WHY? Lightweight, Advanced Run/Bike/Swim Performance Monitoring & Activity Tracking, Premium GPS & Navigation, Great Battery Life
The Best Triathlon Watch | Compare Garmin vs Polar vs COROS
Best GPS Battery Life in a Tri Watch
WHY? 40 Hours of GPS Battery Life in Training Mode, Improved GPS Accuracy, Premium Heart Rate Sensor, Smart Training Features
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Most Durable Triathlon Watch
WHY? Stainless Steel Bezel, Tested to Military Standards for Thermal, Shock, & Water Resistance, Multi-GNSS, & Much More!
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We compare the best triathlon watches from Garmin, Polar, & COROS
The best triathlon watch depends on a number of multisport features and personal preferences. Weight & size, multisport performance monitoring, battery life, heart rate senors, GPS tracking, navigation tools, durability, and device connectivity are the criteria hotspots when researching triathlete-savvy GPS watches.
For this article, we've curated a list of the top 8 triathlon-worthy watches from our collection that fit the bill. At PlayBetter.com, we only offer high-quality brands—Garmin, Polar, and COROS—trusted by pro athletes around the world. We're confident you'll find the training partner that was created for your wrist and your athletic attitude.
Our 8 Top Triathlon Watch Picks
Table of Contents
Garmin Forerunner 945 GPS Triathlon Watch
Garmin Forerunner 745 GPS Marathon & Triathlon Watch
Garmin Enduro Endurance GPS Watch
Garmin fēnix 6S Pro Outdoor GPS Watch
Polar Vantage V2 GPS Multisport Watch for Triathletes
Polar Vantage M2 Multsport GPS Watch
Polar Grit X Triathlon GPS Watch
COROS APEX Pro Premium GPS Watch for Triathletes
The Garmin Forerunner 945 Triathlon Watch
- Weight: 50 grams
- Size: 47 x 47 x 13.7 mm
- Display size: 1.2″ (30.4 mm)
- Lens: Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX
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Battery life:
- Smartwatch mode: Up to 2 weeks:
- GPS mode: Up to 36 hours
- GPS with music: Up to 10 hours
- GPS Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
- Connectivity: Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi®
- Water rating: 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)
You need functionality, precision, and options when chasing down your insane goals, and the Garmin Forerunner 945 has all this and more to help you analyze and optimize your performance.
It's loaded with the best tracking and navigation tools, including Multi-GNSS offering GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS, for more advanced tracking in challenging enviroments—perfect for long runners and riders. You'll also get ABC sensors—an altimeter for elevation data, a barometer to monitor weather, and a 3-axis electronic compass. Plus cornucopia of preloaded maps and must-have there-and-back features.
Store up to 200 hours of activity data, allowing you to go back and analyze your past several workouts without needing an app. The Forerunner 945 offers wrist-based heart rate and 18 Firstbeat metrics, which are advanced performance analytics for stress, recovery, and exercise. Garmin Coach and built-in sports apps, running dynamics on your cadence, stride, contact time, balance, and more offer insight on your form so you can adjust and improve.
Stay safe and connected with Assistance and Incident Detection features. Not only does it provide sport modes and training for running, biking, and swimming, but you can practice competing with Garmin and Strava Live segments.
Bonus: with this smart triathlon watch, you can stream your music and podcast to your bluetooth headphones and store up to 1,000 songs on watch for phone-free listening.
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The Garmin 745 GPS Triathlon Watch
- Weight: 47 grams
- Size: 43.8 x 43.8 x 13.3 mm
- Display size: 1.2″ (30.4 mm)
- Lens: Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX
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Battery life:
- Smartwatch mode: Up to 7 days:
- GPS mode: Up to 16 hours
- GPS with music: Up to 6 hours
- UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 21 hours
- GPS Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
- Connectivity: Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi®
- Water rating: 5 ATM (up to 50 meters)
As you can see, this running and triathlon watch is pretty much the 945—but with just a few less perks. You'll have to decide if the trimmed features are worth the $100-difference.
One thing the Garmin Forerunner 745 does have in its favor is that it is lighter and smaller, even though it has the same size display. But with that sleekness, you lose a bit of battery life and storage space.
The 745 tops out at 21 hours of GPS battery life in UltraTrac mode, while the 945 gets 36 hours in GPS. It's also missing the preloaded maps, including cycle maps. Though it does have the same navigation tools as Garmin's 945, including point-to-point, real-time breadcrumb trail, and TracBack®.
You won't get all Garmin's golfing features that you get with the Forerunner 945, but the 745 does add a virtual running profile to the mix. Still, you get VO2 Max for running, the same rich performance monitoring features like Training Status, Load, and Effect, HR Zones, Virtual Partner, heat and altitude acclimation, and more, along with customizable pages and activity profiles.
The Forerunner 745 stores 500 songs on watch, but if you can live with that and the other minor cutbacks, this watch might be worth the $100-savings.
