Best Watches for the Gym

The best watches for the gym are light, quartz or digital, on a rubber or silicone strap, with a stopwatch you will actually use and enough water resistance to shrug off sweat and a shower. This guide is for people who lift, run or do classes and want a watch that does not need babying between sets. All six picks are under $50 and in stock at One Good Watch right now.

What to look for

Weight first. A 40g to 50g resin or polycarbonate watch disappears on the wrist during a workout in a way a 100g steel piece never does. Strap second: silicone, rubber or resin, because they do not absorb sweat and they rinse under a tap. Then functions. A chronograph or stopwatch for rest intervals, a countdown timer if you do rounds, an alarm if you train early. Digital gets you all of that cheaply. Analog quartz gets you a cleaner look with fewer buttons.

Water resistance is where gym watches separate. A manufacturer-rated 50m (5 ATM) means sweat, a rinse and a surface swim are fine. 30m means sweat and splashes only. Resin and polycarbonate cases also take knocks from a barbell better than plated alloy, and they do not scratch the bar. Skip automatics for training. A rotor does not enjoy repeated impacts, and a quartz watch at this price does the job for a fraction of the cost.

Our picks

SKMEI 1426 Large-Display Digital Sport Watch, 46mm

The workhorse. A 46mm resin case that weighs 50g, a display big enough to read mid-set, and alarm, stopwatch, chronograph, day-and-date and a backlight. Manufacturer-rated 5 ATM, so a shower after is not a decision. Green or black strap, black or light display. $29.99.

SKMEI World Time Ana-Digi Watch, 44mm

Analog hands over a digital window in a 44.3mm polycarbonate case, 50.2g. You get a countdown timer for rounds, five alarms, world time, day and date, an LED backlight and a 12 or 24-hour display. Silicone strap with a steel buckle, manufacturer-rated 50m. Eight colourways. $39.99.

SKMEI Dual-Display Quartz Sport Watch, 44.8mm

The lightest pick at 43.9g. A 44.8mm plastic square case on a plastic strap with a dual display: chronograph, alarm, stopwatch, date, weekday, world time and daylight saving. Japanese quartz, resin crystal, 5 BAR water resistance and roughly 18 months on a battery. Five styles from plain to camouflage. $36.99.

SKMEI 1299 Retro Digital Quartz Sport Watch, 43mm

The classic square digital, done cheaply and properly. A 43mm resin case at 13mm thick and 40g, with alarm, chronograph, countdown timer, dual time, calendar and an EL backlight. Resin strap with a buckle and manufacturer-rated 50m. $24.99.

Mark Fairwhale Resin Sport Chronograph Watch, Rubber Strap

For anyone who wants an analog chronograph at the gym. The 41mm resin case takes knocks better than plated alloy and is 10mm thick, with guarded pushers, a multi-subdial chronograph dial, luminous hands and a black rubber strap. Manufacturer-rated 30m, so sweat and splashes, not the pool. One unit in stock. $49.99.

SINOBI Racing-Dial Silicone Quartz Watch

The slim one. A 42mm racing-dial quartz in an alloy case only 7.2mm thick, on a matching silicone strap, so it sits under a wrist wrap or a sleeve without catching. Manufacturer-rated 30m. Blue, Red and Yellow. No stopwatch, just a clean three-hand dial for people who time rests off the seconds hand. $44.99.

How to choose between them

If you want one watch for training and everything else, the SKMEI 1426 is the easy answer: big display, 50g, 5 ATM. If you do timed rounds, the SKMEI 2100 or the 1299 retro digital give you a countdown timer. The dual-display 2328 is for anyone who wants the most functions at the lowest weight. The Mark Fairwhale resin chronograph is the pick if you prefer hands to digits, and the SINOBI is for people who want the thinnest, quietest watch that still wipes clean. Whichever you choose, rinse the strap after a sweaty session and it will last years.