The running and outdoor activities watch sector is booming, and it is out of the question for sports watch brands to let the wave pass.

We can highlight four typical profiles of non-exhaustive runners according to the type of watch they wear.

The minimalist:

This type of runner seeks simplicity of use and the effectiveness of the product. Distance, speed, and time For a simple, refined practice, focus on effort without frills. Undoubtedly, it is much less fun but just as commendable and certainly more efficient in the race because it is freed from disruptive elements that could potentially interfere with the effort.

Suggestion: entry-level models, all brands combined. However, these so-called basic models are already of very high quality and offer everything a runner needs, with few exceptions.

The adventurer:

Autonomy above all is accompanied by the so-called essential functions, even if it means doing without innovative technologies but considered as annexes. Being able to count on dozens of hours of autonomy and efficient and precise monitoring while benefiting from useful information will be more than enough for a runner with an adventurous profile. The watch will only be a tool here that he could “almost” do without. At least that’s what he thinks.

Suggestion: Coros offers an easy, robust range with extreme autonomy. Clearly intended for outdoor profiles, the American brand is increasingly seducing the European market by offering a real alternative to Suunto, then a little alone in this segment on our continent. This is the first brand to completely do without a computer by using only the smartphone application.

The Cartesian:

Here is a runner who, for his watch, will want to be able to count on a model allowing him to program and analyze his race in a complex and holistic way. Watches and interfaces must offer a mass of information on their performance that the Cartesian runner will use to structure their training and general practice. This offers him a reassuring framework and can even be a real source of motivation to achieve goals.

Suggestion: Polar has always developed its products with the aim of offering athletes a reliable tool allowing an in-depth analysis of their practice (whether for performance or simply health purposes). This has sometimes been detrimental to them because, and it is to their credit, they have always waited to have validated to the extreme the accuracy of the tools and technologies that they have implemented in their watches before offering them on the market. For example, they were the last to integrate optical heart rate reading on the wrist into their watch, causing them to lose an audience attracted by this new technology (although at the time it was not entirely reliable or successful).

The geek:

Always be on the lookout for “the” latest technological discovery or the latest gadget. Whether it was a few years ago, the heartbeat measurement on the wrist has now become an essential classic. But also, the MP3 memory allows you to listen to music directly from your watch and route tracking (on a topographic map background or not). Or the calculation of VO2Max, blood oxygen level, orthostatic test, autonomy exceeding 100 hours, solar and/or sapphire glass, connection to a Spotify or Deezer account… The possibilities seem endless, to the delight of many runners.

The question remains whether all of these gadgets allow you to practice your sport better. Vast debate but it is no less true that if this allows the runner to have a more pleasant practice of his sport, the contract is fulfilled.

Suggestion: Garmin, which offers these runners a very wide range with ever more innovations. It may be necessary to break the bank but the models will delight all runners thirsty for novelties. On the other hand, it is to be expected that the releases of the watches will follow one another and that we will quickly end up with an “old school” model, even if it will not remain less efficient.