The Garmin Enduro Ultimate Endurance Watch
- Weight: Steel: 71 grams, Titanium: 61 grams
- Size: 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm
- Display size: 1.4″ (35.56 mm)
- Lens: Power Glass™
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Battery life:
- Smartwatch: Up to 50 days/65 days with solar
- Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 130 days/1 year with solar
- GPS: Up to 70 hours/80 hours with solar
- Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 200 hours/300 hours with solar
- Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 65 days/95 days with solar
- GPS Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
- Connectivity: Bluetooth®, ANT+®
- Water rating: 10 ATM (up to 100 meters)
The Garmin Enduro has an always-on 1.4” sunlight-optimized display for easy viewing, even on the move. The lens is made from super durable Power Glass for solar-charging. The rugged, weather-resistant design is tuned for punishing race conditions, with a stainless steel or lightweight, scratch-resistant DLC-coated titanium bezel. Plus, it features a super-light sport loop band that’s elastic, adjustable, and durable.
Get advanced tracking for challenging environments with Multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo). Plus it has many of the same navigations tools as the Forerunner 945 and fēnix 6S Pro, with the exception of preloaded maps.
As far as health-monitoring and performance and activity tracking, you get all of Garmin's best. Count on wrist-based heart rate, Pulse Ox, VO2 for running, Training Status, Load, and Effect, HR Zones, Virtual Partner, heat and altitude acclimation, PacePro, and more. Plus, the Endure has a preloaded Ultra Running profile and a rest timer.
If you want music, however, this solar-charging powerhouse does not offer it on watch or with your phone.
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The Garmin fēnix 6S Pro Outdoor GPS Watch
- Weight: 61 grams
- Size: 42 x 42 x 13.8 mm
- Display size: 1.2″ (30.4 mm)
- Lens: Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX
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Battery life:
- Smartwatch: Up to 9 days
- Battery Saver Watch Mode: 34 days
- GPS: Up to 25 hours
- GPS + Music: Up to 6 hours
- Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 50 hours
- Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 20 days
- GPS Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
- Connectivity: Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi®
- Water rating: 10 ATM (up to 100 meters)
The Garmin fēnix 6S Pro has a rugged yet sophisticated design for the triathlete who is always on the go, trains in all elements, and needs a watch that can keep up with them. The "S" is for the smaller 1.2" display size for athletes with smaller wrist or who simply prefer a less bulky size.
Get on-watch, activity-specific profiles for the gym, running, cycling, swimming, golf, and outdoor recreation. Level-up with training features, such as interval training, advanced workouts and downloadable training plans, heat and altitude acclimation, VO2 Max (run), Training Status, Load, and Effect, finish time, a virtual partner, course guidance, Garmin and Strava live segments, and activity history on watch.
Get gobs of health monitoring, including wrist-based heart rate, Pulse Ox, Body Battery™ energy monitor, and sleep score and insights.
Track in the most challenging environments with access to more than one satellite imagery system (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo). Plus, navigate smarter with ABC sensors: altimeter for elevation data, barometer to monitor weather, and three-axis electronic compass.
Finally, for those who need all their most motivating training tunes, the fēnix 6S Pro stores up to 2,000 songs on watch for a playlist we dare you to run through!
The Polar Vantage V2 GPS Watch for Triathletes
- Weight: 52 grams
- Size: 47 x 47 x 13 mm
- Display size: 1.2″ (30.4 mm)
- Lens: Laminated Gorilla glass with anti-fingerprint coating
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Battery life:
- Training mode: up to 40h (with full GPS and wrist-based HR tracking)
- Watch mode: up to 7 days (with continuous activity and wrist-based HR tracking)
- Power-save modes in training: up to 100h
- GPS Sensors: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
- Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy
- Water rating: Waterproof (WR100)
Train like a pro, recover like a pro. The Polar Vantage V2 Premium triathlon watch helps you track how hard you've pushed, how your body adapts, and how well you recover.
The Running Performance Test lets you track your progress and personalize your heart rate, speed, and power zones. See how your training sessions strain the different parts of your body with Training Load Pro™. It also shows you how much you’ve been training, so you can determine if you’re on the right track. Personalize your power zones and understand your personal functional threshold power (compatible power meter required) with the Cycling Performance Test. Get support for over 130 different sports through the Polar Flow app.
Find out if your body is ready for triathlon training with recovery feedback right on your watch from Recovery Pro™(Polar heart rate sensor required). The Leg Recovery Test tells you whether your legs are ready for high intensity training in just a couple of minutes without any special equipment—just your watch! Find out how well you recover from the demands of your day during the night with Nightly Recharge™ recovery measurement.Plan your route on Komoot and let the turn-by-turn guidance do the navigating for you.
With a lightweight, slim design, comfortable silicone band, and color touchscreen—the Vantage V2 looks and feels great on your wrist. Get weather, control music from your wrists, and smart notifications right on your watch face.
