missing (in this tester’s opinion) that not only makes the Epix redundant, but gives triathletes the full package.

These are still chunky watches compared to the Forerunners so pick your size wisely if you have small wrists (or want it to fit under a wetsuit). It’s available in 43mm, 47mm and 51mm and I tried the 43mm Sapphire version which was plenty big enough and has the (admittedly high!) $1,199.99/£949.99 price point here. The cheapest is the 43mm without Sapphire screen (which is scratch-resistant though, so consider carefully) at $999.99/£869.99.

There are also new voice-activated features. A built-in speaker and microphone mean you can make and take phone calls from the watch. HW

Read our full Fenix 8 first impressions here.

2. Garmin Instinct 3

Price	$449.99/£389.99
Weight	1.9oz / 53g (Titanium)
Battery life	Up to 24 days smartwatch mode / 40 hours GPS mode
Display	1.8in/45mm, 2in/50mm options, AMOLED

The third iteration of the Instinct was like welcoming an old – albeit much improved – friend, as I’ve owned the two previous versions.

Four colourways and two sizes (45mm and 50mm) are available but the headline here is the inclusion of that AMOLED screen.

It’s the screen that has always felt a little old-fashioned on this model, so this has bought it right up to date – plus the screen is now one unit, rather than the split version of older ones which really helps clarity.

A built-in flashlight with strobe is handy for outdoorsy folk (or for rooting in your kit bag) with a strobe setting a nice safety feature.

Multisport settings and health tracking includes most a triathlete would want and although the spec isn’t up there with the Fenix with regards mapping, the price reflects that. Chunky, retro and very usable.

3. Garmin Enduro 3

Price	$899.99 / £769.99
Weight	2.2oz / 63g (Titanium)
Battery life	320h (claimed)
Display	1.4in, 280 x 280 pixels

The Garmin Enduro 3 represents an upgrade in performance over the previous model, the Enduro 2, at a lower but still high cost.

Tremendous battery life (Garmin claims a run time of up to 320 hours) stems from newly added solar charging and the watch’s energy-saving screen. This isn’t AMOLED but it’s clear enough to read the abundant data the Enduro 3 records.

Owing to the Enduro 3’s multi-band GPS, navigation is excellent. The Enduro 3 will suggest nearby routes suitable for the time you have available to train, which I found really useful.

The Enduro 3 doesn’t include a diving mode or a microphone for phone calls like the latest Fenix models. But you do get Garmin Pay, music downloads, ClimbPro for pacing climbs, and swimming analysis tools.

Read the full Garmin Enduro 3 review for more. JW

4. Coros Pace Pro

Price	$349 / £349
Weight	1.7oz / 49g
Battery life	20 days smartwatch mode / 31h GPS mode
Display	1.3in, AMOLED

The Coros Pace Pro becomes the brand’s first multisport watch to receive an AMOLED screen, which makes the display significantly brighter and clearer than the Pace 3’s.

Storage also increases but battery life dips slightly to a claimed 31 hours in GPS mode and 20 days of daily use.

A vast range of sports modes caters well for triathletes: along with pool and open-water swimming, cycling and running, there’s a strength training mode.

Because the Coros Pace Pro doesn’t support streaming apps like Spotify, you have to upload MP3 files to listen to music. The strap isn’t the most luxurious, but that’s understandable at this competitive price.

Read my full Coros Pace Pro review for more. JW

5. Polar Vantage M3

Price	$399 / £349
Weight	1.9oz / 53g
Battery life	Up to 7 days smartwatch mode / 30h GPS mode
Display	1.3in, AMOLED

The Polar Vantage M3 incorporates much of the tech of its pricier siblings, the Vantage V3 and Grit X2 Pro, while setting you back a lot less.

You don’t lose out on much besides battery life (30 hours claimed versus 43 hours for the other two) and build quality. The Vantage M3 consists of more plastic but this does make it lighter at 53g.

