This is our review of the best sports watches for women in 2021.
Are you having trouble finding the best sports watch for women? Then you might have come to the right place.
I looked through over hundreds of watches, compared the pros and cons of every piece and picked out several outstanding wristwatches to give you the best choice.
And I found that Timex IRONMAN Classic 30 is the best overall sports watch for women.
If you are in a hurry, you might consider to go with the following summary.
Quick Summary
- If you want the best overall sports watch, consider Timex IRONMAN Classic 30.
- If you are looking at the best budget sports watch, consider ARMITRON DRAGONFLY 27.
- If you want a pedometer watch, consider Casio Runner Series LWS-2000H-4AVCF.
- If you prefer minimalist design, consider Ironman Transit.
- If you like big watches, consider Casio G-Shock Women GMAS140-2A.
The Best Sports Watches for Women Reviews
Since everyone has their own preference, look no further, enjoy the following review and find your matching timepiece.
Best Overall Sports Watch for Women – Timex IRONMAN Classic 30 Mid-Size
PROS
- 10 year battery life
- Multiple time zone
- 15 preset occasions for reminders
- 3 customizable alarms
- Stopwatch with 30 lap memory
- 99 Lap Counter
- 24-hour Countdown timer
- Multiple colors
- Water Resistance Level 100m / 330 Feet: in general, suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving
- INDIGLO illumination
CONS
- Cheap acrylic dial window at this price range
- Very rare fogging issue
The Timex IRONMAN Classic 30 is one of the best selling sports watches online.
Today we have the Mid-Size version which will fit on almost everyone.
The watch has a 34 mm round resin case, featuring an oval digital display. A classic five buttons layout which will never go out of style and a replaceable buckle strap that will last you many years ahead.
The watch is built to be lightweight, about 1 oz, which is similar to a slice of bread.
It has a clear layout to show you Day, Month, Date and time, many owners find it very easy to read even at night, because of the INDIGLO (A illumination technology owned by Timex), which evenly lights up the dial.
I’m quite surprised by the number of features it has.
Stopwatch with 30 lap memory, for effortless review after workout.
Three customizable alarms (daily, weekday, weekend or weekly option) which are very useful for different routines.
A Countdown timer and preset reminders will fulfill your needs for every situation.
Even though it has tons of features, with the On-Screen prompts, setting them up is a piece of cake.
One little downside about the watch is that, at this price range, the dial window is not in mineral (Better scratch resistance). Some minor few find the watch started to fog up after a few months.
Still this is definitely the best overall watch on the list and I will recommend it to anyone who is looking for a decent sports watch at a good price.
Manual & Tips
If you are not sure on how to set up your Timex IRONMAN Classic 30, check out the user manual.
Best Budget Sports Watch for Women – Armitron Dragonfly 27
The Armitron Dragonfly 27 is a quartz watch with digital display. The watch has great visibility and essential features, it will fit very well on you if you have a small wrist.
It comes with a 27 mm round resin case, which is larger than a quarter, and a standard replaceable belt buckle band. Some find the clasp is a bit loose, which might slip off and cause a little drag during intensive competition.
What I like about this watch is that it looks much more expensive than it is because of the stainless steel bezel.
The time, day and date almost take up the entire display, and with an illuminated clock face, it is very easy to read under any condition.
Military time or calendar date display is also available if you need them.
Both the alarm and stopwatch feature are very easy to access and setup, there is also a dual time zone which is quite handy if you travel a lot. But the downside is that it doesn’t have a countdown timer and you can’t turn off the beeping sound when pressing buttons.
Although this is the cheapest watch on the list, it comes with everything you need for a sports watch. Some drawbacks are models with lighter color bands get dirty easily and battery replacement is rather difficult.
In short, I definitely recommend this watch if you have a small wrist or you want to get a very budget sports watch that has every basic feature.
PROS
· Affordable
· Wide range of color selection
· Great visibility
· Stainless steel bezel
· Stopwatch, Alarm & Illumination
· Water Resistance Level 100m / 330 Feet: in general, suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving
· Dual time zones
CONS
· No countdown timer
· Tedious battery replacement
· Dial window is not scratchy resistance
Manual & Tips
If you are not sure on how to set up your Armitron Dragonfly 27, check out the user manual.