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The Polar Vantage M2 GPS Triathlon Watch
- Weight: 45.5 grams
- Size: 46 x 46 x 12.5 mm
- Display size: 1.2″ (30.4 mm)
- Lens: Hard-coated PMMA laminated
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Battery life:
- Training mode: up to 40h (with full GPS and wrist-based HR tracking)
- Watch mode: up to 7 days (with continuous activity and wrist-based HR tracking)
- GPS Sensors: GPS & GLONASS
- Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy
- Water rating: Water-Resistant (WR30)
Train smarter, not harder, with the Polar Vantage M2. With this GPS running watch as your triathlon training partner, you can track your performance in real time and get valuable sleep and recovery stats.
Polar Vantage M2 uses the Polar Precision Prime™ sensor fusion technology to track heart rate from the wrist. This innovation combines optical heart rate measurement with other sensor technologies in order to rule out involuntary movement that might disturb the heart rate signal and produce unreliable readings.
As far as running features go, this mid-range priced watch offers some high-end features like Polar Running Program, Training Load Pro, and Nightly Recharge. The Vantage M2 supports over 130 different sports throught the Polar Flow app, including cycling. Additionally, during swimming it detects your heart rate, swimming style, distance, pace, strokes, and rest times. Distance and strokes get tracked also in open water swimming.
Get smart notifications, and access to the Polar Flow app where you can keep a running diary, analyze your stats, and visualize your next plan of attack!
The Polar Grit X GPS Triathlon Watch
- Weight: 64 grams
- Size: 47 x 47 x 13 mm
- Display size: 1.2″ (30.4 mm)
- Lens: Laminated Gorilla glass with anti-fingerprint coating
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Battery life:
- Training mode: up to 40h (with full GPS and wrist-based HR tracking)
- Watch mode: up to 7 days (with continuous activity and wrist-based HR tracking)
- Multiple power save options available
- GPS Sensors: Integrated GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS. Assisted GPS for fast fix times.
- Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy
- Water rating: Waterproof (WR100)
Do you have trail-running type grit? Meet your match with the Polar Grit X outdoor watch for extreme go-getters. This rugged yet lightweight GPS smartwatch has all the features with none of the fat on it! Although it has military-grade durability, smart training features, and a super long-lasting battery—it won't bulk up your run, your ride, or your swim!
Training Load Pro shows how your training sessions strain the different parts of your body and how much you’ve been training, so you can make sure you’re on the right track. Hill Splitter™ gives you detailed uphill and downhill stats to know how you performed on the ascent and descent sections of your route. Running Power gives you more comprehensive insight into the intensity of your running sessions. Running Index shows an estimate of your running VO2 Max and how your running performance is developing. Nightly Recharge tells you how well your body was able to recover from the strain caused by training and other demands of your day.
Plan your route on Komoot and let the turn-by-turn guidance on your watch keep you on the right track. Comes with access to Polar Flow, an uber-comprehensive training platform that offers extensive training planning and analysis tools, an automatic training diary, progress reports, and support for sports, including cycling.
Make your runs and rides more exciting with Strava Live Segments. Get alerts about nearby segments, see real-time performance data during and check your results. Training Benefit provides motivating feedback immediately after training, describing the effect of the session.
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The COROS APEX Pro GPS Watch for Triathletes
- Weight: 59 grams (silicone band); 49 grams (nylon band)
- Size: 47 x 47 x 13.4 mm
- Display size: 1.2″ (30.4 mm)
- Lens: Sapphire Glass
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Battery life:
- 30 days of regular use
- 40 hours in Full GPS mode
- 100 hours in UltraMax mode
- GPS Sensors: GPS/QZSS, GLONASS, BeiDou
- Connectivity: ANT+/Bluetooth
- Water rating: 10ATM (100 Meters)
This watch is built for longer runs—and can help create long-runners—which is why we recommend the COROS APEX PRO for triathletes. It's got 14% more battery life in full GPS than the original APEX multisport watch. Not only is it built with durable materials, it's loaded with training and health-monitoring features for extreme conditions—like blood oxygen monitoring with Altitude Mode. So go ahead and run where you want!
Plus this trail-tested, athlete-approved running smartwatch tells you your stride length, cadence, and elevation change along with a measurement of your aerobic and anaerobic productivity—all from a touchscreen that lets you move and zoom in/out on your navigation track.
Get 24/7 blood oxygen monitoring with altitude acclimatization assistance. An enhanced Digital Knob provides easy operation even with gloves or underwater. Touchscreen enabled breadcrumb navigation, built-in barometer, altimeter, and compass, and advanced GPS assure that you track anywhere and stay aware of your surroundings.
Take advantage of advanced training analysis and recovery recommendations, Intelligent Stride mode that learns your running form, wrist-based SpO2 sensor, wrist-based heart rate monitor, along with interval, triathlon, multisport training.
ANT+ is available for accessories, and BLE for smartphone only. Your data screen is fully customizable data screen.