Rugged as a mountain range, tougher than a roughing-it Ray Mears, and smarter than an AI Albert Einstein, but that’s enough about me!
No, now the laughter has died down to a slow, sympathetic shake of the head, we’re gathered here together in today’s digital edition of ES Best to turn our attention instead to a special breed of smartwatches.
We’re talking smartwatches unrelentingly indestructible in their resilience against both the extremes of nature and the follies of man, utterly unwavering in their desire to measure your body metrics, and so unflinchingly driven in their determination to push you to the peak of physical fitness that they’ll stop at nothing, literally nothing, even when you push things too far - they will simply encourage you to get up and run it off.
Crafted from a variety of materials, they are steeled against the likes of water, shock, dirt, dust and extremes of absolute baking and/or freezing. So, if your lifestyle involves indulging/enduring in more physically testing times than most mortals, these are the smartwatches you need wrapped around your wrist to measure your progress, keep you on track, keep you in contact with civilisation and, in the case of some options, keep you safe by allowing select people to monitor your movements and send notifications in case of Incident Detection.
Picking through the myriad models available for those who view the average Iron Man event as little more strenuous than a literal walk in the park, I’ve narrowed the field down to eight great on-arm options that stand out as near-indestructible stout stalwarts of smart, perfect for the precision monitoring of performance no matter how extreme your exercise regime…
Best rugged smartwatches at a glance:
- Best for timing and tracking as tough as old boots: Casio G-Shock GPR -H1000 Rangeman - £449, John Lewis
- Best for ultimate training and tracking: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra - £599, Amazon
- Best for the ongoing adventure: Coros Vertix 2 - £599, Amazon
- Best for exercise indoors and out: Garmin Instinct S2 - £350, Garmin
- Best for colossal performance, low price: Amazfit T Rex 2 - £217.73, Amazon
- Best for extremes and everyday: Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 - ££257.14, Amazon
- Best for remorseless Apple excellence: Apple Watch Ultra 2 - £800, John Lewis
- Best for gaining a significantly smart ad-Vantage: Polar Vantage V3 - £519, Polar
- Best for the best bargain of any sporting smartwatch: Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL - £110.93, Amazon
Shop below
Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5
Best for: Extremes and everyday
I reviewed the TicWatch Pro 5 when I judged it one of the best smartwatches I’d ever used in an epic review round-up of the Best Smartwatches. But does it still stand up here when it comes to being red-blooded and rugged out in the track and field?
Well, firstly, running on the super-fast and smooth Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset, performance is still A1, and with built-in GPS, speaker and microphone, sleep tracking, blood oxygen saturation, stress monitoring and 24-hour heart rate monitoring all factored in, everything you could ever need is there in smart spades. There is even one tap measurement of health metrics, smart training, and a built-in compass, barometer and altimeter.
Compatible with Android phones, the Pro 5 cuts quite the dashing figure on the smartwatch catwalk looking every bit at home dressing your wrist in a fancy wine bar. However, despite its chiselled good looks, it's hard as hell, thanks to an aluminium and high-strength nylon fibreglass build and Corning Gorilla Anti-fingerprint Glass keeping its excellent aesthetics no matter what. Indeed, awarded US-MIL-STD 810H rating, the TicWatch Pro 5 can train with the toughest.
Things move quickly in the tech world, particularly amongst smartwatches, with new and/or improved models cropping up almost constantly ready to try and snatch the crown, but come as they might, the Pro 5 still stands apart as something rather special that’s nowhere near ready to be toppled.
- Compatibility: Android
- Body: Aluminium and high-strength nylon with fibreglass
- Glass: Corning Gorilla Anti-fingerprint
- Strap: Solid silicone
- Resistance: Water (50m),
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £257.14, Amazon
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra
The ultimate Samsung training and tracking smartwatch is now with us. Certainly striking, it cuts a swathe through the crowds of its contemporaries, whether you opt for the orange strap or not. Technologically, it’s at the top of its game, Samsung imbuing it with a serious CPU, AI enhancement, smooth-running apps aplenty, a lengthy battery life, and a build that makes it damn-near indestructible.
