REFSIX recommends: Garmin

REFSIX is now available on Garmin watches. To celebrate being featured on the Connect IQ app store we wanted to share our recommendations for the best Garmin watches for referees. We tested three watches at REFSIX HQ to see whether the unique features would benefit referees in the middle.

Garmin has one of the biggest ranges of wearables and smartwatches with over 17 different categories and 80 different models. It can be daunting to select the right one for you but the beauty of such a wide range means there is definitely a watch that will suit you.

3 reasons referees love Garmin watches

1. The Garmin Connect app provides you with a one-stop shop to monitor all of your activities. You'll be able to see a host of detailed information about your runs, cycles or workouts. This helps you taper your training so that you are never over trained, reducing your chances of injury

2. Garmin is not only the master of GPS on wearables but also has products for cars, boats and aeroplanes. Their GPS is both hyper-accurate and uses very little power

3. Serious battery life - Garmin watches last longer than other smartwatches. This is especially useful for referees who need to referee multiple games in one day. Some watches even charge using solar power meaning you have even more battery life to play with

Vivoactive 4

Vivoactive 4 is the best on a budget starting at £220 pounds or $329 dollars. It is the entry-level Garmin watch with a great sunlight visible display very similar to an e-book.

It’s super easy to interact with apps but if you prefer physical buttons then look at the Forerunner range which has similarly priced models.

The Vivoactive 4 has 8 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and 18 hours in GPS mode whilst also being waterproof so you can use it for a wet Sunday game.

Venu 2

The Venu 2 has the best display of the watches we tested. It's a stunning full-colour high-res AMOLED display like those you'd see in high-end TVs and smartphones. The touchscreen makes it super easy to interact with apps and prices start at £350 ($400).

Unlike Garmin's traditional sunlight-visible displays, this may be a little harder to see in very bright conditions. However, we loved this watch, and think it's the most similar to an Apple Watch or an Android watch in terms of screen quality.

The battery life is amazing - up to 12 Days in smart watch mode and 22 hours in GPS mode. If you're a referee doing back-to-back games these watches are just perfect.

Fenix 7

The Fenix 7 has the best features out of the watches we reviewed. It's definitely the pricier option - £690 ($800) for the solar version. It's the biggest and heaviest watch we've looked at but still feels perfectly good on the wrist.

The Fenix has a really unique feature where the screen is also a solar panel so it charges whilst you're out there on the field. This watch has the best battery life that we've seen it has 28 days of battery life and 37 days if you're using solar charging. In GPS mode it will last 89 hours or 122 with solar.

The unique touch screen and button combination can be really useful. Like the Vivoactive it has a sunlight-visible display so it's really easy to see in bright conditions and like all of the other watches it's also waterproof.

Summary

Garmin watches have a range at different memory sizes which are not normally indicated on the box. The watches we have reviewed all run the full version of the REFSIX app but for some of the older watches we have also made a cut down light version of our app when picking a watch to buy from Garmin. We have a full guide on our website which outlines which watches can get the full REFSIX experience.