Use an older Apple Watch for running?

[pullman]

Helo everyone

I don't feel a need to add an Apple Watch because I prefer to use old fashioned analogue watches. But I've been wondering if I should buy an older model to use as time and distance keeper when I run.

Is this a crazy idea or what do you think? If it isn't crazy, which series should I look for?

Thanks a lot in advance for your thoughts.

Philip

 

[Czo]

My GF still use my first generation Apple Watch (ordered on the day 0) with watchOS 4.x. For running, it's not an ideal device because more and more apps left behind this old platform. Runkeeper still available (but who knows how many months are left?), but Nike Run disappeared 3 or 4 months ago. What does it mean? When you start a running session in Runkeeper, thier counterpart app on the watch are auto activating, and keep tarcking thier heart rate and everything like when using Apple's own Workout application. But, when she starts thier session in Nike's app, the watch did not enter to workout mode. When she starts the session both in the watch (in Apple's own Workout app) and the Nike Run app on thier Phone, everything counts for two. So, I think the very first generation is not a great choice. Btw, my first gen watch are still working fine with almost a day long battery (from 7:30 am til midnight, 2-3% battery left).

 

[mk313]

I’ve run with a Series 2, Series 3 and Series 5 so far.

If you are truly using it just to record time & distance, I’d say at least a Series 2. That was the version that added a GPS chip, so the distances were much more accurate, plus you can get a map of your runs.

If you find a good deal on a Series 3, I’d highly recommend getting that instead. It has a faster processor than the Series 2, which in my opinion was a huge upgrade for running (the series 2 can be laggy using some 3rd party apps, or if you want to listen to music etc while running). If you buy a cellular enabled Series 3, you also have the ability to call 911 if you run into an emergency on your run (even without an active cellular subscription). The Series 3 was my favorite Apple Watch ever & I’d probably still be running with it if I hadn’t come by a fantastic deal on a Series 5.

If you think you might be tempted to use it for more than just run tracking once you get it, I’d suggest a Series 4, as that was the first watch to come with a 64 bit chip and there was a pretty big performance upgrade with that.

 

[staggerlee41]

I'm not a runner but think @mk313 gave a pretty good summation of the different models. Series 2 would be slow and probably not have much shelf life. Series 3 is not a bad option, there are or at least were some good deals to be had on new ones. Series 4 was a HUGE improvement over S2 which I've both had. I now have a S4 and S6 and while I like the S6, the S4 is still a very solid watch. Agree that if you have any temptation to use it for more than just run tracking, go for anything starting from S4 on up.

 

[tcphoto1]

I am very happy with my 4 Series Nike Watch, I want to time and pace feedback and the VO2 information is a plus. Other than that, I have no need for a watch but will wear it from time to time when not running.

 

[nordique]

A really nice feature Apple implemented is the ability to have multiple Apple watches seamlessly sync on your phone. It helps if you have say an older model and a newer one, and you favour one for one specific purpose like running or sleep tracking.

TLDR; yes you are certainly able to utilize that if you wish exclusively for running

If it is solely for running, consider the Nike SE model. Should last for a very long time, but will also be best suited for running. It Is also not that much more than the series 3; better “bang for buck”

 

[jbachandouris]

Honestly, if I were looking for a watch just for running, I would buy a Garmin.

I wear Garmin on one wrist and Apple Watch on the other when I run. I trust the accuracy of Garmin running watches over Apple.

I only wear the AW when I run so I don't miss out on calories/miles.

 

[pullman]

Thank you very much everyone for your comments, I really appreciate it. I find the whole Apple Watch thing extremely confusing to be honest.

Thanks @mk313, yes I'm mainly interested in time and distance. Basically I'm just trying to find a simple no-frills running watch and that got me thinking that an older AW might be the way to go since I like Apple very much and I imagine an AW would sync time and distance info into my phone's Health app.

What's a good deal on a series 3? Here in the Netherlands Apple still sells that watch new (but not the Series 4 or 5, it seems) for 219/249 Euros depending on size.

At for instance rebuy.nl the Series 3 still sells for pretty much the same, strangely enough. There are even Series 4 models begin at around 300 Euro in "good" condition. But honestly that isn't far away from the new SE model (429/459 Euro at Apple).

Since I'd only be using it for running I guess there is the question, too, which is the absolute cheapest I could get away with and still have functional tracking?

I’ve run with a Series 2, Series 3 and Series 5 so far.

If you are truly using it just to record time & distance, I’d say at least a Series 2. That was the version that added a GPS chip, so the distances were much more accurate, plus you can get a map of your runs.

If you find a good deal on a Series 3, I’d highly recommend getting that instead. It has a faster processor than the Series 2, which in my opinion was a huge upgrade for running (the series 2 can be laggy using some 3rd party apps, or if you want to listen to music etc while running). If you buy a cellular enabled Series 3, you also have the ability to call 911 if you run into an emergency on your run (even without an active cellular subscription). The Series 3 was my favorite Apple Watch ever & I’d probably still be running with it if I hadn’t come by a fantastic deal on a Series 5.

If you think you might be tempted to use it for more than just run tracking once you get it, I’d suggest a Series 4, as that was the first watch to come with a 64 bit chip and there was a pretty big performance upgrade with that.

Thanks for being honest Which Garmin would you recommend?

Honestly, if I were looking for a watch just for running, I would buy a Garmin.

