This topic has been coming up here and there…I’m an advocate that the 920xt is still the gold standard against which all multisport watches/devices are held. I’ve had mine since 2012 and it hasn’t skipped a beat. Had to replace the strap about 2 years ago (bought 3 for like 10 bucks via chinese knock-off). I don’t have a need or want for optical heart rate until it can reliably work underwater, which by definition of optical HR, won’t be feasible or at least very easy. IMO that’s the only good use for optical heart rate. Otherwise, strap is better. I know many agree. Battery still lasts plenty long for my workouts using GPS, and forever if just using HR/no GPS.
Is this watch missing anything useful that has been implemented since?
This topic has been coming up here and there…I’m an advocate that the 920xt is still the gold standard against which all multisport watches/devices are held. I’ve had mine since 2012 and it hasn’t skipped a beat. Had to replace the strap about 2 years ago (bought 3 for like 10 bucks via chinese knock-off). I don’t have a need or want for optical heart rate until it can reliably work underwater, which by definition of optical HR, won’t be feasible or at least very easy. IMO that’s the only good use for optical heart rate. Otherwise, strap is better. I know many agree. Battery still lasts plenty long for my workouts using GPS, and forever if just using HR/no GPS.
Is this watch missing anything useful that has been implemented since?
My Fenix 6 does everything the forerunner does and a bunch of things it doesn’t (music is a big one). Bonus is I can wear it as an everyday watch at work. I’m not sure you can declare it the gold standard because it has features you don’t personally care about.
My 305 was the best. Then my 910XT was the best. (I skipped the 920XT for a 745XT instead. That was pretty darned good.) Then my 945 was the best. Now the 945 LTE is the best.
These things have advanced a ton since the 920XT, and I could never go back. I would miss the mapping, small and light package, easy to read screen, wrist HR so I don’t have to travel with multiple devices, instant GPS lock, etc.
PSA: Wrist HR works pretty well underwater, at least for me. Water really isn’t a challenge for it. The major HR water challenge is signal broadcast from an external device to the watch.
the greatest multisport watch ever is the timex ironman. why? it costs $40 at walmart, looks OK, is waterproof, super intuitive to use, never needs recharging, and takes a pounding before it dies.
yeah, i recently got a (used!) fenix 5, but for decades the timex ironman was my choice.
I’m an advocate that the 920xt is still the gold standard against which all multisport watches/devices are held.
The 920xt wasn’t really much of an improvement over the 910xt.
The biggest jump was from the 305 to the 310xt when they made it waterproof so you could wear a watch the whole race rather than put it on in transition. That set the stage for the all the next watches to come after that. At the same time they also added a barometric altimeter which made elevation gain more accurate.
The jump from the 920xt to the 735xt I felt like was a bigger jump than the 910xt to 920xt as they were able to slim it down into a body that didn’t scream triathlete. And the optical HR meant no more chest strap.
the greatest multisport watch ever is the timex ironman. why? it costs $40 at walmart, looks OK, is waterproof, super intuitive to use, never needs recharging, and takes a pounding before it dies.
yeah, i recently got a (used!) fenix 5, but for decades the timex ironman was my choice.
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We all used it just fine. Didn’t need a fancy GPS map or power numbers.
If I was picky I would say the circa 90´s Timex Ironman OVA with the screen just on the side of the wrist, was the best ever watch for swimming and still is IMHO
I love the 920XT, loved the Timex Ironman, and also loved the 305. The watch that really changed the game for me was the introduction of the Polar heart rate monitor watch (still have an original and it works fine). It was always ‘time and sort of approximate distance’, and Polar added a third dimension. For me it changed the way I trained. Garmin’s introduction of gps to measure pace and distance was the next great evolution, everything since has been nice but mostly incremental improvements.
I’d say it was a pretty good watch… when it’s altimeter stopped working that was a bit of a nuisance but not the worst. Right now one of the buttons won’t work… of course it is the enter/start/stop button so the watch is now unusable other than to tell time. I will have to pick something else out probably that will take music.
I do agree that the Timex Ironman watch served for many years in the pre-GPS days. I used to run a lot and very consistently paced. I could give you a pretty accurate measure of a running route based on how I felt and elapsed time.
the greatest multisport watch ever is the timex ironman.Forgot about that. Yep, my Timex Ironman was by far the best until I got my 305XT. I remember trying to hit the lap button on every mile split in a race. I rarely got it right. But that watch was rock solid. Now the watch does it for me.
The 945 and 945 LTE optical HR works well in the water, better than I expected it to. I don’t swim by HR but I notice it in the data file.
The 920 is a good watch, I bought 2 bands for my GF’s watch and they are still good. I just pulled my 920 out of it’s storage container and the band fell apart. It was the original one from 2015? I’ll have to get another one. I didn’t think I’d ever like the round screen over the square but now I’m indifferent to it.
My 920 has been bullet proof. I’m not a Garmin and would not mind going completely away from them, but this 920 will not die. I have worn it all day, every day, for years now. I had three 910’s, all which had the altimeter issue.
the greatest multisport watch ever is the timex ironman. why? it costs $40 at walmart, looks OK, is waterproof, super intuitive to use, never needs recharging, and takes a pounding before it dies.
yeah, i recently got a (used!) fenix 5, but for decades the timex ironman was my choice.
Absolutely. It is also the only watch I have ever seen that has a countdown timer that automatically starts over again. Set it on the end of your swim lane and do 10x100 on 1:15. The alarm goes off and you start swimming. Repeat 10 times and you never have to touch the watch.
I’m on my 3rd strap now. Love the 920 and will keep it until it dies. And then I’m going to look closely at the COROS Vertix Adventure Watch. Apparently the Vertix does all the swim, tri stuff, but has 60 hours battery life in full GPS mode, more accurate GPS, more accurate altimeter, optical pulse oximeter and other useful mountaineering features. Downside is it’s pricey. This review by Gearlab compares it to the Garmin 935 and others.
My 920xt of 6 years finally had the Altimeter fail last week. I replaced it with a Fenix 6pro.
FWIW, DCR has a less favorable review of the Coros Venix. That said, his review is ~2 years old…so perhaps things have changed. Nevertheless, I can’t see buying a Fenix knockoff for the same price as a Fenix.
Back when men were men, we would just run and ride using the sun and the length of your shadow. You could get those shadows anywhere. And the longer the shadow the longer you had been out and the better your workout. And our “power meter†was a calf, that you would carry on your back until it was fully grown into a bull. You would record your session as “20 minutes at calf power†or “3 minutes at bull power.â€