Hey,
I’m trying to choose a sports watch and I’d appreciate some input, especially from people doing longer endurance stuff.
I normally wear classic watches every day, so a smartwatch wouldn’t replace that. I’d mainly use it for training (running + gym), and maybe occasionally at home, but definitely not 24/7.
Because of that, I feel like something like the Garmin Fenix 8 might be overkill, since I wouldn’t really benefit from all the continuous tracking features.
Right now I’m leaning toward the Apple Watch Series 11 because the price (\~400€) seems like great value for what I need.
However, I have two concerns:
\- no sapphire glass on the base model
\- battery life for longer activities
I’m currently training for a marathon, but in the future I’d like to move to longer distances and eventually try Ironman.
That’s why I’m still considering the Apple Watch Ultra 3 — mostly for battery and durability.
The Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar is also an option, but I’m least convinced by it right now.
**Main questions:**
\- Is the Series 11 realistically enough for marathon + occasional longer runs, or will battery become a real limitation?
\- Does the Ultra 3 make more sense long-term for endurance training?
\- Is Garmin still worth it if I don’t wear the watch all day?
Would really appreciate real-world experiences rather than specs.
Thank you.