The 1.28in AMOLED display is marginally smaller while remaining large enough to read data from at a glance. 

Upgrades on the Vantage M2 include this very clear display, dual-band GPS for more accurate navigation and a blood oxygen sensor. This technology is said to measure your adaptation to altitude but don’t expect lab-standard accuracy.

The Vantage M3 offers all the multisport modes you’ll need for triathlon training. There are swimming metrics, HRV measurement and a wrist-based running power recorder. 

A basic and outdated companion app (Polar Flow) is a bit of a let down.

Read our full Polar Vantage M3 review for more. JW

6. Polar Grit X2 Pro

Price	$749.95 / £649
Weight	2.8oz / 79g
Battery life	Up to 10 days smartwatch mode / 43h GPS mode
Display	1.4in/35mm, AMOLED

The Grit X2 Pro is a robust stainless steel watch gear towards multisport training. It has a clear AMOLED display and an accurate GPS with good navigation and mapping.

The Polar Flow app contains 150 sport profiles, and you can choose up to 20 at a time, which is handy for analysing training performance.

For pool swim sessions it recognises swim strokes and calculates metrics, however it isn’t as reliable in open water.

On the bike records VAM, or vertical speed, taking both vertical and horizontal data into account.

It has Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity and a useful FuelWise feature for use on long rides to help optimise your nutrition.

It also provides useful insights such as recovery status, training load status, and sleep status.

The battery life is decent, as you’d expect from a premium watch, with 140hrs in eco GPS and 40hrs in full GPS.

You can read our full review of the Polar Grit X2 here.

7. Garmin Fenix 7 Solar

Price	$699.99 / £689.99
Weight	2.2oz / 63g
Battery life	Up to 18 days smartwatch mode and 22 with solar / 57h GPS mode, 73 with solar
Display	1.7in/42mm, 240×240 pixels, AMOLED

In many ways, the Garmin Fenix 7 Solar is the crème de la crème of multisport watches. Yes, it commands a high price, but it also packages up every feature you could want into a solid and robust package.

Battery life, boosted by the solar technology used here, is an impressive 22 days with sun and 18 without when in smartwatch mode, or hefty 57 hours in GPS mode (73 hours with sun).

The standout addition over past iterations is the Real-Time Stamina feature, which aims to tell you how much energy you have left at your disposal. It’s designed to help you pace better and I found it pretty accurate in testing.

You’ll also find a touchscreen that offers a responsive user-friendly experience, though you can turn it off and stick to buttons if you’d prefer.

Additional features include all the activity tracking and metrics you’d ever need, plus accurate GPS and heart rate tracking.

You can read our full review of the Fenix 7 Solar here

8. Garmin Forerunner 965

Price	$599.99 / £599.99
Weight	1.9oz / 53g
Battery life	Up to 20 days smartwatch mode / 28h GPS mode
Display	1.4in/35mm, 454 x 454 pixels, AMOLED

The Forerunner 965 builds on the already proven winning formula of the Forerunner 955, but brings several exciting updates.

Most notable is a new AMOLED screen, which is vibrant and easily readable, though it does have a knock-on effect on battery life.

To keep that impressive display always-on, you’re looking at up to a week of battery life (with around 6-7hours of GPS use). If you use it in the alternative mode, where it wakes up when it senses by movement, you’re looking at around 23 days of life in smartwatch mode.

Other updates include the Training Status feature being improved, plus additional running metrics.

Admittedly, the stupendously good screen would be the main reason you’d upgrade, but if your triathlon watch is a few years out of date, this would be a fantastic replacement.

See our full Garmin Forerunner 965 review for more.

9. Suunto Race

Price	$449 / £389 (stainless steel); $549 / £479 (titanium)
Weight	2.9oz / 83g
Battery life	Up to 16 days smartwatch mode / 40h GPS mode
Display	1.8in/45mm or 1.9in/49mm, 466 x 466 pixels, AMOLED

The Suunto Race has a lot going for it and is the brand’s best watch to date for athletes. It’s usable, thanks to the combination of a touchscreen and three buttons, and has an impressive feature list.

