10 Best Triathlon Watches 2025 in the United States

The Apple Watch Series 10 is a versatile smartwatch that suits many fitness activities, including triathlon training. It offers a bright, larger screen with a lightweight and comfortable design, making it easy to wear all day and during workouts. The watch’s water resistance up to 50 meters means it’s safe for swimming, an essential feature for triathletes. Its GPS supports multiple satellite systems for accurate tracking of your routes in running, cycling, and swimming. Heart rate monitoring is advanced, including ECG capabilities and notifications for irregular heart rhythms, which can be useful for closely monitoring your performance and health.

The multisport mode supports a wide range of activities like running, cycling, swimming, and more, offering detailed workout data and training load insights, helping you improve your fitness effectively. Durability is solid with dust resistance and a crack-resistant screen, suitable for outdoor conditions. Connectivity is strong via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS, allowing you to receive calls, messages, and use Siri on the go, but it requires an iPhone to unlock its full potential.

Battery life can last a full day with normal use, which might require daily charging for heavy training days, though fast charging helps recover quickly. The watch also includes innovative safety features like fall and crash detection, adding peace of mind. Compared to some specialized triathlon watches, it may lack longer battery endurance for ultra-distance events and doesn't have built-in cellular connectivity in this GPS-only version. This makes the Apple Watch Series 10 a great fit for triathletes who want a feature-rich, stylish smartwatch that tracks multiple sports with strong health insights and smart connectivity, especially if they already use an iPhone. Those needing very long battery life or a watch focused solely on endurance sports might want to explore dedicated triathlon watches.

The Garmin Forerunner 265 is a strong choice for triathletes thanks to its bright 1.3-inch AMOLED display and a comfortable, lightweight design. It offers solid battery life, lasting up to 13 days in regular smartwatch mode and around 20 hours with GPS active, which is great for long training sessions or races. Its multi-band GNSS with SatIQ technology improves GPS accuracy, especially in tricky environments, helping you track runs, cycling, and open-water swims more reliably.

The watch covers essential triathlon needs with over 30 sport profiles, including triathlon mode, and offers detailed training insights like recovery status, heart rate variability, and training readiness, which can help you train smartly without overdoing it. Heart rate monitoring is well integrated and works alongside other data to give a rounded view of your fitness and effort. Connectivity features include notifications, music control, Garmin Pay for contactless payments, and safety tools like incident detection, but some require your phone nearby and network coverage.

The mix of button and touchscreen controls balances ease of use during active moments. One limitation could be the battery life when GPS is used for very long events, as 20 hours might require charging for ultra-distance triathletes. The Garmin Forerunner 265 is a reliable, feature-rich triathlon watch that combines accurate GPS, useful multisport modes, and smart training tools, making it well-suited for athletes looking to improve performance with detailed insights.

The Garmin Forerunner 55 is a solid choice for anyone looking for an easy-to-use triathlon watch that effectively covers the essentials across multiple sports. It stands out with its impressive battery life, lasting up to two weeks in smartwatch mode and around 20 hours with GPS active. This feature is particularly advantageous for long training sessions or races. The GPS accuracy is reliable, ensuring that your distance and pace tracking are precise, which is crucial for athletes monitoring their performance.

Water resistance is another strength, making it suitable for swimming and other water activities. The Forerunner 55 tracks various activities, including running, cycling, and swimming, and comes with helpful training tools like race time predictions and finish time estimates. The inclusion of heart rate monitoring at the wrist is convenient, although it's important to note that it's not intended for medical use.

Durability is solid, so it can withstand the wear and tear of training and races, and the Bluetooth connectivity allows easy syncing with your smartphone for additional features through the Garmin Connect app. There are some limitations to consider, such as the PacePro feature not working with on-device courses, which may restrict some race day strategies. Additionally, while it offers helpful wellness features, more advanced athletes may find themselves wanting additional metrics or functionalities that higher-tier models provide. The Garmin Forerunner 55 is ideal for beginners or those seeking a straightforward running watch that effectively covers the basics.