There are two manufactures of GPS tracking watches at this time; Timex/Garmin and Suunto. Casio was in the business of GPS tracking watches but they have discontinued their product line. There are several different models being offered by Timex/Garmin, with different options available for each. It is important to understand that GPS tracking watches use the satellites in orbit to pinpoint a position, they do not provide full mapping on the go as you will find in automobile or other similar type units. They do provide data for speed, distance, elevation and of course, position. Some also provide monitors for measuring heart rate or cycling cadence. Looking at the products available on the market you will notice a couple of notable variations in the way they are packaged. The systems utilize, at a minimum, a GPS receiver and a digital time piece. In all cases the time piece containing the digital display is worn on the wrist as with a typical wristwatch. The GPS devide itself may be contained within the time piece or, separately, to be strapped or clipped to arm or belt.
Garmin introduced the Garmin Forerunner 101 and the Garmin Forerunner 201 quite some time ago. These are what we would call all-in-one models but they really do not resemble a wristwatch. Instead they look like a small electronic device which was strapped to the wrist using a Velcro strap. Later, Garmin introduced the Forerunner 205 and 305 which are all-in-one models that look like a digital wristwatch although larger in size, to be sure. While they don’t provide mapping they do display position information, latitude, and elevation, among other things. Along the way they have also introduced USB connectivity to share data with your PC and A/C battery chargers.
Timex has been in the watch business and has been well known within the triathlon community for decades. Their current product line is based on a separate watch / GPS receiver for maximum versatility. They also offer a wide array of non GPS watches typically used by runners and triathletes. Presently, they do not offer any of the all-in-one type of GPS tracking watches.
The other manufacturer of GPS tracking watches is Suunto which offers several models as well. Suunto offers a neat device to help measure distance on a golf course to help players accurately pick the right club for a given shot. The unit also stores data that can be reviewed after play is completed allowing a player to analyze the round and make future improvements. Suunto GPS tracking watches generally have an appearance more closely resembling a typical digital wristwatch. The GPS device is contained in a separate unit allowing the watch size to remain compact. Typical options are; altimeter, barometer, countdown timers heart rate monitors etc.
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