Among them you’ll find heart rate variability, a useful metric that also steers many other training features on triathlon watches such as sleep quality, training stress score and training load.

There’s also mapping, which is complemented by 16GB storage on the steel version or 32GB on the titanium version, and these are downloaded via the intuitive Suunto app.

As you’d expect, you get a whole host of sport profiles to track, plus support for power meters.

Battery life is impressive, too, at 40 hours in GPS mode, which kept me going through multiple lengthy sessions and would easily deal with a full Ironman.

Read our full Suunto Race review for more.

10. Coros Vertix 2

Price	$699 / £599.99
Weight	2.9oz / 83g
Battery life	Up to 39 days smartwatch mode / 140h GPS mode
Display	1.4in/35.5mm, 280 x 280 pixels

The Vertix 2 is essentially Coros’ rival to Garmin’s Fenix range. As such, it packs some impressive performance.

Chief among them is battery life, which reaches up to 140hrs in standard GPS mode or 50hrs in dual-frequency mode. That’s pretty damn impressive, and plenty of juice for even the slowest of long-distance athletes.

GPS pickup and accuracy proved impressive throughout testing, and there are literally dozens of activity profiles to choose from, including triathlon.

The rugged case looks primed to stand the test of time, but the display doesn’t quite reach the heights I’d have hoped, lacking the crispness of some similarly-priced competitors.

Meanwhile, the touchscreen and dial proved easy to operate, and the accompanying app is both clean and useable.

See our full Coros Vertix 2 review for more.

11. Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar

Price	$599.99 / £519.99
Weight	1.9oz / 53g
Battery life	Up to 20 days smartwatch mode / 42h GPS mode
Display	1.3in/33mm, 260 x 260 pixels, MIP

The Forerunner 955 Solar is a case of evolution, rather than revolution, but it’s an impressive multisport watch all the same.

It’s considerably cheaper than the Fenix 7 Solar and carries all of the features a triathlete would need, including activity tracking across the disciplines.

There’s also a heart rate variability feature, plus reliable GPS, full-colour mapping, a Training Readiness feature (which uses a score out of 100 to tell you how ready for exercise you are), a responsive touchscreen and the ClimbPro functionality seen on other Garmin watches. The latter allows you to see real-time information of your ascent.

Meanwhile, there’s space for up to 2,000 songs. Battery life is 20 days in smartwatch mode and up to 42 hours in full GPS mode.

It’s lighter than the Fenix 7 Solar, too, though is perhaps not quite as premium or robust as its more expensive cousin.

Read our full Forerunner 955 Solar review here.

12. Polar Grit X Pro

Price	$499 / £439
Weight	2.8oz / 79g
Battery life	Up to 7 days smartwatch mode / 40h GPS mode
Display	1.2in/30.5mm, 240 x 240 pixels, MIP

This sleek-looking watch is a fine offering from Polar. It comes with the usual gamut of features you’d expect from a triathlon watch, including multiple sport profiles (including multisport, open-water swimming, indoor training etc), plus reliable GPS.

Heart rate accuracy is decent too, though like many wrist-based monitors, can suffer somewhat when you crank up the speed on your runs.

Battery life offers plenty of juice for long-distance athletes, with 40hrs of life when used in GPS mode.

The screen isn’t quite as pin-sharp as some other market leading devices, but there is a wealth of great performance features, such as VO2 max tests, FTP tests, heart rate variability etc.

There’s also turn-by-turn navigation, though you only get a breadcrumb trail. Usability is good, too, thanks to the combination of a touchscreen and buttons.

See our full Polar Grit X Pro review for more.

