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Best Triathlon Watch 2025 – one clear winner – Garmin

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Which Is The Best Triathlon Watch for 2025?

 

The Best all-around Triathlon Watch for April 2025 is still the Garmin Forerunner 955 (five-five!); it’s the clear winner boasting every tri-feature, and retailers can now discount it. The newer but more expensive Forerunner 965 muddied the waters for me. I bought it for my triathlon, duathlon & running races, but only because it has a slightly larger and prettier screen but the same core features and higher cost.

More: Garmin 955 Deals HERE

Garmin 965 Deals Here

Updated 08Apr 2025

Yes, there are better value options for specific needs like music, thin wrists, great aesthetics, lasting for a full Ironman distance race or supporting all your sports sensors. If the price is a significant constraint, much older watches like a Garmin Fenix 5S Plus, Wahoo RIVAL or Forerunner 935 have the same core triathlon features as the new 955/965, selling at considerably lower prices. If you have tighter budget constraints and are intrigued by running with power, the Suunto Race S, Polar Vantage M3 or Coros Pace 3 will be more to your liking. Beware of second-hand GPS watches; the battery will be significantly degraded – but note that even a 7-year-old triathlon watch will have the sports features you need for training and racing in 2025.

Best Triathlon Watch, Garmin Forerunner 955 Stamina,
955 Solar

When you add preferences such as music, maps, and thin wrists, there is a different Best Triathlon Watch for each kind of triathlete. It’s NOT OBVIOUS which is the best triathlon watch for everyone (you!). So, I’ll separately cover ALL TYPES of triathletes, and I’m sure you fit into one or more of those categories. This article is about helping you make an informed decision rather than convincing you to buy what I did.

Best Triathlon Watch, FORM Swim Goggles Specifications

Definition: A triathlon Watch has a single mode that seamlessly records a swim followed by a bike and a run, with appropriate data displayed for each.

Counter Point: Any waterproof sports watch will record a triahtlon with a few extra button presses.

Each category below includes a link to my detailed reviews of every single tri-watch, my recommendations, and the best prices from my partners in your country, like REI, Amazon, and Power Meter City.

I have trained a lot with ALL of these watches.

Best Triathlon Watch contenders: Garmin 935 vs Forerunner 965
Garmin 935 vs Forerunner 965

Best Overall Triathlon Watch – Which is the Winner?

All things considered, the best overall triathlon watch is the Garmin Forerunner 955. It can do almost everything tri-related and more when you add smart features. Its lowest ever, off-season price is GBP270 or about USD$300.

Sure, it’s expensive, and perhaps an AMOLED screen and QuickFit bands might be desirable, but you can live without those. Rest assured that virtually EVERY triathlon-related feature and kind of connectivity are included in the price. There are no nasty subscriptions to worry about (yet!). To justify the price tag, there are also many smart features, including maps, contactless payments and music. Plus, it will see you through to the cut-off time of an Ironman.

Triathlon Feature examples: proper custom multisport mode, FE-C trainer support, ANT+/BLE power meter support, running dynamics, STRYD support, daily workout suggestions, 3rd party plan support, complex structured workout execution support, custom interval mode, sufficiently rugged lightweight shell and battery life, every possible data metric on display, every key Firstbeat physiology insight, training peaks compatible, zwift compatible, strava compatible, i.e. fully triathlon compatible 😉

 

Best Triathlon Watch

Coros Pace 3

Best Budget Triathlon Watch

The Best Budget Triathlon Watch is the Coros Pace 3 at below $/£200

Sorry that you’ve never heard of it. You will be seriously amazed by this small-format, easy-to-read watch’s wealth of techy features and connectivity. It has many features on a super-lightweight watch, but its app could be improved. It has one of those digital crowns on the side, which do not look great but DO offer extremely high levels of usability.

 

Best Triathlon Watch Garmin 945 Sigma id.TRI Polar Vantage
Spartan Trainer, Stratos, 935 – no winners here, old-school

Buy: Coros Pace 3 here

Best Garmin Triathlon Watch

The absolute best Garmin Triathlon Watch is 2023’s Forerunner 965 as it has all the Fenix 8/Forerunner 955 features plus a pretty screen. The trade-off you make is for a higher cost and shorter battery life – its lowest ever off-season price is around $/£500.

The FR965 and the Forerunner 955 have ALMOST EVERY CONCEIVABLE triathlon features and a good battery to get you through two KONAs. You can follow training plans, link to Training Peaks or STRAVA, connect to obscure Muscle Oxygen sensors, Bluetooth or ANT+ power meters, lots of Firstbeat Physiological insights, connected smartphone features galore, play music, and show you maps.

