Best Sports Watches for Women: 11 Stylish Choices

In a smartwatch market mainly geared towards men, some brands have recognized that a sports watch for women has to have more than a stylish band. Today, we’ll be discussing the best sports watches for women.

The biggest players in the industry now equip their wearables with feminine health features, including menstrual cycle and fertility metrics.

Alongside other sports profiles, those features are a few of the essentials in a good woman’s sports watch – though the looks matter too. So if you’re looking for a sports watch that performs in the gym and goes well with your little black dress, have a look at the eleven picks below.

Garmin Forerunner 55

Any list of sports watches for women is likely to start with Garmin. If you’re new to running, the Garmin Forerunner 55 could be perfect for you. In terms of design, it’s almost identical to the 45; however, instead of a touchscreen, there are 5 buttons that are used to navigate. Don’t be put off by this, though; they are easy to use and carefully labeled to avoid any confusion during a run.

A new addition to this device is the feminine health features, including menstrual cycle tracking via the Garmin Connect app. You can log in physical and emotional symptoms, set period reminders, and even access training and nutrition advice for each phase of your cycle.

Made for daily wear, the Forerunner 55 is lightweight and comfortable and is designed to be worn 24/7. It’s water-resistant to 5 ATM and has a variety of watch faces to choose from.

As with all Garmin watches, the superb accuracy of the GPS is what sets it apart, especially for runners. One handy new feature is the suggested workouts; these are based on your previous activity to become more tailored the longer you use the Watch. They can help you mix up your workouts and ensure you are getting enough variety and rest. Even as an entry-level sports watch, the safety features are excellent. Incident detection will alert an emergency contact, and Live Track allows a contact to follow your location in real-time.

Additional features include heart rate monitor and daily body battery that are presented as a progress bar so you can quickly see how close you are to your step goal or how close you are to needing to rest. The 55 can track sleep; however, you can’t check your stats on the actual Watch. Instead, you will need to use the companion app on your phone. And, of course, we have already mentioned women’s health tracking.

Main Advantages

• Customisable watch faces
• Workout suggestions
• Safety features
• Long battery life
• Accurate GPS

Main Disadvantages

• Unable to check sleep stats on the watch
• Relatively low screen res

Apple Watch SE

If you’re looking for a sophisticated fitness device, this is not it. However, if you are looking for a well-priced smartwatch with excellent features and adequate fitness tracking, this may well be the Watch for you.

The Apple Watch SE is a mid-price edition to the Apple Watch range yet still has the “headline” features you need. Customizable faces and complications, fall detection, heart-rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and always-on altimeter are just some to mention.

As always with the Apple Watch, there isn’t much to say about the design. It has stayed pretty much the same since Series 3. However, the fitness and health features are pretty impressive. On the face of it (quite literally), the information provided looks quite basic. Still, as you look around the iPhone apps, you can find much more valuable information from average walking/running rates, V02 data, and more. It doesn’t compete with the major sports watches such as Garmin or Suunto, but you wouldn’t be buying it if you wanted that level of data.

The smartwatch features are what you expect with any Apple Watch, access to notifications, make and receive calls, and Siri is also on board.

Two things missing from the SE are the ECG (available on all Apple Watches since the Series 4) and the blood oxygen sensor. These was reserved for the Series 6, released simultaneously. While we don’t think these have to be deal-breakers, it is worth noting them.

Main Advantages

• Highly customisable
• Good fitness and health features for beginners
• Comfortable design

Main Disadvantages

• Battery life (as with all Apple Watches)
• No always-on screen
• No ECG or Blood Oxygen Sensor

Garmin vivoactive 4S

Garmin approaches the hybrid market differently with a more traditional-looking timepiece on top of a fitness base.

The 4S is available in either 40mm or 45mm casings and comes in silver, black, and pink. Although you can get to customize your Garmin watch with interchangeable silicone bands in several different colors.

The display screen on this watch is noteworthy as it uses transflective memory-in-pixel to help you avoid annoying reflections. This is all encased by durable Gorilla Glass 3.