13. Suunto 9 Peak Pro

Price	$549 / £315
Weight	2.3oz / 64g
Battery life	Up to 7 days smartwatch mode / 40h GPS mode
Display	1.7in/43mm, 240 x 240 pixels, monochrome

One of Suunto’s biggest launches in 2023, the 9 Peak Pro promises the brand’s ‘best-performing GPS yet’.

It certainly proved accurate in testing, even in built-up areas where multisport watches have struggled in the past.

This performance doesn’t drain battery life too much, either. You get up to 40hrs in GPS mode and up to 21 days with standard use.

Naturally, the watch comes with the normal gamut of sport profiles, with metrics including cycle and run power (if paired with a power meter).

Heart rate accuracy is decent, but like many it struggles in water. I was also left slightly disappointed by the basic turn-by-turn navigation and the screen, which felt too compact.

See our full Suunto 9 Peak Pro review for more.

14. Garmin Epix Gen 2

Price	$799.99 / £899.99
Weight	2.5oz / 70g
Battery life	Up to 16 days smartwatch mode / 42h GPS mode
Display	1.3in/33mm, 416 x 416 pixels, AMOLED

A beastly watch with a beastly price. The Epix Gen 2 offers top-of-the-range performance with all of Garmin’s performance features.

That includes multiple sport profiles (including tri), plus features such as Training Status, Training Load and Real-Time Stamina.

All of this comes in a rugged, large package, but there’s beauty with the brawn too. This largely comes in the form of the stunning AMOLED screen, which delivers incredible clarity, colour and brightness as well as a generous screen size.

Given that addition, battery life isn’t quite as substantial as some other range-topping offerings, numbering 42hrs in GPS mode and up to 16 days out of it.

See our full Garmin Epix Gen 2 review for more.

15. Coros Apex Pro 2

Price	$499 / £449.99
Weight	2.3oz / 66g
Battery life	Up to 75h GPS mode
Display	1.3in/33mm, 260 x 260 pixels, LCD

With a price tag of $499/£449.99, the Coros Apex Pro 2 is facing off with Garmin’s Forerunner 955 and Polar’s Vantage V2.

The device’s multi-band results in very good satellite pick-up and retention, though it wasn’t entirely infallible on my test runs in the dense city streets of Bristol.

Heart rate accuracy is generally very good and you also get heart rate variability data, though you need to take this manually in the morning.

You can upload 30 different courses to the accompanying app, which can then be loaded onto the watch, while the map can be navigated by touch screen.

When not using the map, you’re limited to using the watch’s digital crown, which proved rather straightforward.

You also get a lot of training and performance related features, such as Training Status and Training Load, with a fantastic amount of data and insight available on the app.

Of course, there are dozens of activity profiles, including triathlon and open-water swimming, while battery life is up to a decent 75hrs in standard GPS mode or 26hrs when used with multi-band GPS.

Read our full Coros Apex Pro 2 review for more.

Best triathlon watches for those on a budget

16. Coros Pace 3

Price	$229 / £219
Weight	1oz / 30g
Battery life	Up to 30 days smartwatch mode / 38h GPS mode
Display	1.2in/30.5mm, 240 x 240 pixels, LCD

The third iteration of the Coros Pace range is another impressive launch and good news for athletes that don’t want to spend hundreds on their kit.

Version three retains the same single button and dial, but also adds a touchscreen, which is a nice touch.

The 30g weight and small form factor (1.2” display) ensures it’s hardly noticeable on the wrist, too.

The LCD screen is decent enough, while a battery life of 38 hours in GPS mode or 30 days in standard mode is pretty damn impressive.

There’s no maps, but you do get turn-by-turn instructions and a breadcrumb trail when navigating. I did find it a bit of a struggle to create routes in the Coros app, though.

There are 20 activity profiles to choose from, including triathlon and a mix of swim, bike and run options, and you even get 4GB of onboard storage for music.

Read our full Coros Pace 3 review for more.

