The Best Sport Watches for Every Type of Adventure

For a tick of a secondhand a few years back, it seemed like smartphones might make sports watches obsolete. Quickly, however, athletes and outdoorsmen realized that the best adventure-focused watches meant less fiddling with your phone and more of what you headed outside to do in the first place.

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Our favorites are long-lasting, stylish, and pack in easy-to-use features that enhance your time outdoors instead of forcing you to focus on tech when you’re heading outside to unplug. For those reasons, the Garmin Fenix 7X Pro – Sapphire Solar Edition is our top overall pick. Most adventure watches retail under $1,000 and we highlight watches at a range of price points and share options from fully analog to the most connected, digital options available.

What You Should Look for in an Adventure Watch

Adventure watches can be analog, digital, or a hybrid, but the best ones are waterproof, durable, and provide metrics such as altitude, humidity, navigation, and, of course, time. Smart adventure watches go further and bring maps, GPS route tracking, and biomarker monitoring to your wrist. Here are the key features to compare when shopping.

Mapping

Many watches incorporate built-in maps, which allow you to leave the phone at home or at least reference it less often. The combination of internal compass and readable maps right in the watch turn these timepieces into powerful navigation devices whether you’re out for a run or embarking on a multi-day backpacking trip. Most offer downloadable maps as well, meaning they work without being tethered to a phone or data connection. The mapping features often include powerful route-building tools so you can lay out runs, bikes, and hikes at home and easily follow them out in the field. Most of the map packages are free but Garmin also offer a premium mapping package for a $50 annual charge that, like other subscription mapping services such as OnX and Caltopo, adds property ownership layers and more detailed contour lines.

Solar Charging

Solar recharging of watch batteries has been around since the 1970s, but the tech has drastically improved and is showing up in high-end adventure watches to extend the relatively short battery life of these energy-hogging digital watches. Solar charging easily keeps traditional watches and smartwatches running few features charged indefinitely—given cooperative weather. In high-consumption modes, you’ll likely need to supplement with charging from an external power source. But no matter how you run them, the solar charging capability will extend the battery’s runtime and is worth paying a bit extra if you hate dealing with low battery warnings or spend time away from reliable power on multi-day excursions.

Cellular Connection

The more mainstream smartwatches (most of the Apple and Samsung offerings) can access wireless data networks without tethering to your phone. Most fitness-first watches from brands such as Suunto and Garmin do not, meaning you’ll either need to keep your phone on you for messaging and other connected apps and download maps for offline use. Having a data connection for your phone makes it much more capable but it also drains the battery faster and almost always requires an additional line of data on your wireless plan which usually costs around $10 per month. 

Why You Should Trust Me

After refusing to wear a watch for a decade (figured my phone had the time), backpacking and backcountry hunting made me appreciate using my phone less for telling time, navigation, and tracking. Since then, I’ve tested many of the major releases from brands like Garmin, Suunto, Timex, and Casio. The Garmin Fenix 7x is my current go-to but I also cycle in the Suunto 9 Peak and Nixon Regulus for certain outings.

Best Overall Outdoor Watch: Garmin Fenix 7X Pro – Sapphire Solar Edition Garmin Fenix 7X Pro – Sapphire Solar Edition

Courtesy Garmin

This is the GPS watch for the outdoor athletes that want it all. Garmin has a bewildering array of full-featured tracking watches for racers and adventurers, but the Fenix 7x Pro Sapphire Solar edition brings together fitness tracking and navigation features as well as any watch to-date. To get the most out of the significant investment here, you’ll need to value the robust fitness tracking features from sleep monitoring to ECG heart rhythm monitoring to stress and endurance scores to help you dial in your training. For outdoor adventurers, it’s the maps and navigation tools that seal the deal. The GPS uses multi-band tech for maximum accuracy and you get altitude and compass readings like any good outdoor watch. But the mapping stands out with premium features such as golf course maps, ski area maps, suggested routes back to your start, and even turn-by-turn directions for at-a-glance wayfinding when you’re moving fast.

• CASE: Titanium/polymer
• FEATURES: Touchscreen, Bluetooth, GPS, LED light, solar charging
• SIZE: 51mm
• STRAP: Silicone

Casio G-Shock Mudmaster 

Courtesy Casio

Best Rugged Watch: Casio G-Shock Mudmaster 

Casio’s G-Shock line has defined military-grade rugged dependability in the adventure watch category for decades. The display is digital but this watch has an analog feel with no email notifications in sight but all the essentials such as date, time, temperature, altitude, compass, and solar charging for near-infinite operation away from power sources. Buttons are large, protected, and easy-to-use in any conditions and though the watch looks chunky, it’s fairly slim and streamlined as far as outdoor watches go. And while this isn’t a full-featured fitness tracker watch, it does add in a Bluetooth connection option to record routes, step counts, and elevations.

• CASE: Carbon fiber/resin
• FEATURES: Bluetooth, shock/mud resistant, LED backlight
• SIZE: 55.4mm
• STRAP: Resin

Suunto Vertical Titanium Solar

Courtesy Suunto

Best Outdoors Smartwatch: Suunto Vertical Titanium Solar

Suunto’s new Vertical packs their best fitness and navigation features into their latest flagship outdoor watch. One big improvement over earlier watches from Suunto is the addition of solar charging to minimize the annoyance of needing a charge when you most need your watch. (That said, the Vertical and similar watches take a charge quickly if you just need enough juice to track your next ride or run.) The other major feature rollout is free downloadable maps—that don’t rely on your phone or cell signal—that are easily readable on the 49mm face.

