running wristwatch
Lifestyle

Running wristwatch – how to choose the one for you

Corona or not Corona – if you are addicted to sports you will probably go for a run at 11 PM or 4 AM and all this so that you do not have to shake hands with anyone – or God forbid give someone a high five …

Running alone, as is well known, means running without a coach or without a running partner, but that does not mean that you should not study your running and / or draw conclusions from its metrics. One of the most common methods to do this is to purchase a running watch, with online stores offering a wide range of watches – from traditional watches to the smartwatch operated by a personal assistant.

Before you buy one or another watch online, you should know a thing or two about the differences between the watches, whether it means in terms of usability or whether it is in terms of price.

Let’s start by noting that the running watch market is divided (largely) into two main groups: the old and well-known professional running watches and the smartwatches of the smartphone companies.

The purpose of this article will be to give you the various parameters that you need to check before choosing your next running watch so that the brand you choose will be the most appropriate. If you have decided on a particular watch whose various parameters are right for you, we recommend watching online (mostly YouTube) professional videos reviewing it, so you can get the full picture (this is the place to note that this article is not a comparative article, but one that should be emphasized On all the metrics you need to check).

Just before the professional section

Just like in choosing running shoes, not only the professional elements are crucial but also the design elements, image and fashion. This means that the perception of the character of the runner in his own eyes will often influence his choice.

How is this reflected in practice? There are quite a few runners whose part of their self-perception as professionals will be expressed in avoiding the smart watches the holes for smartphones and these will stick forever to watches such as the Garmin. Of course he did not say in a sweeping phenomenon, since quite a few runners have already examined in depth the smartwatches of the new generation and found that they are no less good than those of the old generation.

At the same time, we would recommend choosing a watch that is the best for you and not exactly one related to fashion or image (unless it’s performance that does not matter to you at all …).

Comfort and visibility

It is enough to examine three well-known brands such as Apple, Samsung and Shiomi to understand the wide range that exists in the market. The Apple Smart Series 5 watch, for example, comes in a rectangular and elegant design and weighs about 40 grams on average (depending on the design) and is further proof of the company’s touch when it comes to impressive “serving” (we all remember how the world reacted to the iPhone 13 years ago Presented his abilities).

Samsung’s smartwatch, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Its design is round and it is reminiscent of the classic male luxury watches. This is also reflected in its weight, which is over 60 grams, since a luxurious design has its consequences.

And what about Shiomi? There we see a variety of designs (both square and round) with a watch weight of just over 30 grams. Here the weight is expressed a bit at the expense of the design, since it is the elegance of Apple and not the prestige of Samsung (this is of course only an opinion, you have to judge for yourself).

If we stay for a moment in the comparison between Apple and Samsung, we can also see a noticeable difference in terms of the positions of the buttons and dials on the two watches. While in Apple there is a small dial on the sides of the device, in Samsung you will find a dial around the round display on the front with power buttons and back on the sides. It is difficult to say whether this is a difference which will decide here or here between the clocks, but there is a meaning in the visibility without a doubt.

It is also important to know, as mentioned earlier, that there are different levels of finish that also affect the comfort since each material has its own flexibility (such as silicone strips) and the look it transmits (such as an aluminum finish).

We will note at this point that there are of course quite a few other companies and models on the market, and that the matter of comfort and visibility is subjective to the user and the observer.

Although we gave these companies as an example because they are really the biggest on the market, but you will find lots of other amazing companies that produce wonderful watches for running in particular and sports in general.

Usefulness

As the article noted at the outset, runners are divided into those who will remain loyal forever to the older running watches from those who switched to smartwatches. The first group will enjoy on the one hand the benefits of a familiar interface, running clock and simplicity. On the other hand, this group will not be able to participate in all the features to connect in interfacing with the smartphone or using external applications (although there is tremendous progress in this regard such as adding songs, answering WhatsApp, etc. – in short, not what it used to be).

You need to decide whether you prefer a simple watch that gives you the answer when it comes to your running or you want a more complex wristwatch that will also meet additional needs.

We’ll move on to training

In order not to go over all the brands in the market, we give you a number of parameters that you need to examine when it comes to the actual use of the watch. First there is the matter of the display – you must make sure that the watch knows how to display simply the data that is important to you, such as: time, pace, distance, your heart rate, etc. (you can also check how much data it is able to display at the same time).

In addition, you must check whether the watch allows you to document all the information in a built-in app or in an external app. Not that this will have a special effect on your data, but there will be those who will prefer ONE STOP SHOP for various reasons.

If you are training more advanced, you should check that the watch knows how to provide more advanced options such as division into laps, analysis of pace and position changes, or any other measure that does not serve the average runner. In addition, not all watches have built-in training programs (without external apps) so you should check this out if this is important to you.

When it comes to measurement accuracy, you should not feel a real difference between brands, but it seems that there will always be a tendency to claim that old watches do the job better. As for the difference between the smartwatch brands themselves, it is doubtful that you will see a real difference especially if you are not engaged in a complex sport of transition between different industries.

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