Sports and Fitness Watches

If your partner is serious about fitness and sports training then these watches make perfect gifts. There are now many watches on the market with various different functions available for different activities. Some watches are highly robust, some waterproof, others have built in GPS systems, calorie counters, heart rate monitor, pedometers, compass, plus of course the simple but often essential stop watch and timer. An athletics coach is practically naked without a good stop watch close at hand.

Here is our top 10 watches for the fitness enthusiast and outdoor adventurer.

Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist-Worn GPS Personal Training Device with Heart Rate Monitor

Garmin Forerunner 305

The Forerunner 305 from Garmin is one of the best all round fitness and outdoor watches. It has a GPS with good quality screen to allow walkers, runners, cyclists and climbers to always know where they are. The GPS data can also be used to calculate average speed and total distance traveled.

There is a built in route planner that allows you to set way points to ensure that you keep on track.

It is waterproof so can be used in any weather. There are various customizable features.

Order from Amazon.com: Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
Order from Amazon.co.uk: Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist-Worn GPS Personal Training Device with Heart Rate Monitor

Timex Ironman T5F001 Unisex 100-Lap Target Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Timex Ironman T5F001

The Timex Ironman is an excellent all round performer. It is stylish enough to please the more casual fitness enthusiast while also technical enough to provide the tools required by more serious athletes.

It is a unisex model which includes a heart rate monitor with chest strap plus a full range of sport timing features.

You can set your desired heart rate zone and the watch will monitor and alert you when you drift from the zone. There are also interval timers that are essential for interval training, which has been proved to be the best way to burn fat.

Other features include:

100-hour chronograph with lap and split, either in large digits
100-lap memory with average heart rate per laps
100-hour, 3-mode countdown timer
5 alarms with daily/weekday/weekend options
2-year battery life

The Timex Ironman is water resistant to 50 meters (165 feet) so is suitable for swimming but not for diving. All Timex heart rate monitor sensors have batteries that can be replaced by consumers without requiring them to be returned to the manufacturer.

Order from Amazon.com: Timex Ironman T5F001 Unisex 100-Lap Target Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Watch
Order from Amazon.co.uk: Timex Ironman T5F001 Triathlon Target Zone Heart Rate Monitor

Suunto T1 Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Sand)

Suunto T1 Heart Rate Monitor

Suunto have a great reputation for building watches with precision technology and contemporary style in mind. This watch is ideal for walkers, gym workouts, running and cycling.

The watch allows you to set your training zone to maximize your workout. This is an advanced sports watch and also a stylish timepiece. The Suunto T1 provide data on heart rate, calories burned, and zone training information and displays your current heart rate, average heart rate, and maximum heart rate.

It comes with a heart rate transmitter belt and is also water resistant to 30 meters (100 feet).

Order from Amazon.com: Suunto T1 Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Sand)
Sorry, not available in the UK.

Casio Unisex Phys Pedometer and Calorie Counter watch

Casio Unisex Phys

This is another solid contender for fitness enthusiasts and people looking to lose weight. Casio have built the Phys with the purpose of helping people to get fit. It includes a pedometer so that you can ensure that you reach your daily target of 10,000 steps.

It also has a calorie counter so that you can ensure that you do not over eat. If you are on a calorie restricted diet then this watch will tell you how many calories you have burnt so that you can determine what size your portions should be.

You can also program this watch to your exact specifications so that it can generate an energy consumption graph. Alongside these specialist features this watch has a stopwatch and a countdown timer. It can also record lap and split times.