The Vivoactive 4S has a huge list of over 10 monitoring features, including women’s cycle tracking.

Main Advantages

• Several design and customization options
• Excellent fitness tracking from a well-known sports watch brand
• Multiple sport modes and health monitoring features
• Durable

Main Disadvantages

• Expensive
• GPS signal can be weak at times

Fitbit Sense

Fitbit is another brand synonymous with sports watches for women. Fitbit’s Sense wristwatch, which is packed with sophisticated health sensors for stress, heart rate, and ECG and packaged in clean and compact packaging, is an effort to challenge the Apple Watch’s supremacy.

It’s Fitbit’s flagship model, costing about $300, and sits above the Versa 3, which is basically the same wristwatch without the sophisticated sensors, as well as a lower-cost range of activity trackers.

The Watch is one of the tiniest smartwatches on the market, measuring 40.5mm wide and 12.35mm thick. The 1.58-inch OLED display is brilliant and is encased in a polished stainless steel bezel that houses the sensor’s electrical connections. The remainder of the body is made of aluminum.

The Sense comes with two silicone strap sizes that snap into the unique quick-release holes on the rear. The screen may be configured to always display the time and other info or light up when you turn your wrist or touch the side button. You can download hundreds of watch faces from Fitbit and third-party developers using the Fitbit app via a smartphone.

Main Advantages

• Most advanced Fitbit device to date
• Alexa compatible
• Supports third party apps

Main Disadvantages

• Buttonless design takes getting used to

Suunto 9 Baro & Peak

The new Suunto 9 series offers a larger fitness watch with a simple look, but tons of features. It is one of the few smartwatches which rivals the Apples Series 7 in terms of its price (over $500 for the Peak and over $300 for the Baro ). So do the Suunto 9 Baro or Peak stack up against a brand like Apple?

These smartwatches certainly don’t look like an Apple Watch. Instead, they look like they carry Suunto’s signature simplicity. The Peak is advertised as a smartwatch that’s better for more serious athletes with a tougher case than the Baro, a smaller and sleeker design than the Baro, and better Bluetooth connectivity.

In terms of health features and monitoring, the two Suunto models stack up pretty similar between one another.

Main Advantages

• Durable and tough case
• Can choose between 3 band materials on each the Baro and the Peak
• Can choose between two great models of the newest Suunto

Main Disadvantages

• compatible with Android only
• Considerably more expensive than some other great fitness watches for women

Suunto 7

The Suunto 7 is suitable for wearing daily. It’s also a loyal friend for adventures. If you’re into doing sports every single day, this is the perfect Watch for you. It offers over 70 sport modes, a heart rate monitor, and a GPS mode. It gives the user a unique sports experience. It’ll accurately analyze all your training. 

It works on Wear OS, and so it’ll deliver your important notifications without being connected to your smartphone.

It’s a great unisex watch with many custom options. There are a lot of handy options for both sports and daily use. You can, of course, also use your favorite apps with it too. It comes with smartwatch features that are mostly compatible with Android (being a Wear OS device). These include contactless payment. 

You can enjoy convenient access to offline outdoor maps that work with Strava and Endomondo. 

As for the design, it’s robust. It’s 50mm x 50mm x 15.3mm and is made of steel with a silicone strap. It has a high-res touchscreen that scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass protects. The battery life lasts up to 48 hours in smartwatch mode or 12 hours in GPS mode. It has a 50ATM water-resistance rating.

Main Advantages

• Robust watch for active women
• Decent water-resistance for surface-level swimming

Main Disadvantages

• More heavy set than other Suunto versions
• Better options for longer battery life

Apple Watch 7

The long-awaited Apple Watch Series 7 is here, and it’s a great investment if you’re looking for a sports watch that can do it all. 

Apple’s new Series 7 model can measure blood oxygen and ECGs anywhere. This state-of-the-art technology is ideal for anyone who wants to keep up on their fitness metrics to meet their health goals. You can also use the activity tracker tools to connect with friends and boost each other’s motivations. 