Best Pedometer Sports Watch for Women – Casio Runner Series LWS-2000H-4AVCF
The Casio Runner Series LWS-2000H-4AVCF is a large size watch in a sporty pink and gray color. A classic five buttons layout for quick access of features, but the design is a bit overwhelmed with text which makes it difficult to read.
This quartz watch has a 43.8 mm round case, similar to the size of a golf ball. Despite being a large size watch, it is the lightest on the list, which weights less than 1oz.
A standard replaceable resin band in grey, nothing fancy but most owners find it comfortable and fits well.
This watch comes with a mineral dial window, it has a better scratch resistance and improved visibility than the acrylic ones.
The default face displays a 12-hour timekeeping with Day, Date, Year and Month or you can switch to 24-hour timekeeping and dual time mode when needed.
What I don’t like about the watch is that the visibility at night is bad. The LED lights up from the side, causing a high contrast and making it difficult to tell time.
If you happen to do a lot of running, you will love the pedometer it comes with. Wear it and start moving to track, then it will show you a graph, which will display a breakdown on your step count.
Besides the step tracking feature, the watch has an amazing stopwatch and countdown timer for every sporty scenario. There are five alarms to set, which is more than enough for your daily routine.
In conclusion, this is a great watch for you if you like running, jogging or even race walking. It will track your activities without the need of connecting to your phone.
PROS
· Mineral dial window
· Step tracker
· Dual time zone
· 1/100’s stopwatch
· Countdown timer
· 5 alarms
· Water Resistance Level 100m / 330 Feet: in general, suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving
CONS
· One color
· Low visibility at night
Manual & Tips
If you are not sure on how to set up your Casio LWS-2000H-4AVCF, check out the user manual.
Best Minimalist Sports Watch for Women – Timex Women’s Ironman Transit
The Ironman Transit is a minimalist watch that offers everything for your sports in action.
Timex has done a bang-up job on the design. By matching a single color with glossy bezel (Rose Gold, Silver or Black), the watch sent out a very strong and energetic message.
It has a 33 mm squircle resin case, also known as cushion case. It’s a square design but with rounded edges and bowed-out sides, you can find it on many divers and sports watches.
If you prefer to wear a super light watch when sporting, then this could be a good choice, it’s less than 1 oz,slightly lighter than a pencil.
The strap is in the same color as the lug, so it doesn’t crash with the glossy bezel. Very durable and it fits well on the wrist.
I like the face of this watch, it has a very simple and clean layout. The time display is in big numbers which are easy to read, and well proportionate buttons for quick access of different features.
One little downside on the design is that the dial window is in acrylic, which is not scratch resistance.
The watch may be minimal in design, but it has every feature you would need for your sports and training.
10 lap memory stopwatch, a 24-hour countdown timer for record tracking and customizable alarm for setting up reminders.
Let’s talk about the illumination, the watch has INDIGLO (A illumination technology owned by Timex), which evenly lights up the entire display. If you need a reliable sports watch at night, then you might consider this.
Many people find the watch difficult to set because the + or – button is actually not side by side. The plus button is on the front and the minus button is at the bottom right. Anyway, we have linked the user manual below for your reference.
In short, if you like simple and practical sports watches, I will recommend this one. It has a sleek and minimal design, essential features and very durable resin strap, as well as long lasting battery life.
PROS
· 10 year battery life
· Multiple colors
· Stopwatch with 10 lap memory
· 24-hour countdown timer
· Customizable alarm
· Dual time zone
· INDIGLO illumination
· Water Resistance Level 100m / 330 Feet: in general, suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving
CONS
· Cheap acrylic dial window at this price range
· Difficult to set without manual
Manual & Tips
If you are not sure on how to set up your Timex Ironman Transit, check out the user manual.
Best Sports Watch for Women with Large Wrist – Casio G-Shock Women GMAS140-2A
The Casio G-Shock Women GMAS140-2A is a highly popular analog-digital watch.
It has a black case with blue bezel lettering, silver hands and a little bit of green, blue and purple accents. It resembles a retro stereo device while maintaining a strong level of toughness.
