10 Best Fitness Watches (Garmin, G-Shock, Apple, and More!)

Much in contrast to mechanical watches, which have remained the same in principle for centuries, smartwatches are evolving constantly. Brand-new cutting-edge sensors and programs are constantly being added to the latest models, and this has made today’s fitness watches extremely powerful tools for tracking your overall health and wellness.

Whether you’re a dedicated athlete or just focused on living a healthy lifestyle, any good fitness watch provides countless ways to stay on top of your game. From simple functions like heart rate tracking to advanced training programs offered by trained computer algorithms, the dozens of fitness watches on the market provide a wide variety of options for any budget and any goal. 

Among all these options, however, it can seem overwhelming and nearly impossible to narrow your focus down to the very best one. As such, the experts at Exquisite Timepieces have put together a list of the 10 very best fitness watches that you can find, from budget-friendly to top-of-the-line.

History of Fitness Watches

Before we dive into the specific picks, I’d like to take a moment to break down the history of fitness watches and where their technology has come from. The past has shaped the future in ways that we can hardly begin to discern, and taking a moment to look at how this technology has grown allows for a better appreciation of the technology we have today and an understanding of how it will continue to develop.

As I discussed in my previous article on running watches, the first step tracker, or pedometer, was invented back in the 1700s, which is quite a formidable history for something that seems like such a recent invention! 

However, pedometers never saw anywhere near the everyday usage of fitness watches today—they primarily served a military purpose in tracking the marching rates of companies of troops.

The invention of the first true fitness device as it exists today is usually cited as the Manpo-kei (10,000 Steps Meter), developed in Japan in 1965 to combat rising levels of obesity. It was a much more modernized pedometer that was worn around the waist. 

As such, it was one of the very first accessible fitness devices, and I believe it was the beginning of a trend of wearable fitness technology that developed into the modern smartwatch.

Today, smartwatches have absolutely exploded in technological advancements, as if they’re trying to make up for their 200-ish years of relatively little progress from the first pedometer to the Manpo-kei. 

Smartwatches can connect to your phone, come with built-in AI and voice assistants, can download applications, and even provide dedicated fitness training plans, much like a professional coach! As a genre, there’s truly nothing on the market quite like a smartwatch, and I’m certain anyone dedicated to their health would benefit highly from one.

Top 10 Watches for Fitness Enthusiasts

Without further ado, let’s dive into the 10 best fitness watches! Each watch is at a different price point and fills a different niche in the market, so I’m sure that anyone can find their perfect match on this list. From military-grade tactical watches to off-the-trail adventure pieces, you’ll find an option here.

Garmin Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar

At a retail price of $1,000, this Garmin offering is a top-of-the-line fitness beast. Even setting aside the rest of its features, its battery life alone immediately sets it apart from the crowd: a whopping 37 days between charges, using its built-in solar charging. Coupled with a precision multi-band GPS and Satiq map technology, the Fenix 7X Pro is ready to go anywhere your fitness journey calls you.

Yet Garmin didn’t stop there. This watch comes with all the stunning features we’ve come to expect from Garmin, from customized Garmin Coach training programs to stats like Real-Time Stamina and Body Battery Energy Monitoring. It’s built for any sport at all, and even has Multisport Auto Transition for triathlon athletes who are quickly switching between different activities.

At three different case size options—42, 47, and 51mm—I find the Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar to be a powerful option for anyone who’s seriously dedicated to staying on top of their health and challenging themselves.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

When the Apple Watch first took the world by storm in 2015, there was nothing like it. Apple has sought ever since to continue that trend and keep striving for watches that push the boundaries of what’s possible—in many cases blowing other brands’ offerings out of the water.

The Ultra 2 is a monster of health and fitness monitoring, with a dizzying array of sensors to track everything from depth underwater to height in the air. It sets itself apart with options for athletes that most other fitness watches don’t offer—most notably, divers, with 100m of water resistance and gauges to measure depth and water temperature. 

The third-party app Oceanic+, supported by Apple, even turns your watch into a full dive computer! Other athletes aren’t left out at all, though—there’s built-in tracking for so many different sport and workout types that Apple could not list all of them on their website.

At a retail of $800 to $900, depending on the strap options you get for it, it’s not a watch for the faint of heart, but it will immensely reward those who are seeking a higher level of dedication to their sport.

Casio G-Shock GBD-H2000-1A Move

For its price of around half the price of an Apple Watch—a retail of $400—the GBD-H200-1A Move is insanely advanced. It doesn’t have quite the same level of sensor-based functionality that some of its competitors do, but what it does supply is more than enough for almost all athletes: GPS, heart rate monitor, step and swimming stroke counters, and the opportunity to sync with Strava.

Like the Garmin 7X Pro, this watch also provides solar charging—but unlike the Garmin, it’s able to run almost exclusively off solar power, a stunning feat that very few other advanced smartwatches are able to pull off. Of course, if you’re continually running the GPS or other functions, you’ll run out eventually, but the opportunity to keep the battery continually topped off on solar power alone is easily the biggest advantage to this watch.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

Don’t worry, dear Android owners—we didn’t forget about you. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is a great alternative to the Apple Watch that even surpasses its competitor in many ways. The key highlight of this watch is the built-in Galaxy AI that provides insights into your stats and advanced personalized training programs that help you improve.

With the standard features you’d hope for from a fitness watch, like an advanced dual-band GPS and powerful BioActive sensor, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is a great pick even if you don’t opt for the AI advantages. 