And it’s that last bit that gives the Ultra the edge over the Watch7 – while the tech used in both is almost identical, the Ultra offers ultra endurance for those athletes out there who want to take things off-piste and push themselves to the absolute limits, without worrying whether their watch can take the punishment.
The Ultra is twice the price of the Watch7, and that might be what sways the more casual gym bunny away from it and into the arms of the 7, but for the off-roaders, the adventurers, the adrenaline junkies dangling off cliffs at the very extremes of exercise, the Galaxy Watch Ultra will prove irresistible.
Buy now £599.00, Amazon
Casio G-Shock GPR-H1000 Rangeman
Best for: Timing and tracking as tough as old boots
Out of all the big names in the rugged smartwatch realm, you might not have seen Casio popping up as a kick-bottom contender, but the relatively new solar-powered G-Shock GPR-H1000 Rangeman (in both 1ER (black) and 9ER (yellow) iterations) is tougher than 10 Tyson Furys. This is thanks to its carbon monocoque casing, complete with carbon-fibre reinforced resin, side-flanking steel shock absorbers, and toughened mineral glass taking all the wild world can throw at it, including shocks, mud and water down to 200m.
Compatible with Android and iPhone, connecting over Bluetooth, the Casio features a compass, altimeter, barometer, heart rate monitor and GPS tracking to keep you on track and to harvest all the data you need to log distance, speed, pace, time, calories burned, and check and compare all over Training Analysis.
On top of this comes a calendar, alarm functions, and a built-in barometer to keep an eye on the weather because, no matter how well-hard you might be, nobody really wants to end up running through flash floods.
All info is made clear at a glance via the G-Shock’s large, razor-sharp Super LED display, whilst deliciously chunky buttons make the whole smart shebang easy to operate even when on a particularly energetic go.
Okay, aesthetically, the Casio G-Shock GPR-H1000 Rangeman is far from the most subtle-looking smartwatch on the block, but for essential features and functions, plus a build like a veritable time-keeping tank, if you can embrace the rather brutal bearing, you’ve got a watch that can take on the world.
- Compatibility: iOS/Android
- Bezel: (Case) Carbon monocoque made from carbon fibre-reinforced resin
- Glass: Toughened mineral
- Strap: Bio-based resin
- Resistance: Shock, mud, water (200m)
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £449.00, John Lewis
Coros Vertix 2
Best for: The on-going adventure
COROS Wearables Inc., for those not in the know, is behind some of the smartest and rough-and-tumble-est sports watches in the world, its exceptional wristwear being the choice of athletes such as the Kenyan king of marathons, Eliud Kipchoge.
So, what do we have in the slick shape of the Vertix 2? Well, firstly, as just alluded to, it's decidedly handsome for a rugged smartwatch coming, as it does, with both case and bezel hewn from Grade 5 Titanium Alloy with a PVD coating and an easy-to-read 1.4-inch touchscreen LCD display encased behind impenetrable Sapphire glass.
Coming complete with COROS app for data sync, the watch connects to your phone over Bluetooth and gives you full GPS coverage, pre-loaded global maps and downloadable regional maps for offline access and all-satellite dual frequency. There is also – and brace for it – an optical heart rate monitor, barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, 3D compass, thermometer, optical pulse oximeter, electrocardiogram sensor, training features, resting heart rate, underwater heart rate, action camera control (GoPro and insta360), virtual run, altitude mode, and the ability to control your music on the move.
Water resistant down to 100m, the Vertix 2 also comes compatible with a whole raft of third-party training apps, so no matter what your discipline or challenge desires, the COROS can let you compete.
A serious sports smartwatch for serious, smart sports, when extreme exercise kicks, the COROS kicks back.