17. Garmin Forerunner 255S

Price	$349.99 / £299
Weight	1.4oz / 39g
Battery life	Up to 12 days smartwatch mode / 26h GPS mode
Display	1.2in/30.5mm, 218 x 218 pixels

Admittedly, it feels odd to be including a watch that costs $349.99/£299.99 in a ‘budget’ section of this roundup, but among its loftier-priced siblings, the Forerunner 255S is one of the cheapest true multisport watches you can buy from Garmin (along with the Instinct 2, which can be had for the same price in its non-solar guise).

My test model came in the smaller 40mm size and sports a battery life of 12 days in smartwatch mode and 26 hours in GPS mode – plenty for a full distance triathlon.

The small size feels light, nimble and unobtrusive on the wrist, yet still clearly displays information thanks to the bright colour screen (there’s no touchscreen option here).

Feature-wise, there’s activity tracking across the disciplines, including a multisport setting, plus a race predictor for running times, suggested workouts and heart rate variability, which gives you an indication of how ready you are to train and race. The latter was a useful addition, though it didn’t match how I felt 100% of the time.

You also get regular Garmin features such as Training Status, Training Effect, Performance Condition and Recovery Time. Meanwhile, GPS and heart rate proved as reliable as I’ve come to expect from Garmin.

Read our full review of the Forerunner 255S here.

How we tested

The watches featured here have been tested by 220 Triathlon‘s expert gear testers. Between them, they have a combined 50 years of experience testing triathlon, sport and outdoor kit.

Each watch has been tested over a period of at least a month, with many being worn and used for much longer than that.

During the test period, we’ve taken the watches for multiple swims (in the pool and open water), bike rides and runs, varying intensity across sessions to judge how the products coped with changes in heart rate.

Tests have taken place in built-up urban areas, open countryside and on forest trails to thoroughly test GPS pickup and accuracy, with tracks compared to other watches and scrutinised afterwards on a map.

Meanwhile, heart rate accuracy has been tested against a baseline provided by our regular chest-based heart rate monitor.

Throughout the test period, we’ve also analysed battery life, usability, how good the accompanying app is, additional fitness features and how well the watch fits into everyday life.

Find out more about what we look for when testing triathlon watches in the sections below.

What to look for in a triathlon watch

Activity tracking

Ultimately, this is the most important aspect of any multisport watch because, well, it’s what makes your watch a multisport watch and not a fitness band.

Metrics for swim, bike and run are, of course, essential. When it comes to the swim, the ideal is a watch that both measures pace, type of stroke, stroke rate, speed and distance covered indoors and outdoors.

The bike should include the basics of speed and distance plus, ideally, offer cadence and power-meter connectivity.

As for the run, pace per kilometre or mile’s a useful one. There are also many advanced run metrics that are becoming commonplace like stride rate, ground contact time and even how much your body moves (oscillation). How important this next-level analysis is to you depends on your goals and lifestyle.

Outdoor activity features like altitude and mapping will also appeal to many.

Performance features

Depending on the manufacturer, some watches also come with performance features that are designed to help you reach your goals while avoiding overtraining.

This can include things such as your training status, your training load, readiness to train, remaining stamina and recovery time. Many watches now also come with suggested workouts.

Health-related features

Sleep is arguably the go-to health-tracking feature of a multisport watch but be aware that their accuracy is not scientifically proven. For many, sleeping with a wrist strap on isn’t the most sleep-inducing experience, either.

An increasing number of watches, like the Apple Watch Ultra, help you to track your menstrual cycle, while many monitor stress. Both are useful in planning your sessions but, like many health-tracking features, how scientifically proven the results are remains to be seen.

GPS

A built-in GPS (Global Positioning System), instead of an accelerometer that measures movement, will give more accurate real-time tracking information, with many GPS units informing you of the direction and distance back to your starting position.