At $650, it beats out many of its top competitors in price while offering novel features that set it apart from the crowd. It’s easy to say that you could do much worse than a smartwatch like this one if you’re set on improving your health.

Amazfit GTR 4

Okay, I’ll be honest—this is easily one of my favorite picks on the list. At a stunningly low price of $200, you’d expect to have to make many concessions with this one in terms of its features. Ready for the breakdown? The GTR 4 comes built-in with over 150 different sport modes, a large brilliant AMOLED display, Amazon Alexa, a BioTracker 4.0 sensor, and a market-leading GPS that connects to 6 different satellite positioning systems.

And that’s just scratching the tip of the iceberg with this watch. The only faults that you could point out are a lack of third-party music app support—only local playback—and the operating system that powers it, which is a lesser-known Zepp OS and which almost certainly has not had quite the level of development that systems like the Polar algorithms that many other watches use enjoy.

Coros Vertix 2

If your weekly fitness regimen is full of hikes in the mountains and if your bucket list is full of adventures to far-away, unmapped places, then the Coros Vertix 2 should be high on your list of much-needed accessories. It’s built to go where few other watches can, using features like its long battery life, durable reinforced bezel and screen, and offline features like maps and music storage.

Need to find your way through a winding mountain trail? No worries—the Vertix 2 comes with an altimeter and compass. Worried about that incoming storm? Use the built-in barometer to keep an eye on local weather no matter where you are.

At $600, it’s a middle-of-the-road price for a strong specialty pick that can accompany you anywhere.

Garmin Forerunner 265

Look no further than the Forerunner 265 if you’re on the hunt for a lower-priced generalized option to support all sorts of fitness programs. At a retail of $450, it’s cheaper than others at its level of functionality, since it opens up almost the entire suite of advanced Garmin functions.

Like the Fenix 7X Pro, one of the major highlights is the Garmin Coach training plan, which is tailored just to you. It’s smaller than many of the massive adventurous watches out there, making it a much easier everyday wear that couples smartwatch functionalities with advanced insights into your exercise.

Sure, it may not be making any headlines with novel features—but it’s a wonderful everyday wear that provides more than enough athletic support for even dedicated athletes. I guarantee it’s a rock-solid pick that won’t disappoint.

Casio G-Shock GPRH1000-1 Rangeman

The GPRH1000-1 Rangeman has, well, a rather proficient range of versatility. Like the Vertix 2, it’s designed to go anywhere and do anything. A gigantic case, offered in either black or eye-catching yellow-orange, it’s built with extreme mud and dirt resistance thanks to the gaskets and steel casing around each button. Oh, and it also has 200m of water resistance. Fancy a dive?

With solar charging just like the GBD-H2000-1A Move, you’d be hard-pressed to wear this one down to an empty battery. An altimeter, thermometer, barometer, and compass accompany you on any adventure, as well as a GPS, heart rate measurement, multi-sport support, and many other advanced features.

Retailing for $500, this Rangeman is certainly not nearly as expensive as it could be, and I believe the price is more than reasonable for the advanced technology you get within. Personally, I recommend the yellow-orange option—with a watch that big, you’re hardly going to be trying to fly under the radar with the black version!

Garmin Tactix 7 Pro

I’ve never seen anything quite like this watch, to be honest. It’s purpose-built as a tool watch for special forces, which means it comes with a host of features like a mode where the screen can be seen while wearing night vision goggles, a stealth mode that shuts off all GPS and internet connectivity, and even a kill switch that wipes the watch clear of all logged data. 

While most of us won’t be tapping into those functions on a regular basis except as a neat party trick, the same level of design and technological development has gone into every other feature of the watch as well.

Solar charging, weather reports, a tracker for hunting, public land boundary maps, and so much more are what sets this watch far apart from the crowd. To be clear, the Tactix 7 Pro doesn’t skimp on any of the fitness features either: it has the same Garmin Coach suggestions, along with a powerful suite of sensors and training status indicators.

For $1,300, it’s not a cheap watch, but you get every bit what you pay for, and it’s a watch that will never disappoint!

Withings ScanWatch 2

The ScanWatch 2 perfectly fills a very specific niche in the smartwatch market thanks to its significant variety of health features. At a retail of $350, it won’t break the bank, and who knows? It just might save your life! It features a medical-grade ECG to detect cardiac variations, along with body temperature tracking to indicate when an illness may be coming on. 

Blood oxygen level tracking keeps an eye on your respiratory system as well. In terms of strictly fitness features, it’s a little limited except for a variety of different sport modes, so it’s mainly focused on overall wellness.

The major highlight of this watch for me is its elegant, under-the-radar presentation. It looks, for the most part, like a sleek time-only watch, with a more subdued screen. It provides information when you need it, and the rest of the time is a watch you won’t feel self-conscious about wearing to a fancy gala. What more could you ask for?

Conclusion

It’s truly staggering to me just how far fitness watches have come from the days when they were first getting started. From pedometers you couldn’t even wear on your wrist to now fitness watches that provide an overall picture of your health coupled with tactical features, solar charging, or AI, it’s truly unbelievable just how much technology you can wear on your wrist for a few hundred dollars.

Whether you’re looking for a holistic overview of your health, an advanced training program to become the very best athlete you can be, or a watch to accompany you from mountain heights to ocean lows, you’ll find your smartwatch soul mate here on this list.