Polar Vantage

Which Polar Watch Is Good For Triathlon?

ByClément Updated on

Even though the range of Polar watches is not as broad as Garmin’s, it can still be confusing to know which watches are suitable for triathletes.

To narrow down your choice, let’s first have a look at the main features you might be interested in:

IMPORTANT FEATURES FOR A TRIATHLON WATCH

Apart from price and esthetic, here are the features you need to consider for your next watch:

TRIATHLON MODE

That’s an absolute must for triathletes. This mode allows you to record your swim, bike, and run into a single activity. It lets you focus on your race and not worry about starting and saving each activity separately. All watches listed at the end of this article have this feature.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life used to be my second buying criterion. All Polar models listed at the end of this article have a stated battery life of 40 hours when using GPS. In reality, it might be a couple of hours more or less than that, but it still gives you plenty of time to finish your race.

MUSIC

Currently, none of the Polar watches for triathletes have internal music storage. If this is a must for you, you might want to check other brands.

If you are interested in a navigation feature, always check its detail. Some brands offer a full detailed map, and others only a simple line to guide you.

The Polar watches have either a guidance line or no navigation at all.

THE DIFFERENT POLAR SERIES

Disclaimer: The Triathlon Tips of My Tri World are reader-supported. When you buy through links, I may earn an affiliate commission.

Four series are interesting for triathletes – the series Pacer, M, V, and Grit X.

The latest series, the Pacer (Pacer and Pacer Pro watches), is marketed as a running watch but can be used by triathletes. It is light, and you can swim, bike, run and do a triathlon with it.

The M2 is still in the current product line of Polar but is obsolete now that the Pacer has been released.

On the high-end range of Polar, you will find the V2 series and the Grit X Pro. Both of those series have pretty much all the same features.

Polar is marketing the V2 as a multisport watch and the Grit X Pro as a really durable watch. I would pick one over the other based on the esthetic and weight. If you are ready to spend roughly $100 more, you can have a titanium version of the Grit X Pro.

FIND YOUR POLAR WATCH

Now that you know the key features of the watch you are looking for, it is time to find yours! You can use the filters below to narrow your search or sort the watches by clicking on a column header.
The battery life is the manufacturer’s stated life using GPS (in hours).

ModelBudgetCheck PriceWeightSizeBattery Life
Pacer$Polar40 g45 x 45 x 11.5 mm35https://www.polar.com/us-en/pacer
Pacer Pro$$Polar41 g45 x 45 x 11.5 mm35https://www.polar.com/us-en/pacer-pro
Vantage M2$$Amazon45.5 g46 x 46 x 12.5 mm40https://www.amazon.com/POLAR-Vantage-Multisport-Wrist-Based-Notifications/dp/B08ZNLB53Q?crid=20EKL0CZO8K1&keywords=Vantage+M2&qid=1647967712&sprefix=vantage+m2%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mytriworld0f-20&linkId=9758f9536dcd8beb44c95a9c0a71c4bc&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Vantage V2$$Amazon52 g47 x 47 x 13 mm40https://www.amazon.com/POLAR-Vantage-Wrist-Based-Measurement-Notifications/dp/B08HM179B3?crid=FAHYKWURK80V&keywords=Vantage+v2&qid=1647967892&sprefix=vantage+2%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mytriworld0f-20&linkId=da798c404851bdc2f54c09823e416fb6&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Grit X$$Amazon64 g47 x 47 x 13 mm40https://www.amazon.com/POLAR-Grit-Military-Level-Durability-Ultra-Long/dp/B0876JJSYL?crid=2PSKT4PXROGPE&keywords=polar+Grit+X&qid=1647967954&sprefix=polar+grit+x%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=mytriworld0f-20&linkId=70c6c068085115cbfeb155b5a8d5734d&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Grit X Pro$$Amazon79 g47 x 47 x 13 mm40https://www.amazon.com/Polar-Grit-Pro-Multisport-Wrist-based/dp/B09GY34QRT?crid=17EOP7VJBHMZZ&keywords=polar+grit+x+pro&qid=1647968059&sprefix=polar+Grit+X%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-2&linkCode=ll1&tag=mytriworld0f-20&linkId=23ffa7b507ef7291f80478975d46a7ed&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Grit X Pro Titanium$$$Amazon53 g47 x 47 x 13 mm40https://www.amazon.com/Polar-Grit-Pro-Multisport-Wrist-based/dp/B09HRPWK8C?crid=ZU5U27V7OEA3&keywords=polar%2Bgrit%2Bx%2Bpro%2Btitanium&qid=1647968126&sprefix=polar%2Bgrit%2Bx%2Bpro%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-2&th=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mytriworld0f-20&linkId=f29eea1a3a73dcc9dcbe153355850a6e&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

If you’re not exclusively considering Polar watches, check out this article that covers all brands: 9 Things You Need To Know Before Buying A Triathlon Watch

Credit photography: Polar