However, the much older Garmin Forerunner 935 still represented the best bang for your buck even in 2025; turn off a battery-eating feature or two for your Ironman race, and all will be fine. I sold my 945 and re-bought a 935, which I now use solely as a back pocket sports logger alongside my FR965 on my primary wrist, but I prefer my Apple Watch for more general smart usage (non-sports). (Must Read: Apple Watch Ultra 2 – Pointless – A Critical Review)

Garmin Forerunner 965 ❌ all the cr*p bits ❌ did I just waste my money? This review says…maybe. But it remains my go to.

Best Triathlon Watch – by Price Band

Here are lists of the best for each price category.

 

Best Triathlon Watch Garmin Enduro
Off-road multisport options: Enduro, Vertix & Suunto 9

Best Polar Triathlon Watch

The Polar Vantage V3 has advanced structured workouts that support running power; it’s the best Polar triathlon watch. Some athletes would trust its physiology feedback more than a Garmin, but I love the V3 for the quality of the case construction, vivid AMOLED screen and the overall aesthetic appeal of the design. The cheaper Polar Vantage M3 is almost as feature-full but adds a degree of race-worthiness with its thin and lightweight construction; I’ve used these for racing. Polar’s FLOW platform is good; along with my partner, I prefer how it presents and summarises our activity data. Grit X2 Pro is similar to Vantage V3 but in a more durable case.

MY best Polar Triathlon Watch is the lighter Vantage M3.

Best Triathlon Watch Garmin 945 Sigma id.TRI Polar Vantage

 

Best Triathlon Watch Polar Vantage
V2 Shown…it’s a nice picture!

Best Suunto Triathlon Watch

Suunto RACE S is an excellent triathlon watch. It looks beautiful and has a fantastic AMOLED touchscreen. It has good GPS, clever battery life management and, like Garmin, a whole host of 3rd party apps that include STRAVA Relative Effort, Training Peaks integration and unique automatic effort lap modes (hill, loop, sprint). Suunto watches are much easier to use than Garmin with more streamlined menus; if you want a new, free feature, you download it – unlike Garmin, which comes pre-installed with many features you’ll never want or use even if you could find them. Suunto’s free app is good, too – whereas Garmin will likely continue to add features behind its paywall.

The best Suunto Triathlon Watch is the Suunto RACE S.

Links to partners in your country: some offer discounts – especially with the loyalty schemes linked to from here with REI and Amazon

Suunto RACE running, Best Triathlon Watch 2025

Best Triathlon Watch – Which has the best optical Heart Rate?

There are many vagaries of oHR accuracy and how it varies from person to person and according to the environment & sport.

You will be surprised to know that the oHR sensor in the Apple Watch is the best I have experienced, followed closely by the Garmin Forerunner 965.  I can’t trust any vendor to get this tech right for everyone; even Apple has days off. Get a chest strap!

The Best optical Heart Rate Monitor in a Triathlon Watch is the Apple Watch.

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apple watch ultra 2 map footpath app, Best Triathlon Watch for iOS

Best Multisport Watch – for Thin Wrists

See next section

Apologies for the assumption that only women have thin wrists…I HAVE THIN WRISTS

Best Triathlon Watch – for Women

 

The best female triathlon watch is the Suunto Race S. Perhaps consider the Garmin Forerunner 745, an older Forerunner 945 packed into a smaller case – or a more recent Forerunner 255s/265s. Garmin also support features for women like menstrual cycle tracking and includes other features like music support and safety alerting. The 945/955/965 have those same female-specific features. Remember, you can now consider a smaller Apple Watch Series 10 41mm, which also has a triathlon mode.

The Best Triathlon Watch for Thin Wrists is the suunto Race S BUT if you also want music and a more robust case then go for the Garmin Fenix 8s.

Option: Consider the Garmin Forerunner 255s, a cheaper, small-format triathlon watch with a music option. The 265s Music is also small and adds a pretty screen.

Suunto Race S new optical HR

 

 

Garmin Forerunner 745
745 vs 945…same, huh?

Best Triathlon Watch – for Techiness & Features

The geeky amongst you (like me!) will buy the Garmin Forerunner 965 or, similarly, any model from the Garmin Fenix 8 range. The techiness you will love will lie in the connectivity with any sensor, an excellent range of 3rd party CIQ apps/data fields and full integration to all the key 3rd party data platforms. Most Garmin watches share those capabilities! So really all the extra you get is an obscure feature that you’ll convince yourself you need.