- Compatibility: iOS/Android
- Bezel: Titanium alloy
- Glass: Sapphire glass
- Strap: Silicone/nylon
- Resistance: Water (100m)
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £519.00, Amazon
Garmin Instinct S2
Best for: Exercise indoors and out
A brand synonymous with sports-focused smartwatches, Garmin has been at the forefront of this tech for quite some time, pumping out an endless array of premium pulse trackers that go above and beyond when it comes to sports spec.
The current range is six-strong, with a unique option for all comers, but what we’re interested in here is the Instinct S2 Solar, a lean, mean model that, available in 40, 45 and 50mm sizes to suit most wrists, is undeniably rugged. This is thanks to its fibre-reinforced polymer build, tough as a transparent nut Corning Gorilla Glass, and heat, shock and water resistance (100m). So, even if you take a remarkably unlucky tumble down a savagely steep hill and into an active geyser, the S2 will survive.
Solar-powered, as the name gives away, the Garmin packs GPS tracking, a heart rate monitor, records your daily resting heart rate, alerts you to abnormal heart rate alerts (high and low), measures respiration rate (24x7), pulse ox, blood oxygen saturation, stress, body battery and even a relation breathing timer for when you’ve gone just too far.
With a barometric, altimeter, compass, accelerometer and thermometer all included, every aspect of your exercise is measured and recorded, ready to be reviewed later. Downloadable widgets and apps, smart notifications, text response/reject phone calls with text (Android only), calendar, weather forecasts, smartphone music control, VIRB camera remote, and smart trainer control take ample care of all the other ‘smart’ stuff.
Packed to the running rafters with dedicated multisport activity profiles and compatible with both Apple and Android, all can be accessed and controlled either via the watch itself or on the accompanying Garmin Connect app, so you’ll be in the ‘your body’ know constantly.
A lot of smartwatch for a very low price, the Garmin Instinct S2 Solar is perfectly (some might say instinctively) positioned for alfresco athletes and gym bunnies alike.
- Body: Fibre-reinforced polymer
- Glass: Corning Gorilla Glass
- Strap: Silicone
- Resistance: Water (100m)
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £350.00, Garmin
Amazfit T Rex 2
Best for: Colossal performance, low price
From the hallowed halls of Huami Technology in China’s Hefei City, Amazfit produces a range of smartwatches, most of which have found a home on Amazon, and all of which deliver quite the performance for the price, particularly the T Rex 2 – my pick from the current Amazfit army for its rugged goodness and reasonable looks.
Playing nice with both Android and iPhone, the T Rex 2 comes encased in polymer alloy armour, complete with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to keep potential damage from an over-vigorous training session at bay. Indeed, resistant to water (100m), heat, cold, humidity, salt spray, shock and ice, and having passed 15 military-grade tests, this T Rex could possibly outlive an enormous asteroid impact, unlike its toothy loser Late Cretaceous namesake.
With dual-band positioning and support for six satellite positioning systems, tracking is pin-point, whilst over 150 sports modes, including the likes of Triathlon mode, pro-lap-data recording Track Run mode, all down to the less intense Golf Swing mode, there’s literally something for all levels of exercise.
Featuring heart rate, blood-oxygen saturation, and stress level monitoring, and a full suite of sleep monitoring means, all these smart specs and more can be viewed and reviewed on the accompanying Zepp app with intuitive ease.
At just shy of a score over £200, the ferocious Amazfit T Rex 2 represents excellent value for money, and hands a whole set of advanced monitoring metrics to those who might otherwise have had to have gone without.
- Compatibility: iOS/Android
- Body: Polymer alloy
- Glass: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Strap: Silicone
- Resistance: Water (100m), heat (70°C), cold (-40°C), humidity (240h), salt spray (96h), shock, ice
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £217.73, Amazon
Apple Watch Ultra 2
Best for: Remorseless Apple excellence
Intended to tackle the outdoors like a member of the special forces, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is not only the pinnacle of all of Apple’s smartwatch technology, it also delivers 100m water resistance, 40 diving impact resistance, and an IP68 dust resistance rating, all wrapped up in a robust titanium shell topped with scratch-mocking sapphire crystal glass.