• CASE: Titanium/polymer
• FEATURES: GPS, solar charging, free maps
• SIZE: 49mm
• STRAP: Silicone

Coros Apex 2 Pro

Courtesy Coros

Best Hiking Watch: Coros Apex 2 Pro

Coros owns a smaller share of the GPS smartwatch category, but their Apex 2 Pro stands out for delivering most of the great tracking features from Garmin and Suunto but in a slim, understated watch that doesn’t get in the way. The price tag is also about half of what you’d pay for many of the other watches, yet it still includes built-in free and interactive mapping. The battery life is excellent but the GPS tech isn’t as robust as other brands’, so tracking and navigation don’t have quite the same pinpoint accuracy.

• CASE: Titanium
• FEATURES: Digital dial, GPS, Bluetooth
• SIZE: 46.5mm
• STRAP: Nylon, silicone

More Adventure Watches We Love

Best Tactical Outdoor Watch: Nixon Regulus Expedition

Courtesy Nixon

Nixon’s Regulus watch blends tactical with practical. This updated version stands out for keeping things ultra-simple and staying easy to read and operate in any conditions. The all-digital display doesn’t try to cram too much in. The numbers are large and displays are uncluttered unlike many outdoor watches that try to pack too much into a readout. Likewise, the buttons are large and easy to operate with cold, wet, or gloved hands. You won’t be consulting topo maps on the display, but there is basic journey tracking for runs and hikes and the battery lasts for years. Plus, you get all the essentials such as temperature, altitude, and compass—which can all be made primary displays in the same simplified readout format as time and date.

• CASE: Stainless steel/injection-molded plastic
• FEATURES: 2-year battery life, high-definition screen, weather alert
• SIZE: 47.5mm
• STRAP: Silicone

Best Stylish Outdoor Watch: Casio Pro Trek Solar x Pendleton

Courtesy Casio

While a bit less chunky and rugged than its G-Shock siblings, the Pro Trek delivers most of the same features and thus is a great choice for guys that want a rugged, outdoor-minded watch but with a more streamlined design. The Pro Trek is slimmer and lighter and because it’s less overtly tactical, and works better as an everyday wear watch than the G-Shock line. The Pendleton collab we’re featuring here has a unique patterned band with great style for outdoorsy guys. Beyond the aesthetics, you get a combination of analog timekeeping and digital date display. Use the buttons to toggle from date to the other essential readouts: altitude, compass bearing and temperature. Because of the streamlined feature set, this isn’t a battery hog smartwatch, but just in case, this Pro Trek augments battery power with solar charging.

• CASE: Stainless steel/resin
• FEATURES: Barometer, solar charging, auto LED backlight
• SIZE: 51.6mm
• STRAP: Fabric

Best Budget GPS Outdoor Watch: Suunto Race

Courtesy Suunto

This new release from Suunto provides most of the same features as the Vertical but with a more digestible price tag for folks that don’t want to spend nearly $1,000 on a GPS smartwatch. The AMOLED display delivers better contrast than the more-common LCD displays, and makes reading the offline-ready maps a joy while out on a hike or run. The biggest difference from the Vertical is the lack of solar charging, but the battery life is still excellent for a GPS watch and, for many, the need to charge a bit more frequently will be worth the savings of several hundred dollars over the Vertical and similarly priced GPS watches. The Race’s battery life depends greatly on how many tracking features are enabled. With absolutely everything on from 24/7 heart-rate monitoring to notifications, you’ll get an estimated 40 hours, while in a stripped-down standby mode, the device should make it about 26 days on a single charge.

• CASE: Stainless steel or titanium (an additional $100)
• FEATURES: Touchscreen, high-definition screen, GPS, free maps
• SIZE: 49mm
• STRAP: Silicone

Best Minimalist Outdoor Watch: Timex Ironman x The James Brand

Courtesy Timex

The Timex Ironman, first released in 1986, was one of the original sports watches, adding lap timing to the digital watch basics of time and date. The INDIGLO backlighting comes on with the touch of a button for nighttime visibility, and you can time up to 30 laps in the built-in memory, a functionality that hasn’t changed much in nearly 40 years. Rather than trying to keep pace with more high-tech watches, this Ironman collaboration with The James Brand leans into retro with bright colors, a lightweight fabric band, and low-profile face that’s unobtrusive on the wrist but stands out from the crowd.

• CASE: Resin
• FEATURES: Customizable alarm, 30-lap memory, INDIGLO dial
• SIZE: 38mm
• STRAP: Fabric

Best Analog Sports Watch: Citizen Promaster Altichron

Courtesy Citizen

If you want the reliability of a fully analog watch, but still need outdoor-oriented features such as altitude, it’s hard to beat the rugged Promaster Altichron from Citizen. While most of the watches on our list deliver the ABCs (altitude, barometer, compass) digitally, the Promaster Altichron manages altitude, date, and time through more traditional watchmaking engineering for a classic look and reliable functionality. And despite being a higher-end watch brand, the price tag is still less than most of the top-end GPS watches.

• CASE: Stainless steel
• FEATURES: Compass, 32,000 feet altimeter, solar charging
• SIZE: 47mm
• STRAP: Polyurethane

Best Analog-Digital Hybrid Watch: Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar

Courtesy Garmin

Garmin leads the GPS smartwatch category with feature-rich, tech-heavy watches such as their Fenix 7x, but their Instinct has an interesting hybrid design that combines analog time hands with digital display. Despite a lower price tag, there’s also solar charging and a ton of tech here. Pay without a wallet using Garmin Pay, track outings and view it all on your smartphone, and receive email, text, and other notifications on your wrist.

• CASE: Stainless steel/polymer
• FEATURES: Bluetooth, GPS, solar charging
• SIZE: 45mm
• STRAP: Silicone