 

Which is the Best Triathlon for Ironman

Simply put, the battery has to last until the end of the race, and the watch will probably also need to support your bike power meter, perhaps STRYD. Do NOT buy an Apple Watch Ultra unless you want to use a battery save mode – it is NOT an Ultra-capable product! With the old 935’s battery life fading as it ages, the safest option is the uber-batteried Forerunner 955 Solar. Naturally, it will support all the ANT+/BLE sensors you could dream of, deliver infeasibly large amounts of Firstbeat insights, and link to your coach via Training Peaks. Do you want the last lap normalized power on display? You got it. Do you want to know the wind direction or temperature? You got it. Do you want an app store full of Garmin sporty goodness? Yep…you got that too. You’ve got it all.

The Best Triathlon Watch for Ironman is the Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar

Polar Vantage V2 Specifications
Polar Vantage V2

Best Multisport Watch for Beginners-with-intent

The best triathlon watch for beginners is “The Practice” or “The Training“; your current waterproof watch will be fine.

Do you want to spend some money? Oh, alright then. In 2025, this one is often at a stupidly low price of £/$/Eu99 – go for the Wahoo ELEMNT Rival; it’s EASY to use with all the unnecessary configuration stuff squirrelled away onto the excellent app; this makes the watch itself simple to use, unlike a Garmin whose watch menus are labyrinthine in complexity. As time passes, you will discover more clever triathlon features, e.g., automating transitions or working with any other Wahoo equipment you own. Many Garmin owners begrudge their watches in some way, but you will find that most Wahoo owners advocate for their watches and bike computers. There is a reason for that…the Rival looks very much like a sturdy Garmin Fenix with bits of titanium prettiness thrown in for ruggedness, and it should be a good future-proof solution as your interest in the sport develops.

The Best Triathlon Watch for Beginners is the Wahoo ELEMNT Rival, it does all you will ever NEED anyway. It’s good for life!

Other options are the excellent Polar Vantage M3 and the now-discounted Garmin Forerunner 255 (two five five).

 

Shop Wahoo – Choice of Retailer Partners

buy Wahoo Elemnt RIVAL specifications

Best Triathlon Watch – with Maps

The availability of maps on the Forerunner 965 makes the 965 the winner in this category.

However, now the competition is starting to up their game. Apple Watch has good maps, as does Polar Vantage V3 and Suunto RACE.

A warning: a small watch format is not great for viewing maps and following routes when cycling. I recommend thinking more closely about your navigational needs and considering a dedicated bike computer. If you must get a map on your wrist, then perhaps consider the Fenix 8 51mm, which has a slightly larger screen area for that map and all the same features, but it is a larger format watch.

 

Best Multisport Watch – for the Future

Garmin released the Forerunner 965 in 2023, which will be the leading tri-watch until replaced by the Forerunner 975 in 2025. If you want to wait, there might be a smaller version later in the year.

Apple’s Watch Series 10 (2024) might offer some interesting options for the casual triathlete, and subsequent iterations will likely be very similar. I don’t expect apple’s triathlon software features to change much over the next few years.

Polar has released its lower-end model (Vantage M3) and a new, premium Vantage 3, which won’t be replaced until 2026/7.

Suunto’s direction of travel is hard to predict. Its RACE watch is going to be hard for the company to beat. If anything, I expect they will release much more expensive watches than this one over the next year or so.

 

Jabra Elite Active 75t | Jabra Elite 75t

Best Triathlon Watch – with Music

You can’t listen to music while you race, but can when training. During training, only Garmin seemed to have music implemented well. It can support multiple online music providers alongside triathlon functionality. The 955 is the winner of the best triathlon watch with music. Still, you can equally consider the  Fenix 8 (or Forerunner 265/255s Music) as all Garmin’s music-enabled watches support podcasts, on-watch, MP3 playback, Deezer, Spotify and Amazon Music. I doubt Apple Music will be added to Garmin. Coros now also boasts offline (non-streamed) music support, but I doubt onboard music will come to either Polar or Suunto for years…if ever.

The Best Triathlon Watch with Music AGAIN is the Garmin Forerunner 955 (or 755 or 255 Music).

The Polar Vantage V3 can control music on your phone and the latest Coros watches can store and play MP3 music files.

