Global Positioning System or GPS is a satellite based system that provides exact location and time information of any person or object anywhere in the world. Operated by the United States Government, it is accessible to anyone and free of charge. Now, a GPS watch can work as a cool new gadget for gizmo freaks and also as a very helping tool for those who like to travel to far off and unknown places on their own. A GPS watch works as a GPS navigation device with an inbuilt GPS receiver and is worn just like normal wrist watch as a single unit.
Depending on the purpose and use for which it is made, a GPS watch, in addition to an inbuilt GPS receiver for tracking, pacing and navigation, can have other features and capabilities like time keeping ability and display, route tracking facility, heart rate monitor facility, cadence sensor compatibility, power meter compatibility etc. A GPS receiver and a wrist strap/mount are inevitable features of a GPS watch but others are optional depending on the purpose and use, the most common purpose being navigation and data logging.
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1. Garmin Forerunner 405CX
Garmin’s Forerunner 405CX is a GPS watch for that runner in you. It is a GPS sports watch that continuously records your time, distance, pace, calories burned and heart rate. It stores data about each workout in its memory, which than can be easily transferred to your PC for later analysis. It features heart rate based calorie computation and an additional wrist band for smaller wrists. The watch comes with a chargeable battery which lasts fairly long considering the numerous functions that its internal machines do. Forerunner is an excellent training watch as it stores the data of the last workout and one can easily compare with it and improve. Additional add-ons like foot pod for running stride and bike sensor for tracking cadence can be purchased separately to enhance the features of the watch.
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2. The Polar RS800CX GPS
The Polar RS800CX GPS is another GPS sports watch that helps monitor and improve your performance, no matter what your sports is. RS800CX GPS comes as a pleasant surprise as it not only tracks your speed, distance and heart rate, but also measures your body’s reaction against the efforts you put in. The unit allows you to set the target heart rate zone automatically or manually and sets off alarms when you exceed or fall short of the set targets. RS800CX GPS works as an advance training watch as it not only monitors and analyses your heart rate, but also allows you to combine training files from different sports that can then be used for in depth analysis with the help of Polar ProTrainer 5 software. It is water resistant up to 50 meters and due to small screen display, the GPS runs on a single AA battery for up to 30 hours.
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3. Timex Ironman
The Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS is designed to give an in depth detail and analysis about your each workout. It has all the normal sports training functions like tracking speed, route, heart rate, distance and other data. This data then can be uploaded to a PC for a detailed review and analysis for future use. Timex Ironman also displays maps and works as compass, which is a rarity considering its price. The design is of high quality and display is easy to read and navigate even while running. The watch is quite durable and water resistant up to the level of 50 meters and is equally well suited for biking and swimming as well.
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4. Suunto X10
This multi function GPS watch from Suunto is designed for adventure trips, outdoor travels and military uses. It has got all the normal features of a sports watch like tracking your distance, speed, heart rate, calories burnt, etc. But in addition to all these, the watch also works as Altimeter, Barometer and a Compass. X10 altimeters measure elevation by using air pressure which can be very useful in loads of outdoor activity including running, hiking, skiing, biking or snowboarding. Barometer helps in measuring atmospheric pressure in order to forecast weather which can be helpful in events like storm. The digital compass helps you in knowing your exact direction. which is of immense help in places like dense jungle or a hail storm. One can also set a route map for an adventure trip on his PC and upload directly into Suunto X10 and easily navigate through the correct way. The watch is also water proof to a depth of 100 meters making it ideal for military use and triathlons.
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5. Hercules Golf Master Watch
The Hercules Golf Master watch is a GPS watch with dual features. The base dial of the watch is rotatable and features one function on each side. On the front side, it has the classic analogue display of time, but on the flip side, it shows digital measurements of the distance to the front edge or center to the green of the golf course. To obtain the data of the golf course, the watch uses base station called Caddie, which is kept on your bag. The base station relays distances in meters or yards to your watch. The watch has a sleek design with elegant chronometer, integrated digital LCD display, analogue and digital hours, minutes and seconds display. The case is made of steel or titanium with white, black or grey dial and white or black rubber strap with steel or titanium folding clasp. The Hercules Golf Master is water resistant up to the level of 50 meters making it a durable and desirable timepiece to own.
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6. GPS Watch from Kogan
This GPS watch from Kogan is a heavy duty watch for strong wrists only. It comes packed with features like GPS, Bluetooth, pedometer and an altimeter timepiece among other normal features of a sports watch. This means that you can not only monitor your exercise regime or track your workout record, but can also plan your route for your get away in Google Earth with this watch and can also lock the position of your car so that you are not in trouble while finding it in a parking lot. The GPS watch, which also comes with functions, like speedometer and temperature sensor, can be paired with your laptop or a Smartphone. Priced at only $85, it is pretty reasonable buy.
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7. Keruve GPS Watch
The Keruve GPS watch works more like a detective device shown in those sci-fi movies rather than a normal sports GPS watch. With this advanced GPS watch, you can now keep a perpetual eye on your kids, girlfriends, wife, relatives or enemies. You can keep a track of their mails and internet use or just simply know where they are at a click of a mouse. The Keruve GPS watch flaunts unique mechanism as it works like a home detector and require an exclusive device for removal. It looks like a regular old watch but through its mechanism it won’t allow loosing the site of your targets. This GPS watch is assisted with a handset that will guide you when you are beyond your boundary limits. All these features makes Keruve GPS watch a smart gift for all.
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8. Nike+ Sport Watch GPS
Nike + Sport watch GPS is yet another GPS sports watch not too different from other GPS sports watches available in the market. It has got all the routine features of sports watch to track your workouts and exercise regime. It has just got that extra dash of style in the case, the band and hipster lower case due to the Nike effect. The other unique feature is the “slap” function. Slapping the display enables the backlight or shows the lap distance in the middle of a training session. The best feature though is USB plug at one end of the band that enables it to connect to your PC almost instantaneously. Like all the other Nike + products, you can store and collect up to 50 runs in the systems online community.
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9. Globalsat GH-615 GPS watch
The Globalsat GH-615 GPS watch is for those who like to wear their GPS module wherever they go or for runners and athletes who like to fine tune their performance with the help of GPS. The watch has got all the usual function of a GPS sports watch and works on SiRF Star III GPS antenna, supports WAAS/EGNOS and has tracking, positioning and time alert facilities. Further, the GPS watch can work as GPS receiver for your laptop or other mapping applications just by connecting it via USB, and is pre-programmed to chart the users route by marking and saving track points as one goes further.
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10. Holux GPS Tracker 005
This relatively simple looking timepiece keeps a low identity for some top secret missions and its water resistance quality should prove useful while traversing through some Brazilian rain forest. Reportedly, the watch has an inbuilt slot for SIM card so that it can transmit real time tracking details through some SMS and the like and users can even download some updated information via the satellite link. This simple GPS watch has all the basic functions of a GPS sports watch with simple yet effective looks.
