A thousand bucks for a wrist computer
By Abby Turner, Melbourne ·
If I won Tattslotto and suddenly took up ultramarathons, this would be the first thing I bought.
The Fenix 8 is basically Garmin's everything-watch: GPS, heart rate, maps, dive computer, plus all the training stuff. Maps on the wrist would actually be useful on our longer bush walks, and the battery life on Fenix watches is good enough that a long weekend away is no drama. The case is 47 mm and 14.5 mm thick with a steel bezel, so it's solid. 100 m water resistance.
But US$1,000 to $1,200 is a lot, and it's a lot of watch on a wrist. I'd feel it every time I leaned over a bed. The Gorilla Glass screen on the AMOLED model is pretty, and screens like this don't love being bashed into door frames.
If you're serious about training and the outdoors, go for it. For everyone else, the Instinct 3 is plenty.