Best Multisport Watch – All terrains, other disciplines

Multisports can mean much more than simply the triathlon disciplines. If you start introducing adventure multisport races, you might need support for custom multisport profiles to include Kayaking, canoeing, MTB riding, trail running, and more. Only Garmin can do that properly. Then, suppose you are looking for rugged construction materials and a battery life verging on limitless. In that case, you are again directed back to Garmin, specifically the Garmin Enduro, complete with solar charging. The Enduro is a pro trail watch that just so happens to have all the Garmin multisport features. It can follow breadcrumb trails but does NOT have onboard maps (doh! a face-slap moment for Garmin)

HYROX adds further complexity when looking at multi-discipline watches. Garmin supports this via the excellent, independent ROXSPORT app, whereas Amazfit has a dedicated HYROX sports profile. The best HYROX watch is a Garmin combined with the ROXFIT 3rd Party App.

 

 

Garmin Enduro
Garmin Enduro

 

buy Wahoo Elemnt RIVAL specifications
Wahoo Elemnt RIVAL

Most Accurate Triathlon Watch

You might get acceptable pace accuracy for any brand’s watch that supports ‘dual frequency GPS’. That means watches like the newer Forerunner 255/265/955/965 but not the previous generation like the 945 or older – look for the Garmin watch to support SatIQ. The other brands boasting dual-frequency chips have the same accuracy levels. Maximal speed and distance accuracy come from using a Stryd footpod – that’s what I use.

Heart rate accuracy depends on your physiology, the sensor, and how you use the watch. There are no guarantees a watch will give you an accurate heart rate during sports – outside of sports at lower levels, most optical sensors will be OK. If you want an accurate heart rate (which you should), then use a chest strap from Garmin or Polar – Garmin HRM PRO Plus or Polar H9.

Accurate heart rate data is FUNDAMENTAL for all physiology metrics to work. Garbage In: Garbage Out.

Detailed Review Links & Buy Links

Still not convinced? I’ve skirted over many issues in this ‘best of’ post. However, if you have a few hours to spare, you can read all the detailed content  I’ve written that backs these recommendations and buy at the prices at your local retailer (the link goes to retailers in your country – about 10 retailers in the USA including the discounters)

Take Out – Best Triathlon Watches 2025

2025 will likely see a new Garmin Forerunner 975 (May?), Fenix 8 Pro/Fenix 8 microLED (Q3.2025), and a new Apple Watch Ultra 3/Watch 11 (Q3.2025).

Suunto might release a new triathlon watch, but I doubt Polar or Coros will.

So, if you want the latest, greatest triathlon tech, you know what to expect. Otherwise, the watches covered in this guide all easily cover the basic needs of triathletes.

Why buy?

  • Garmin – open ecosystem, maximal connectivity, highest prices,
  • Apple – ease of use, iOS smart feature integration
  • Coros – lots of features, decent value
  • Suunto – great looks, 3rd party app store and a good and evolving ecosystem
  • Polar – Great core pro features and ease of use
  • Other brands – generally cheaper, with poor ecosystems and poor accuracy but good features.
  • Wahoo – you want something to match your Wahoo bike computer for the odd bit of running and triathlon.

 

 

 

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11 thoughts on “Best Triathlon Watch 2025 – one clear winner – Garmin”

  1. I’d have put the Rival even higher on the ranking. Hey S. Laidlow, LCB and other top triathletes still use it !
    Suuntos are nice but they lack mandatory stuff as proper sensor management and custom multisport above all !

    Reply

    1. I wonder if we have to stock up on watches and sensors with ANT+ capabilties while they are still available.

      Some time down the road there will be something to overcome the limitations of BT but the meantime will suck for folks with multiple bikes, computers, watches and sensors.

      Anyhow, great write up. Pointing out the strength of the Garmin while also addressing their weakpoints and showing good alternatives that are good in what they do and where they beat Garmin.

      Reply

    2. Maybe the treadmill and revamped bike computers sell well enough that Wahoo got excess money to show the watch adventure some love again. And maybe not starry-eyed think they can and go after the Fenix.

      I’d personally feel more inclined to buy a plastic-y 200 to 300€ watch off Wahoo than off China based Coros. And Wahoo also got the advantage of offering the complementary bike computers. So does Coros but Wahoo’s already established on the market with theirs.

      Maybe treating a Rival 2 more like an accessory to the bike computers than a real stand alone device?

