I wanted a GPS fitness watch that was also a smart watch not the other way around. It needed to have built in heart rate and activity tracking as well. This watch meets my goal of focusing primarily on fitness while also being water proof.

weights; "always on" feature; waterproof; audible and vibration notification; music control; long battery life; excellent value (on sale

special charge cord, losses Bluetooth connectivity, still expensive, not running the latest Garmin Connect SDK; No barometer, altimeter, or compass built in; Guess I'd need the crazy expensive Fenix 5 series for that

Multifunction watch which will suit the sports enthusiast. Most importantly it tracks you run/ride/swim with accuracy. The GPS lock is super quick normally less than 10 seconds. With my older GPS unit it could take sometimes a couple of minutes to lock on to the signal much to the annoyance of my...

I specifically chose this Garmin- as it was on the smaller, lighter side of things making me (I hoped) less aware of it when I was open water swimming. This it has been.

My Forerunner 735 has only lasted 8 months and the battery has refused to charge despite following Garmin's advice. Also Garmin product support is very poor; I just get emails from different members of staff telling me to do the same thing. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!

The Garmin Forerunner 735XT is meant for hard-core athletes, such as those into multi-sports such as triathlon and who are already logged into serious fitness regimes. This is one of the premium options for such athletes and provides complete analysis of their progress and endurance abilities.

Multi-sport watch; accurate monitoring; detailed analysis

Bland looks; little bulky

The Garmin Forerunner 235 is one of my favorite running watches and for good reason: It has everything runners need to take their training to the next level. It's not ideal for multisport athletes, though.

Lightweight and waterproof, and has GPS for tracking a variety of sports and an optical heart-rate sensor; All-day activity tracking, interval training and phone notifications are helpful; There's a multisport mode to time triathlon transitions and easily switch sport profiles.

It's expensive; there's no altimeter for measuring ascent and descent; and battery life may not be long enough for a full Ironman triathlon

FR735XT is the go-to device for triathletes – tracks everything you could ever need with the ability to connect an external HRM for improved dynamics.

Full color; backlit display; GPS; GLONASS and Ultra-Trac mode; 6-7 days of battery life; Daily alarms and move reminders

Durability concerns due to plastic casing; HR sensor is not great for dynamic movements; Music playback doesn't work very well

i bought this watch to track my exercise, esp., triathlon training. out door running and cycling features are very straightforward and easy to use. GPS signal is very good and accurate. indoor lap tracking feature blows my mind off.

A great running and triathlon watch, with slim design, long battery life and now a much better price to go along with it. Although a little lightweight in nature it's more than good enough to function as a daily timepiece, and actually shows up some of the more 'dedicated' smartwatches.

Long battery life; Good smartwatch functionality; Accurate GPS

Plastic feel; Some fitness tracking could be better; Heart rate monitoring not great from wrist

A full feature set for multisport athletes in an easy to wear design. The great battery life and support for smartwatch functions means you're fully informed whether that's on your daily activity or the specifics of your training.

Excellent HR and GPS performance; Lots of functions; Comfortable to wear; Compatible with a full range of sensors; Great for multisport athletes with specific profiles for triathlon and duathlon

No on-board music support; UI is a little convoluted; No altimeter/barometer for accurate elevation tracking