Do you feel like an adventure? Of course you do. You want to recapture the spirit of history book travels, conquer the seven seas, travel to the darkest corners of Africa (without going all Colonel Kurtz) and do a bit of pirateering on the side. And if you still have time, you might consider climbing Mount Everest.
Ah, time. Because while the old explorers used to go off the map for years on end, and then be discovered living in some jungle hut and conversing in gibberish with animals, you have a long day tomorrow. And you need to be home by half eight to watch the game.
When practising sports – which is the modern equivalent of setting off on an adventure – you need a watch to keep the time. But not only – the latest watches double up as performance-measuring gadgets which help you gauge the distance you’re covering or the altitude you’re climbing. And if you want to listen to the Chariots of Fire soundtrack while out jogging, you can just switch on the mp3 player on your watch.
The more expensive models include extremely advanced features. If you suffer a serious accident, some watches turn themselves into an emergency device via built-in transmitters – the watch then alerts rescue services which will come to assist you.
Consider them as bike computers on your wrist
Of course, while some of the functionalities are useful, others will just drain your watch’s battery and leave you stranded in time. So be careful when buying an adventure buddy.
Keep running
Watches with an inbuilt GPS help you track your speed and the distance travelled. That way, you’ll be able to gauge your improvements on past performance. Most of these watches can suffer a bit of rough treatment and are also water-resistant – after all, you never know when you’ll get caught in the rain.
Admittedly, running watches can be a bit bulky, even though most are made of lightweight material. Yet behind that bulk are plenty of functions, telling you whether you’re still running towards your intended point B, whether you have dropped your pace or are overstretching yourself. Those without a GPS usually come with a pedometer – this means that the watch will sense the frequency of your steps, multiply your stride length, and calculate the distance travelled.
If you’re in a competitive mood, you can also enter the virtual race mode. And if you’re running off-road, an accelerometer will chart your stride which, given the irregular road conditions, will come in handy.
Some models have plenty of memory and you can save your favourite runs. Back home, upload your data and chart your performance.
Mountain high
For serious climbers, a rugged, accurate watch is necessary as it helps them reach new heights. These watches are usually shock resistant and can take plenty of knocks. The altimeter will help you calculate your altitude as well as ascent and descent speed, while an inbuilt barometer will predict changing weather conditions – this is an especially precious functionality as you can change your plans according to the weather.
Climbing watches also come with a depth measurement and, since they are water-resistant, they can also double up as a snorkelling watch.
Two wheels good
If you’re in a competitive mood, you can also enter the virtual race mode
Most modern cycling watches have an integrated GPS and can do power metrics very accurately – they keep track of your speed, cadence, distance, even altitude, without the need of clumsy wires and sensors. Consider them as bike computers on your wrist which can also help you monitor your heart rate and the calories that you’re burning. Dedicated cycling watches also come with bar-mounts.
By downloading an app, some cycling watches will also allow you to race your cycling mates – apps such as Strava will work out how fast you’ve covered a designated stretch and then rank your performance.