Highway trial
With Gorilla Glass
and an anti-fingerprint
coating, it’s waterproof
to 100m and can work
between -10ºC and
50 ºC... even if you
can’t.63
TESTED POLAR VANTAGE V2Polar’s Vantage V2 doesn’t just gee you up
for a workout: it wants to make sure you
don’t pull any muscles in the process
■ The Vantage V2 is an attractive
aluminium training coach, designed
to log workouts then guide you
through recovery so you can
sustain your sadistic regime with
a reduced injury risk. From strain
and tolerance stats to workout
recommendations based on
exertion, it promises to serve up
insights into your body’s condition.■ Add Komoot route guidance,
music controls and smart fuelling
recommendations and it shapes
up as a properly useful tool. The
tactile buttons include haptic
feedback – which is lucky, as
using the laggy touchscreen is
a much less satisfying experience.■ Even if you pursue a different
sporting discipline every day of the
week, the V2 has modes to track
them. You’ll find 130 activity profiles
in the Polar Flow app; metrics
include a swimming stroke counter
and cycling power zones.■ Heart rate is the one constant
across all activities. The V2 uses
eight LEDs to ta ke your pulse and
it’s as good as any optical sensor
currently available. Averages are
pretty much bang-on, though the
band has to be tight for accuracy.■ It’s on rest days that this watch
truly excels. Nightly Recharge
measures how well your body is
rebuilding overnight, while Training
Load Pro details your current strain
and tolerance thresholds. The
battery, meanwhile, will see you
through five days of mixed usage.So you want a watch that’ll track you through your workouts then back you through
your recovery? With a full suite of fitness and feedback talents, the Vantage V2 might
be just the multi-sport wearable you need. Look past the laggy touchscreen and
absence of everyday watch apps, and it’s one of the most feature-packed fitness
training aids around.All along the
watch power,
Polar’s looking
out for you
Chris RowlandsHear my strain a-comin’
STUFF SAYS A feature-filled multi-sport watch that’s really got your back HHHH✩
Display 1.2in 240x240
touchscreen Connectivity
GPS, GLONASS, Bluetooth LE
Battery life Up to 7 days
Water-resistance 10ATM
Dimensions 47x47x13mm, 52g■ Foxy shady
This is neither the sharpest nor
the most vibrant colour display
you’ll see on a sports watch, but
it’s big and clear enough to be
readable on the run. An ambient
light sensor boosts black levels
so it can be seen in sunshine.■ The wind cries vary
Outdoor pursuits can of course
be tracked with GPS. Pacing can
be somewhat problematic, with
a delay between switching gears
and getting an adjusted readout.
Overall the result will usually
average out, though.£449 / stuff.tv/VantageV2Tech specs