Tested to MIL-STD 810H to reinforce the mighty message, the Ultra 2 measures blood oxygen, features an ECG, and monitors for high and low heart rate, irregular rhythm and low cardio. It has a depth gauge, water temperature sensor, compass with waypoints and backtrack, always-on altimeter, high-G accelerometer, high dynamic range gyroscope, ambient light sensor, GPS, and an emergency SOS should you get into some difficulty with terrain, weather, injury, woodland-based survivalist cults, or recently reintroduced wolves while out plying your training trade.
Pairing with iPhones alone over strong Bluetooth 5.3, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 may be impossibly expensive at £800, but for sporting Apple fans with the requisite readies, the Ultra 2 is unbeatable.
- Compatibility: iOS
- Body: Titanium
- Glass: Sapphire crystal
- Strap: Varies
- Resistance: Water (100m), diving (40m), dust (IP68)
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £800.00, John Lewis
Polar Vantage V3
Best for: Gaining a significantly smart ad-Vantage
I’ve had the distinct pleasure of going mano-a-mano with Mother Nature armed only with an example of Polar’s smartwatch artistry on a few occasions now, most recently with the stunning Ignite 3 Titanium, so the opportunity to get back out there amongst the elements with the new Vantage V3 was too tempting to turn down.
And – early spoiler – I was not disappointed! Beautiful to behold, the V3 is aluminium of body, with Gorilla Glass 3 upfront, making it water resistant to 50m, cold resistant to -20°C, and heat resistant to 50°C. So, it is virtually unstoppable no matter how extreme your hobbies are or, indeed, wherein the unliveable wastes of this planet you enjoy them.
Compatible with both Apple and Android, the Vantage V3 is whip-smart too, blessed with an AMOLED display, behind which you’ll find dual-frequency GPS, maps, and a comprehensive suite of training and recovery tools so ludicrously long that I simply don’t have the space here to list them all - but let's just say that tracking, body metric monitoring, sleep tracking, and any activity you can think of is more than catered for.
Barometer, magnetometer compass, and accelerometer are also all in place, along with all the expected smartwatch trimmings, all coming together to culminate in a wilds-going wearable that will instantly become the envy of all other extreme athletes out there.
- Compatibility: iOS/Android
- Body: Aluminium
- Glass: Gorilla Glass 3
- Strap: Silicone
- Resistance: Water (50m), cold (-20°C), heat (50°C)
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £519.00, Polar
Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL
Best for: The best bargain of any sporting smartwatch
Another rough-housingly rugged option, the ELEMNT RIVAL may be missing a vowel, but that’s just the kind of thing you sacrifice in return for a smartwatch that costs so very little, yet delivers so very much.
Android and iOS-friendly, the body comes made from a ceramic and nylon polymer mix, making it light and hard-wearing, with Gorilla Glass keeping the striking 64-bit colour screen free from the dings and general damage of life both everyday and extreme.
A true multisport monster, the RIVAL excels at swimming, running and riding, and even offers 12 pre-loaded Wahoo Sports Science sessions to keep you in peak physical fitness. Naturally, there is also data tracking looking at speed and distance in every sporting discipline, and heart rate monitoring on-hand to ensure all’s well while you indulge.
With a companion app to review all your data, the ELEMNT RIVAL has all smart sporting bases covered.
- Compatibility: iOS/Android
- Body: Ceramic and nylon polymer
- Glass: Gorilla Glass
- Strap: Silicone
- Resistance: Water (50m)
- Connection: Bluetooth
Buy now £110.93, Amazon
Verdict
There you have it: eight rugged smartwatches that could survive a kicking from John Wick and still be up for a jog afterwards. All eight options are amongst the finest in this extreme sporting arena and each has its own strengths.
For me, however, I return to my old favourite, the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 for the fact that it simply is that good in all areas and still manages to look stylish enough to flash around in day-to-day life, appealing to both my smart sporting needs and untamed vanity alike.