The watch comes with an enormous resin case at 49 mm, design in rugged bunker style which you can find on G-Shock series. With the famous shock and magnetic resistance, this is the most durable sports watch on our list.
I do appreciate the mineral dial window, it’s a lot better than the acrylic one in terms of scratch resistance and appearance.
As for the color scheme, it’s pretty amazing and sort of like a 90s portable music player. But the problem is, it has too many colors, making it difficult to tell time. It’s even worse at night because the LED light is quite weak.
There are two sub-dials with inverted display, featuring 12/24-hour format and 29 time zones. Five daily alarms, 1/1000 second stopwatch and countdown timer up to 24 hours. These features are definitely more than enough for your daily sporting activities.
Despite the gigantic size, the watch has only 56 grams, which is similar to a tennis ball, and most of the watch owners find it quite comfortable to wear.
In short, if you are looking for a sports watch, and you do have a large wrist or prefer to wear an oversized timepiece, then this might be a good choice.
PROS
· Shock and magnetic resistance
· Mineral dial window
· Water Resistance Level 200m / 660 Feet: Suitable for professional marine activity, serious surface water sports and skin diving
· 29 time zones
· 5 daily alarms
· 24-hour countdown timer
CONS
· Difficult to read
· Weak LED light
· Watch might be too big for some people
Manual & Tips
If you are not sure on how to set up your Casio G-Shock Women GMAS140-2A, check out the user manual.
What makes the best sports watch for you?
There are a few basic things to look at when it comes to sports watches.
Durability and long battery life
To get on our list, the watch has to be durable enough under any conditions. Exceptional battery life that can last for years, without the hassle of charging it every day.
Robust Features
To make it into the best category, there are some bottom line features you might expect. A basic chronograph for timing your activities, good illumination for workouts at night and finally an alarm clock.
For water resistant level, it depends on your sports, for details, please refer to the table below,
Water resistance rating Suitability Remarks Water Resistant 3 atm or 30 m Suitable for everyday use. Splash/rain resistant. Not suitable for showering, bathing, swimming, snorkeling, water related work, fishing, and diving. Water Resistant 5 atm or 50 m Suitable for everyday use, showering, bathing, shallow-water swimming, snorkeling, water related work, fishing. Splash/rain resistant. Not suitable for diving. Water Resistant 10 atm or 100 m Suitable for recreational surfing, swimming, snorkeling, sailing and water sports. Not suitable for diving. Water Resistant 20 atm or 200 m Suitable for professional marine activity, serious surface water sports and skin diving. Suitable for skin diving. Diver’s 100 m Minimum ISO standard (ISO 6425) for scuba diving at depths not suitable for saturation diving. Diver’s 100 m and 150 m watches are generally old(er) watches. Diver’s 200 m or 300 m Suitable for scuba diving at depths not suitable for saturation diving. Typical ratings for contemporary diver’s watches. Diver’s 300+ m for mixed-gas diving Suitable for saturation diving (helium enriched environment). Watches designed for mixed-gas diving will have the DIVER’S WATCH xxx M FOR MIXED-GAS DIVING additional marking to point this out. Table references: wikipedia
Comfortability
One of the most important things people tend to overlook is the bracelet or strap. Some watches come with a non-replaceable strap, which may or may not fit on you depending on your wrist size.
Good Design
Watches come in different shapes, sizes and color, if you are not sure which one looks good on you, there is one golden rule to follow. Get yourself a small watch if you have a smaller wrist and go for a bigger one if you have a big wrist.
Final Thoughts & Editor’s Choice
When it comes to sports watch recommendations for women, it all depends on your budget and needs. You can get a very affordable watch with basic features or spend a little bit more for a pedometer watch, which is great for runners.
I find Timex IRONMAN Classic 30 Mid-Size is the clear winner. It’s affordable at the same time providing every feature that is needed for different sports & activities. An entry Water Resistance Level 100m / 330 Feet that is suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving.
The watch has INDIGLO (A illumination technology owned by Timex), one of the best glow in the dark technology in the market and 10 years of battery life. A sleek design and a medium size case that will fit for almost everyone.
So, that is everything about it, and let me know in the comment below on your choice of best sports watch for women.