2019 Watches

[keegster17]

What is the latest and greatest Kitesurfing watches? I had the Suunto Ambit 3, nice looking, but did not like the website or apps, or even support. Looking for something new.

[norcom]

I've had Suunto watches since the 9x Mi and up to the Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire. They're great watches and the tracking is decent, with decent app interfaces. The Ambit BT notifiactions from my phone felt pretty basic, only displaying a few lines.

So I decided to try the Garmin Phenix 5x because it has a built in HR monitor, offline maps and better BT notifications. The battery life is nowhere near as good as the Ambit 3. The worst part is when you add kitesurfing/windsurfing/SUP tracking to the watch, their apps track these sports as "Other". So the website logs and phone app wont tell you how many sessions you had for each. I think SUP might but it still wasn't supported very well. Seems like their apps and website are mainly focused on Golf (wtf?!) as it has TONS of options for that. The notifications are great since you can read whole emails but can't reply.

So I decided to try a Samsung S3 with cell service. Turns out the Samsung forums are full of complaints about the watch not being waterproof worth a crap. It's a great cell device as I could send and reply to SMS and emails. The Tizen OS sucks though. Their app store has NOTHING in it worth using. Their built in Health app is worse than the Garmin. You can't even add custom sports to the watch. You can to the phone but they don't sync to the watch. So I decided to code some apps myself. Wrote a shitty openstreets mapper, decent tide app that I planned to release since the ones in their store weren't free. Did some personal weather/radar and live wind apps but never actually got the watch out on the water. Gave the watch to my dad last week as I kind of got bored with it.

I'll probably try the Apple Watch next. There aren't any WearOS watches that peak my interest at the moment.

In my opinion, I'd say the Suunto has the basic tracking/logging down the best. But I want cell service on the water with all the bells and whistles of a sports watch. Not many options for that really.

[TomW]

I've used the Suunto ambit 3 for 2 years. The app sync over bt is completely garbage. Only way to success is with the computer and USB.
Researched this recently and best option for gps watch is garmin Fenix 5 or 5+. ( don't believe me, read DC rainmaker reviews).
If you have an iPhone, I'd get the apple watch 4. ( I don't)
If you are OK with 5-7 days battery and Android, the amazfit stratos 2 seems a good value. A few guys here have thus one. This one doubt about longer term support and expect you'll have to buy a new one in 2:years due to no sw support/ upgrade.

[Tony]

I just bought the Garmin Fenix 5 late last month and am very happy. Battery life seems really good, haven't put it to the test but have yet to charge it overnight. Only charge it gets is when connected to my computer to configure or update apps. I didn't care about the maps or music and got the sapphire edition for a great price. I think the 5X is reported to be a little worse on battery because of the larger screen and maps. The 5s would be nice but hard to justify the increased price to get things I don't need. Garmin Connect is fine, apps are decent but not the quantity like are available with the Apple Watch. My wife and daughter have the Apple Watch but I don't have an iPhone and would not like nightly charging. I looked hard at Suunto but after reading multiple reviews, comparing functionality, decided to go with Garmin. I like having the buttons vs touch screen more than I thought. Keeps things really simple, especially outside, in water, in the gym, etc. It does everything I want. Keep in mind the optical HR sensors (wrist) are not the greatest, especially if you're using your arms a lot. I have a Polar Chest HRM (bluetooth) which is much better.
Tony

[geokite]

I use a Garmin 635. Works great for what I need. Just be sure to rinse with freshwater after use...

While at first additional activities could only be named "Other", I think an update has allowed specific naming. I have an activity named "Kiting", and it stays separate from other stuff when uploading to the phone app.

[Pemba]

I have a Garmin Fenix 3 (the one before the 5). I'm sure you should be able to do beter than "other" for a kitesurfing app. I have a "Windkitesurf" app but I didn't lose time looking for one, I expect there will be other/better ones. I'm sure you can also quite easily put together your own, a friend of mine did that. I use the watch mostly for swimming and for that, understandably the tracking is sometimes a bit sketchy but for oher activities it seems fine. The Altimeter and barometer stopped working within days. Battery in my case lasts about a week but would obviously depend on how much yo use the GPS. I would get the one with the sapphire screen next time. Also the strap is weak - it broke within about 6 months. I think the watch works great as an activity tracker. It's too sensitive for me to wear on a daily basis but I'm happy with it and I'd buy it again.

[alunj]

I’ve a few hundred sessions on the Apple Watch
Tracking and heart rate work fine . No issues with water ingress . Sessions is a fun app but I tend to use other apps for tracking . In sept I changed for the 4 with cellular for safety’s sake. So far so awesome . Made a few test calls to the wife to see what the quality is like all good . Just nice to know I have some way of getting in touch with emergency services .

[grtlakes]

Hey alunj.
Curious if you use any additional protection for the AW when kiting ie waterproof case.
How do you find the battery life?
Thanks, I’m trying to pick between the AW and the fenix plus.

[JakeFarley]

I've had my Fenix (3) for about 1-1/2 years. I use it for kitesurfing, kayaking, cycling, hiking and general activity tracking. I developed my own apps for kitesurfing and kayaking and modified the app for cycling (not that hard to do). The battery life is good for my activity level, about 7 or more days. If you use more accurate GPS tracking, GLONASS, the battery life will be shorter. For kitesurfing you don't really need that level of accuracy unless you are riding in a fog and are using Track Back to get back to your launch site or destination safely. The altimeter is ok but you need to calibrate it before your activity and it is affected by barometric pressure level changes. Altitude goes up when pressure drops. Also I wear it to track my sleep patterns and activity level. IMHO it is a great watch.

[ldmelo]

Any Garmin owner tried the kitesurf apps on Connect IQ store?? They even say they can measure jump heights.... I am interested in your feedback.

JMG-APP Wind-Kite Surfing
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/36d0 ... 789b8e39cf

KITE TRACKER
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/350f ... 951b77f468

Kitesurf
https://apps.garmin.com/en-CA/apps/be51 ... 1ccd9442#0