      Or they could create some shell company on the Caymans and bulk buy the Polar band to sell it as a 24/7 tracking accessory to the bike computers. xD

      Reply

      1. wahoo (Rival) will find it hard to go after Garmin 965/955 let alone the fenix.
        companies have to realise the top-end tri watch space is dead to them. there’s no point in trying.

        as you say, wahoo’s significant opportunity is to leverage its hardware ecosystema and, specifically, the excellent usability of it bike computers. Coros superfically appear in a similar position but are at least 2 years behind.

        rival 1 (if they make some more) is an intersting watch. it can probably be made for about $20 and could just simply be sold as a) something to disrupt the market and boost the attention paid to the wahoo brand 2) offer an excellently-feautured core-triathlon watch for people who just want to wear it for sport. perhaps also get a bit clever at introducing recovery metrics via other QUALITY 3rd parties like, say, Eight Sleep https://the5krunner.com/2024/05/08/eight-sleep-pod-4-comparison-review-specs/, hrv4training or Oura

  3. I know that Garmin is the clear winner here and the Garmin Cult will come at me for my comments, but I do find their never-ending want to be an Apple Watch for athletes a bit annoying. The premium prices for things I would never need like music, tap to pay, and a very lackluster Garmin-like Siri are not what I need when I am running, cycling or adventuring. Plus people rave about the flashlight which is nice, but I mean……..1200 for a flashlight? That must be the most expensive consumers-love-to-buy-things-they-dont-need feature I have ever seen. I would love to have been at that product development meeting. “So ah, I think we should add something to the watch so our middle aged men don’t stub their toes when they use the bathroom in the middle of the night and we can charge extra!” I got my RovyVon flashlight on GarageGrownGear for under $40 and it is so great when backpacking and running at night. I saved so much money buying this.

    What I find refreshing about Suunto and Coros (and they lack in so so many things it is true) is that they are not constantly communicating made up non-science backed with real research papers metrics at me. Garmin is always telling me how I feel or should feel. They use bad sleep tracking as a basis for so many of their “core metrics” I get messages at the beginning of the run/cycle that tell me if I am improving. I mean……. It’s so gimmicky. If I did not run every time my Garmin said “Take it easy today” I would have a lot of days off. Can you imagine Tour de France riders adopting an all Garmin firstsense protocol?

    I guess what I am trying to say is we should all learn to run/bike/swim without machines telling us how we feel. I feel like Garmin and Apple have made an industry out of this. There was a time when we made a decision to do more than just time our runs (if we even did that) Then came the GPS. Then came the……… and on and on and on. However when I listen to pros and why they use Suunto and Coros, its because they are able to listen to their bodies and they have learned how to gauge fatigue, I am afraid we are going to lose this with a wide range of amateur and weekend warrior athletes. Sure some are paid to use those products, but if I can use Killian Jornet as an example. This is a guy who looooooves tech, but he is not playing with Garmin Training Readiness or other generic metrics he is using real tools that have clinical trials behind them. We instead latch on to fads like cold plunges Wim Hoff breathing and protocols sold to us by influencers. YouTube hucksters.

    I like that you ended the article saying that Eight Sleep, Oura, Whoop, hrv4training, Morpheus can fill gaps from companies that are not trying to do everything mediocre. With that in mind we can save so so much money. The 955 recommendation is amazing if you turn off all the fake monitoring. It’s a great watch at a good price.

    Reply

    1. “Garmin Cult will come at me for my comments”
      you’ve come to the wrong site for that! 🙂 People here should hopefully realise the pros and cons of the different hardware and the differenet needs and wants of people.

      “Then came the GPS. Then came the”…i think you took that from a Dire Straits song (Telegraph Road) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraph_Road_(song)

      “I like that you ended the article saying that Eight Sleep, Oura, Whoop, hrv4training,” thank you for your kind words and other insights. I’ve been doing all this tech stuff for over a decade and have a pretty good steer on what works and what is made up. those products I mention are ones that I’m pretty sure are great at what they do. just as the 955 is good value and great and the triathlon things.

      Reply

      1. I appreciate the nice words. I think this is one of the only places I can get real advice about sports tech. I love that you also talk about what is and isn’t science based in your writing.

        It is a love hate relationship I have with sports tech. I love shiny pretty things, but do I really need all of it?

        I would still be using my Fenix 7x if the running power and elevation was not chronically off. I think that is the 955 in a sturdier case. It was great for multi-day backpacking trips.

        Also sad to see the other article about Coros. I have been thinking about them too as we move through this new age in American “diplomacy”. Coros has come a long way even though they have borrowed a few elements here and there.

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