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Timex IRONMAN One GPS+ – Running & Fitness Watch Review

Posted on Sep 13, 2015 under Reviews | No Comment

Leave Your Phone Behind.

Smartwatches and fitness trackers have become a very popular and trendy products these days. They all have their own unique features, but for the most part, they allow you to receive messages and notifications on your watch without needing to take your phone out (which the watch is almost always connected to). But the problem with smartwatches is that they’re just an accessory to your smartphone, the watch cannot function without the smartphone nearby. So how did Timex address that issue? Well, they added a cellular radio to their newest fitness watch, the Timex IRONMAN One GPS+ watch. They partnered with AT&T to provide cellular data to their new watch to allow you to communicate with others without needing to be connected to your phone. The fitness watch offers a variety of other useful features which I’ll go into detail below.

Core Features

Fitness Tracking – I used to own a Timex Ironman stopwatch and it worked flawlessly for its purpose: tracking runs with split timing. The One GPS+ functions just as well in this core feature, but tracks distance, pace as well with its GPS. I’ve only been on a few runs with the watch, but it does seem pretty accurate and can find a GPS signal pretty quickly so I’m not stuck standing outside before a run.

Live Tracking – This feature allows you to let others know where you are at any moment, just in case you get hurt or are in danger (ideally, it’s never needed for these reasons, but it definitely gives you peace of mind knowing that you have this function available.) It can be great if you’re trying to keep track of someone while they’re running a race. You’ll know exactly where they’ll be so you can cheer them on and not have to stand there for hours during a race.

Display – The display is probably one of the better displays I’ve seen on a fitness watch. It is a 1.5″ display that uses a Mirasol display technology, which allows you to see the screen very easily (if not better) in direct sunlight. It is also touchscreen which makes navigating through the screens a lot easier.

Bluetooth Connectivity – This may be standard in most smartwatches, but necessary. This allows you to connect to a heartrate monitor as well as bluetooth headsets or headphones. I was able to connect to both devices fairly easily. By being able to connect these 2 accessories (and combined with the next feature), I really don’t need to bring my smartphone with me on my runs!

Music – One of my favorite features of the One GPS+ is the on-board 4GB storage which allows you to upload music to the watch itself. You can then connect to the watch via bluetooth to listen to music directly from the watch. This is a great option if you don’t watch to carry your phone during a run or race.

Messaging – This is probably the main way the cellular service comes in handy. Without needing your smartphone, you can send and receive messages directly on your watch. You can either send template responses (“Out running. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”) or use the on-screen keyboard to type something different (it’s basically like those old school T9 flip phone keyboards).

Learn more about the Timex IRONMAN One GPS+ watch below along with the photos.

Timex Ironman One GPS+