The strap remains cosy even after a long day of activities, and was even bearable when worn at night to make the most of its sleep tracking features – something not all fitness watches are able to achieve. It is comfortable to wear and sits nicely on the wrist. Its all-black design is subtle too, and doesn’t scream “triathlon watch” – unlike some of its competitors. Read more: 8 best running watches: GPS wristwear for tracking your workouts Its Corning gorilla glass DX screen remains scratch-free after vigorous testing and the wear and tear of everyday life, and we would expect it to hold its own against flailing limbs at the start of an open water swim. It doesn’t have a touch screen but its five side buttons are located in intuitive spots, making navigating the watch easy – even mid-activity. It does have its design flourishes though. But it’s the forerunner 945’s brains and ability that your money is paying for, and we’d rather have a multi-sport watch that did everything you could possibly want and more rather than a watch that was simply style over substance. With a price tag of more than £500, that might seem like quite an outlay for a relatively cheap and cheerful package. There’s no escaping from the fact that the forerunner 945 is predominantly plastic. Battery life: 2 weeks in smartwatch mode, 10 hours in GPS mode with music, 36 hours in GPS mode without music.Dimensions: 47mm x 47mm x 13.7mm in size, screen is 30.4mm in diameter.Sports tracked: Running, cycling, swimming, cardio, strength training, golf, hiking, climbing, skiing and more.A number of competitors have released their rivals to the forerunner 945 since, but can the older Garmin model still prevail over these young upstarts? We strapped one on and put it through its paces.

The Garmin forerunner 945 sits at the top of the brand’s forerunner line and has been a go-to choice for first-time triathletes and seasoned pros alike since it was launched in 2019. Dedicated training plans that you can follow are a bonus too. It should also hold its own in training and be able to track a ride or swim just as well as it can a run – after all, inaccurate measurements mean you could arrive at the start line on race day under prepared. The fewer buttons you have to press or activities you have to start and stop, the more time you can spend concentrating on your transition phase (where you might be getting out of a wet suit ready for the bike segment or slipping on some running trainers for the final leg). A good triathlon watch should make life easy for you though.