Outdoor Watches & Timers

Do you love exploring trails, pounding the urban pavement, cycling to work, or going off the beaten path for some backwoods adventuring? If you answered yes to any of those, then you should consider using a GPS watch.

Modern watches do so much more than just tell time, and today’s GPS watches and timers are some of the most multifunctional devices in the world.

Must-Have Features in GPS Watches and Timers

Because GPS watches feature a fully digital watch face, you can customize the look, your favorite apps, and available information to suit your exercise and travel needs. You can also choose a traditional analog watch display with a chronograph-style face if that’s more your style.

Pinpoint Your Exact Location

GPS watches help you track your location whether you’re in a populated area, in the backwoods, or at sea. Most GPS watches come with preloaded maps, but you can download new regional, marine, or topographic maps as needed for your adventures.

If you’re a runner, cyclist, or hiker, you can track your path and capture all your route statistics with a GPS watch. 

Heart Rate Monitoring

While it’s always a good idea to measure heart health with your resting heart rate, tracking your heart rate during workouts is one of the most important features of a GPS watch or timer. You can also often determine how many calories you’re burning when you exercise, so you can replenish your energy stores as needed.

Heart-rate monitoring with your watch is faster and easier than testing your pulse. As a bonus, you can analyze your stats at your leisure, like when you get home from the gym.

Count Your Steps with Accuracy

Maintaining a daily goal for a certain number of steps is an important health consideration, especially if you sit all day while you’re at work. 

Adventure and sports watches measure step count more accurately and save multiple days of step data so you can work toward long-term goals. Most fitness watches even let you calibrate your height and stride length for the most accurate results.

Integrated Timers

Watches with integrated timers improve your exercise performance by helping you track laps and workout durations as you build stamina and increase speed over time.

Best Brands for GPS Watches and Timers

Garmin and Suunto are the two leading brands for high-performance GPS watches and timers. They create devices outfitted with rugged cases designed to repel water, dirt, and sweat. Plus, they come with impressive battery life to help you keep track of every step, mile, and overall fitness goal.