The Apple Watch is (still) the best sports watch

I’ve been musing on the Apple Watch for the past few days because it has become my single default sports watch. I wear it running, swimming, and at yoga and it has proven itself again and again, adding features and benefits long after I expected to pop it into a drawer and forget about it.

It is, in short, a survivor.

Why the sudden Apple encomium? Well the watch is over four years old by now and Samsung just launched an Apple Watch-esque piece that looks akin to Apple’s lozenge. But even after trying multiple smartwatches I still come back to the Apple Watch and, anecdotally, I’ve only seen it and many generic Android Wear devices in the wild these days. In fact I’ve seen far more Apple Watches than I’ve seen “traditional” watches, even in Europe. This switch – from fashion timepieces to smartwatches – has been sudden.

Why do I personally like it? It just works. You strap it on, swipe down, and you’re ready to go. Apps like FitBod work well and the notifications are unobtrusive and useful. The maps still work well and its a great tool for folks who need walking directions. Google, for its part, as added all of those features to its many compatible devices but none of them, including this tempting line of Fossil watches, can match what Apple offers.

I don’t wear my Apple Watch every day. Heck, I don’t even wear it once a week. But when I need a watch that can survive sweat, water, and jumping around it’s my go-to piece. While I wouldn’t wear it every day I do wear it far more than I’ve worn any other smart watch and far, far more than I’ve worn any other sports watch. And, in the end, that’s what defines best in my book.