Not all watches come with the same level of GPS accuracy, though. Watches that come with GPS + GLONASS or GPS + GALILEO modes will burn through battery life quicker than standard GPS, but they’ll also provide access to more satellites, meaning greater accuracy and quicker pickup.

Heart rate monitor

A heart rate monitor will allow you to establish your own training zones to perform at your own best pace. A chest strap is more accurate than the wrist-based optical heart rate (OHR), but many athletes prefer the comfort and simplicity of OHR.

Connectivity and syncing

We can’t think of a quality multisport watch on the market that doesn’t offer the option to sync to its own app; in fact, most advise you to download the app on watch set-up as it’s easier to set the time, customise the watch face and much more.

Every app will be a place to analyse your sessions and track progress, with usability and level of detail varying across the board.

Many also offer the ability to import workouts to popular third-party apps like Strava and TrainingPeaks.

Syncing tends to be via Bluetooth, though some offer ANT+.

Usability

Multisport watches offer button and/or touch screen usability to scroll through the watch’s main features.

Check that the touchscreen doesn’t have a history of losing contact when scrolled with sweaty fingers or in the rain, that it can be switched off if you want to stick to buttons and that data is displayed as clearly as possible.

Larger watch faces and bright AMOLED screens can help boost visibility, but also push up the price and bulkiness of the watch.

Battery life

Most models require USB charging via a charger bespoke to that manufacturer, usually clipping onto the side or back of the unit.

Battery life while tracking an activity can range from 5hrs to 20+ depending on how many features (i.e. GPS) you’re using. If you’re only racing over shorter distances, you may not need a chunky watch that offers the best-in-class battery life.

Triathlon watch vs running watch: what’s the difference?

A triathlon watch and a running watch may seem similar, but they serve different purposes. A running watch is designed primarily for tracking pace, distance, and heart rate during runs, often with features like GPS and interval training modes. They will also provide a ramnge of metrics, depending on how high-end your choice of watch is, which can help inform your training.

In contrast, a triathlon watch is built for multisport athletes, the best triathlon watches offer seamless transition tracking between swimming, cycling, and running.

A triathlon watch typically has waterproofing for open-water swims, cycling power meter compatibility (sometimes), and a dedicated triathlon mode to record all three disciplines in a single activity. If you’re solely a runner, a running watch may be sufficient, but triathletes will definitely benefit from a specialised multisport watch and all the additional functionality they provide.

How do I choose the right triathlon watch for me?

Be honest with what you want out of a watch. Just distance, pace, heart rate and time? Go budget or mid-level. Advanced training information? Go mid-level or advanced.

Just remember that a long feature list inevitably results in a higher price. Don’t be blinded by a setlist that, deep down, you won’t use.

Which triathlon watch is best for Ironman?

Battery life when you’re using many draining modes, including GPS and heart rate, is vital and must cover at least up to the 17hr Ironman cut-off.

The higher the battery life when using GPS, the better. A watch that connects to a power meter’s a fine idea, too.

Good options includes Garmin’s Fenix and Enduro ranges, the Forerunner 955 or 965, Suunto’s 9 Peak Pro, Polar’s Grit X Pro or Coros’ Pace to and Apex Pro 2.

Are wrist-based heart rate readings reliable?

Before answering that, it’s relevant to understand how they work. Wrist-worn heart rate monitors shine a green pulsing light into your blood vessels. The LED light penetrates your skin and reflects off your blood.

The degree to which your blood absorbs or reflects light varies according to whether your heart is contracting (beating) or relaxing in between beats.

When your heart contracts, it pumps blood to every part of your body, including your wrist. The greater bloodflow in your wrist causes more light to be absorbed, rather than reflected, from the LED light.

Studies have shown that while these are fairly accurate at steady speeds, as workout intensity increases they can begin to suffer. This is simply due to the movement of the device against the skin.

Moisture doesn’t help, either, which is why they’re not great in water. But they do have their place and, as technology improves, so hopefully will the accuracy of those readings in these data-detrimental situations.

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