I wear Garmin on one wrist and Apple Watch on the other when I run. I trust the accuracy of Garmin running watches over Apple.

I only wear the AW when I run so I don't miss out on calories/miles.

 

[mj_]

If all you're looking for is a device to track your outdoor workouts than go with a cheap Fitbit like the Inspire HR.

As for Apple Watches, even a 5-year old Series 0 (sometimes also referred to as Series 7000) will do the trick but won't record your track if you leave your phone at home. The Series 2 was the first with a built-in GPS modem capable of recording GPS data without an external GPS device such as your iPhone. Those should be fairly cheap and will easily do the trick. Basically, see what you can find for around 50-100€ and go with it, you can't really go wrong.

 

[jbachandouris]

Thank you very much everyone for your comments, I really appreciate it. I find the whole Apple Watch thing extremely confusing to be honest.

Thanks @mk313, yes I'm mainly interested in time and distance. Basically I'm just trying to find a simple no-frills running watch and that got me thinking that an older AW might be the way to go since I like Apple very much and I imagine an AW would sync time and distance info into my phone's Health app.

What's a good deal on a series 3? Here in the Netherlands Apple still sells that watch new (but not the Series 4 or 5, it seems) for 219/249 Euros depending on size.

At for instance rebuy.nl the Series 3 still sells for pretty much the same, strangely enough. There are even Series 4 models begin at around 300 Euro in "good" condition. But honestly that isn't far away from the new SE model (429/459 Euro at Apple).

Since I'd only be using it for running I guess there is the question, too, which is the absolute cheapest I could get away with and still have functional tracking?




Thanks for being honest Which Garmin would you recommend?

I uses the Forerunner 235 and since it is older, you could probably get a good deal on one.

 

[arsimoun]

I uses the Forerunner 235 and since it is older, you could probably get a good deal on one.

I used a 235 for years. It was very advanced and had a ton of data. I learned about it on the dcrainmaker site. That said, I am extremely happy with my AW 6. It does everything I need, and according to Ray Maker (the owner of the dcrainmaker site) is extremely accurate. YMMV and all that, but using an AW 6 with the WorkOutdoors app has been all I could ask for.

 

[mk313]

What's a good deal on a series 3? Here in the Netherlands Apple still sells that watch new (but not the Series 4 or 5, it seems) for 219/249 Euros depending on size.

At for instance rebuy.nl the Series 3 still sells for pretty much the same, strangely enough. There are even Series 4 models begin at around 300 Euro in "good" condition. But honestly that isn't far away from the new SE model (429/459 Euro at Apple).

Since I'd only be using it for running I guess there is the question, too, which is the absolute cheapest I could get away with and still have functional tracking?

I agree with one of the later posts, see what you can get for 100 Euros or so. I'm not sure what good sites for buying used Apple watches is in the EU, but just looking at the deals that have posted in the last month or so on the Macrumors site, there was a Series 3 Stainless Steel with a Milanese loop band for $180 and a Series 3 Aluminum (non Cellular) that was listed for $100. I would think you should be able to find something similar.

If you can find a Series 2, that should be the absolute cheapest you could get away with, but I don't see any recent posts for one of those on Macrumors, so I'm not sure what the going rate is. I'd say that if the Series 3 was going for $100, it would be worth the upgrade from a Series 2 that was selling for any more than $50 for what it's worth.

With regards to the Garmin (I know you were talking to someone else & I have almost no experience with an actual Garmin watch & no idea what a used one would go for), if you do decide to go that route I think that you can link the Garmin Connect iPhone app to your Apple Health app, and get the data in that way. I know that I do the reverse (push data from Apple Heath App to Garmin so that Garmin can then sync with Nike) and it works fine.

 

[QCassidy352]

If you want an Apple Watch, I would not go older than series 3. Too slow, too little support left for those older models.

but to echo another post, I’d consider a garmin forerunner if it’s really just for running. May I suggest the forerunner 45:

Garmin Forerunner® 45 | Running Watch

Forerunner® 45 running watches come in a variety of colors and; include wrist-based heart rate monitoring and incident detection for select activities.

buy.garmin.com

 

[sixtydashone]

I cycle every day and my series 3 still works great for that, I am sure it would work just as well for running.

 

[IslahEjaz]

Helo everyone

I don't feel a need to add an Apple Watch because I prefer to use old fashioned analogue watches. But I've been wondering if I should buy an older model to use as time and distance keeper when I run.

Is this a crazy idea or what do you think? If it isn't crazy, which series should I look for?

Thanks a lot in advance for your thoughts.

Philip

That's the same thought which is running in my mind lately, but I don't know from where to get one they are not available in Apple stores.

 

[Monkswhiskers]

Get a 3, solid and (reasonably) cheap.

 

[perezr10]

I disagree with anyone who thinks the Series 3 is too slow. I think it’s still pretty good. Especially for someone who just needs an activity logger while running. It’s WAY faster than the Series 2 and has the largest battery of any watch by far.

However, I’d recommend that you get a Nike+ watch because they come with more watch faces. Even if you don’t use the Nike features, their watch faces are easier to read while running. They have big bold bright numbers and are highly customizable. Nike did a good job of maximizing the smaller screen on the original 42mm watch size.

 

[pullman]

Hello everyone
I just wanted to thank you again for chiming in on this for me. I eventually found a series 4 with LTE for a good deal which is in the mail at the moment.
Thanks again
philip