Semi-smart watch

[reuben]

Requirements:
Solar powered with optional charger (USB?)
Long battery life - days/weeks with solar charging
Heart rate - optical is fine

No need for:
GPS
Maps
Music
Various exercise modes
Logging
Uploading data
Touchscreen

Just glancing around the universe, it seems that any watch that meets the requirements also includes at least some, if not many, of the features for which I have no need. This raises the price considerably, and I'd be paying for a lot of features that I don't want or need.

Let's say I'm on a backpacking trip for a few weeks. I'd likely come off the trail every week or so to stock up on food, but this is where solar charging and battery life come in.

Heartrate is just nice to have. I seem to brush up on my theoretical maximum heart rate in many cases, and while I feel a bit stressed, I don't feel like I'm going to pass out or collapse. So maybe my max heart rate is a bit higher than normal. Still, it's nice to glance at sometimes to put things in perspective. I'm just using online HR calculators, not a real VO2max test.

So what can I buy that has the required features without spending 600 or 700 or 800 USD?

It seems like solar efficiency and long battery life put me into the realm of newer (fancier) watches with features I don't need and higher prices. Technology moves on - I get it. Most people want more of everything, but I just want more of a couple of things. I could ignore the extra features, but the price is the price.

A Fenix 7 Solar (better solar charging, better battery life, better HR monitor) is around 800 USD. And I don't need a sapphire crystal. Suunto and others seem to be in the same range. When dinosaurs rode bicycles I did triathlons I wore some sort of Timex Ironman, but they're a lot different now, and seem to go for less than 100 USD.

[AngryScientist]

You dont want a smart watch, based on what you're describing.

Forget heart rate and buy a citizen ecodrive. they reange in price from about 100 bucks to the sky is the limit.

[warren128]

If you really don't need heart rate, then yeah, I also think a Citizen Eco-Drive is the way to go. The Eco-Drive technology is very reliable in my experience. They have so many models, you're sure to find one that you like.

OTOH, I REALLY like my Garmin Instinct Solar that I bought during the Black Friday sale last year for $250. Heart rate is on the home display screen, so you can see it at a glance all the time. It does have an incredible number of functions as well, like those that you listed. Just ignore them for the time being, but you never know, once you start exploring those functions, you might like them. Or you may find it handy when you're out in the woods and you need some assistance with direction finding.

Now that Garmin has released the newest version of the Instinct (the Instinct 2), You might find the first gen Instinct Solar discounted even more, or you might find a used one from a person who upgraded.

I use mine when I'm cycling, and it automatically loads my rides to Strava. You can turn off some functions to increase battery life, which is incredibly long anyway when the watch is worn in "regular" smartwatch mode.

[dustyrider]

I was going to echo the instinct solar, too. Garmin is marketing the new generation as indefinite battery when exposed to 3 hours of sun per day. I wonder why you want a smart watch at all? Anything wrist based for heart rate isn’t accurate, so there’s no real benefit to paying the premium for it when you don’t want the rest of the features of a smart watch. Just get yourself a watch and you can check your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply it by 6 if you really need to know.

[reuben]

Maybe my use of the term "smart" is misleading or incorrect.

I want the three features listed, which I've edited and hopefully clarified.

I realize that optical pulse sensors lack some accuracy, but they're good enough for my purposes.

To me, smart is anything more than date and time, but maybe im dating myself (yuk yuk).

[old fat man]

I had a withings /Nokia watch for about 6 months. It was just smart enough to convince me I wanted a real smart watch. The things I miss about it
30 day battery life
Classy appearance

Everything else it was able to do is done better by my apple watch.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by old fat man

Everything else it was able to do is done better by my apple watch.

The Apple Watch battery life is such a bummer. If they can get it to ~4 days, that'll be good enough for me. But a watch that won't make it through a weekend? Blah. Too bad Apple seems to be doubling-down on new features instead of making the existing features last a while on one charge.

[benb]

The heart rate thing pretty much locks you into getting some kind of Smart Watch.

Maybe Tissot had a watch that would meet your 3 requirements along with less connectivity + smart watch nonsense? Tissot isn't exactly great though.

I have had a couple Citizen Eco drives and other than the HRM feature not being there I agree they are astoundingly good budget watches. The current one I have doesn't get worn much cause I've never gotten a band on it I like. I should have sprung for one with a bracelet. I had one with a Bracelet for > 10 years that was super comfy.

Optical wrist HRM is near on 100% worthless IMO anyway. If I could get a Garmin with that deleted I would get the version with no optical HRM. It makes the watch a lot less comfortable and the HRM is near useless for hard exercise and intervals IMO. (I have a Garmin Instinct Solar at the moment)

[p nut]

I don’t know of a single product that has all 3 of the requirements (only).

Be prepped to spend $600. Or just get a Timex or Casio GShock. Years of battery life.


Then use the DIY method for HR.

[AngryScientist]

The newest HR sensor as seen in the Fenix 7 is a lot better than the outgoing model in my experience. I run a few days a week and the HR is good for what i'm looking for out of it.

The battery life on the apple watch is a joke.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

The newest HR sensor as seen in the Fenix 7 is a lot better than the outgoing model in my experience. I run a few days a week and the HR is good for what i'm looking for out of it.

Yeah, the new optical HR sensor ends in a 4, I think. Apparently better, but for my use the old version would probably be fine. The 7 also has a bit better charging and battery life. And the new HR sensor and better battery stuff are also available in the Instinct, so I may be heading that way.

I'd stick with my old Suunto, but it has to be charged via USB, and that won't work out in the wild over multiple days.

Apparently Suunto still doesn't have anything with solar charging. I guess they're going for a less adventurous or more tethered demographic.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by reuben

Yeah, the new optical HR sensor ends in a 4, I think. Apparently better, but for my use the old version would probably be fine. The 7 also has a bit better charging and battery life. And the new HR sensor and better battery stuff are also available in the Instinct, so I may be heading that way.

I'd stick with my old Suunto, but it has to be charged via USB, and that won't work out in the wild over multiple days.

Apparently Suunto still doesn't have anything with solar charging. I guess they're going for a less adventurous or more tethered demographic.

Suunto used to be THE leader in the adventure watch segment. They have fallen way, way behind garmin in every category. I wonder why? I used to really like suunto.

[rice rocket]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Suunto used to be THE leader in the adventure watch segment. They have fallen way, way behind garmin in every category. I wonder why? I used to really like suunto.

Lack of good leadership. And they just sold again.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/01/...ers-again.html

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Suunto used to be THE leader in the adventure watch segment. They have fallen way, way behind garmin in every category. I wonder why? I used to really like suunto.

One they failed to deliver on was software. The few I had were poor UI and not intuitive.

I always liked how they looked though.

[benb]

Like I said I have the instinct solar and it's still pretty poor on the HRM IMO.

Lift weights and it will miss your sets completely. Do intervals anywhere under 5 minutes on your bike and it will completely misread that. Off by more than 1 HR zone cause it takes too long to register changes in HR compared to an electrode based system.

And you need to have the watch cranked down hard on your wrist to get it to perform at all as a HRM.

It's going to vary for everyone I guess. I have light skin which is supposedly better. But not much fat, maybe it gets better contact with a little more padding. By the time I have it cranked down enough to have it start working better it's very uncomfortable and restricting if your hands are on the handlebars or you're handling barbells/dumbells/whatever.

I doubt it's many people here but I really think the only people who are going to find the performance acceptable are people who have no history of wearing a chest strap based HRM.

The Sp02 readings are off by enough (low) a doctor would think something was wrong with you if they didn't know the device was bad.