Best outdoor smartwatch under £600

Why this one

Nothing near this price comes close on materials: a titanium bezel, a real sapphire crystal and a 1.4-inch AMOLED screen, on a watch that still runs about a month between charges. It came down from roughly £900 for one reason — Garmin released a successor — and that has not made the watch any worse. Full offline maps, multi-band GPS and the built-in torch are all still here. The honest drawback is the size: at 51 mm this is the largest case Garmin makes, and on a slim wrist it looks and feels like exactly that. Try the 47 mm if you are unsure. Stock is also nearly gone — outgoing models do not get restocked, and at the time of writing there were three left.

What it beat

• Garmin fenix 8The newer answer, and roughly double the price for gains most people will not use.
• Garmin epix Pro 47 mmThe same watch in a size that suits more wrists — take this one if 51 mm is too much.
• Apple Watch Ultra 2Better as an everyday smartwatch, hopeless on a trip longer than two days.
• Coros Vertix 2Excellent battery, weaker mapping and a less finished interface.

Specification