Garmin

Fenix 5x Plus Sapphire GPS Watch

Ultra-rugged and fully-featured with cutting-edge tech, the Garmin Fenix 5X Plus Sapphire is the ultimate essential for serious adventurers and athletes alike. This suped-up version has all the same top-end sport and smart features as its predecessors, like GLONASS and GPS activity tracking, barometric altimeter, wrist-based heart rate, on-screen topo maps, and quick notifications, but has also been upgraded with wallet-free payments, music storage, more in-depth navigation and, perhaps most significantly (and only in the 5X Plus, mind you) a pulse oximeter to measure blood oxygen concentration—the first sports watch with such a capability.

Primarily useful for excursions into the alpine, the  Pulse Ox Acclimation sensor uses the same laser technology as those hospital finger clips that read your vitals. It shines two beams through your wrist and measures how much light reaches a detector on the other side. In the case of sports, this helps determine how your body responds to high altitude, where oxygen levels are lower. Then, the wrist-based Elevate heart rate monitor delivers fast measurements of calories burned and quantifies the intensity of your workouts, providing a stress score to assess what your body can handle. Advanced Performance Metrics map long-term benefits and compare your stats against your peers, while the physiological metrics and running dynamics help track your workout stats, measure your progress, and fine-tune your form. 

Multi-network (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) satellite reception tracks precisely in more challenging environments than just GPS alone, and a set of altimeter, barometer, and compass sensors provide weather trends, accurate location data, and elevation data to monitor ascent and descent stats during your hike, ride, or climbing adventure. Full-color TOPO mapping comes pre-loaded with map data optimized for at-a-glance navigation and location tracking, and if you're on a road trip, the watch also shows you nearby businesses, hotels, gas stations, and restaurants. The ClimbPro page provides real-time information on current and upcoming climbs, displaying the climb gradient, distance, and elevation gain for each ascent segment, as well as a progress marker that shows how much farther you have to go.

This watch brings up to 500 of your favorite pump-up songs with you for phone-free listening on the go. Just transfer music over from your computer and queue up your playlists for easy listening with Bluetooth headphones (sold separately). If you forget your wallet or cash at home, the Garmin Pay feature lets you pay for purchases with just a tap of the watch, which works just about anywhere that has a scanner for contact-less payments. Wireless connectivity receives texts, emails, and phone notifications from your compatible smartphone, while free use of the Connect IQ store allows you to customize the watch face, apps, and widgets. And to make sure this watch is built to last, Garmin gave it a scratch-resistant domed sapphire lens plus stainless steel bezel and rear case to handle the adventure ahead.