The Apple Watch is built to endure stress. There’s no need to worry about taking it out with you. The new design is built from strong crystals to make it more crack-resistant than ever. It’s also dust-resistant and water-resistant/swim-proof. Take it on the go without worry. 

The Watch also features five new aluminum colors, including green, blue, red, starlight, and midnight. Customize your Watch to match your style! The Apple Watch 7 features a sleek, lightweight design that fans love. If you want minimalist style sports watch instead of a bulky traditional design, the Apple Watch 7 is for you.

With a new and improved display, this Watch gives you a brighter screen that’s easier to work with. Using a smartwatch on the go can be difficult, but Apple has made sure their new Watch is easy to read and type on. If you like running or working out with a smartwatch, these new features make your life easier.

Main Advantages

• A larger and brighter screen
• More colors to choose from 
• 33% faster charging

Main Disadvantages

• Needs a longer battery life
• Workouts are basic
• A more expensive option

Read our full review of the Apple Watch 7 here.

Galaxy Watch 4

The Galaxy Watch 4 is a new smartwatch that users love. While this watch isn’t always thought of as a sports watch, it has many sports-based features and health and fitness trackers. 

The sports features of this Watch include dedicated activity tracking that includes active minutes, step dunts, and calories burned too. This feature has real-time notifications to give you advice on the best way to exercise. Whether you need to take a rest day or you’re ready for an intense workout, this Watch has got your back. These notifications include inactivity warnings to motivate you to get up and move every day.

With the help of the Samsung Health app, the Galaxy Watch 4 also measures the wearer’s bloody oxygen levels. If you want high-quality health metrics to compliment your sports routine, this is a great feature to look for. 

The Galaxy Watch 4 also allows users to switch between specialized sports modes to optimize their workout. These sports modes include cycling, running, pool swimming, and rowing. IF you connect your phone, you can access more training modes like a running coach. 

Other exciting Galaxy Watch 4 features include the ability to stream music, a 220 pixels per inch display, access to the Google Play Store, and more. 

Main Advantages:

• Lots of fitness and sports modes to choose from. 
• Accurate data tracking to help boost the user’s fitness.
• Sleek and aesthetic design.

Main Disadvantages

• A more expensive option.
• Could have more sports modes.

Fitbit Charge 5

When it comes to sports watches, Fitbit is one of the best on the market. Their latest Watch, the Charge 5, is already extremely popular with new and longtime users. But is it the right sports watch for you?

This is currently Fitbit’s most advanced health and fitness tracker. With an on-wrist ECG app and stress management tools, this is an advanced watch ready to help you get healthier. The Watch comes in one size and offers three color choices. Choose from black, lunar white, and steel blue when you get a Charge 5 fitness watch. 

One of the key fitness features of the Fitbit Charge 5 is the Daily Readiness score. This is a personalized score based on data insights from the sleep, exercise, and heart rate variability sensors. From this information, the Watch can formulate whether you’re ready to work out or need to take a recovery day. This will revolutionize your fitness routine, and you’ll be feeling better than ever too. 

Other health metrics included on the Charge 5 are blood oxygen trackers (SpO2 levels), breathing rates, and heart rate variability sensors. Use these health trackers to improve your workout routine and get in tune with your body. 

Main Advantages:

• Fitbit specializes in sports watches
• Includes Daily Readiness information
• Great range of health trackers

Main Disadvantages

• Users need to sign up for a Fitbit app membership to use many features

Explore our review of Charge 5 here.

So what are the best sports watches for women?

The smartwatch and fitness trackers market might be geared towards men, but there is also a wealth of capable sports watches for women you can choose from. Whether you want to focus on style, fitness tracking features, or trends, I hope the four choices above inspired you.

So, what do you say? Did you find the right sports watch in the list above? Tell me in a comment below; I’d love to hear from you.

Before you go, share this article with your friends to help them find the right sports watch.

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