High-tech watches used to be the sole province of James Bond. Q never ran out of watches that doubled as detonators, laser guns, transceivers with video, or even miniature electric saws. Ordinary mortals may not need such gadgetry, but runners, mountaineers, bikers, and boaters need something they can easily carry that could tell them how fast they are going, where they are going, how far they have traveled, how long they have been moving, and how high they have climbed. Casio rose to fill that need with the world’s first GPS watch.

Aptly named the Pathfinder, it opened new avenues in the search for portable electronic monitoring systems for athletes and sportsmen. It revolutionized the wristwatch by giving it the additional task of telling you where you are in space, instead of only where you are in time.

The Pathfinder can receive microwave signals from up to eight satellites at the same time and, as claimed by Casio, can connect with a satellite in less than a minute. Some reviewers of the product, however, point that this could take longer especially where there are tall buildings or trees around. It is true that hand-held GPS can acquire satellite signals more quickly as they can track up to 12 at a time, but this can be thought of as a price you have to pay for the miniaturization of the gadget.

The watch allows you to add waypoints that it uses to record your movements and display them on a tracking screen. For a single route, it can store 10 waypoints that include latitude and longitude, date, and time. You can store data for up to 10 routes.

The Pathfinder stores data on 100 of the world’s mountains as reference points. It also allows users to store data on 200 sites of their choosing. Information on speed may be displayed as miles per hour, kilometers per hour, or knots. Distances are shown as miles, kilometers, or nautical miles.

While the watch is very useful and generally performs all of its advertised functions, there are a few downside to it. It is water-resistant in most conditions but Casio does not recommend regular submersion. Because of the size of the watch, it is inevitable that the buttons should be positioned close to each other. This results in the likelihood of pushing the wrong buttons. At 5.5 ounces, the Pathfinder borders on the heavy side. The company-supplied strap is another issue. It is the type that does not fully unbuckle. When adjusted for small wrists, you may find it difficult to get your hand through the unhinged band.

The Casio Pathfinder is the world’s first GPS watch. It may have a few imperfections and Casio, or other manufacturers could, and probably will, improve on it, but it will always be the world’s first GPS watch.

There is no question that GPS watches are very useful to men and women who run to lose fat and stay fit. To those who run to compete or who want to keep pushing their body’s limits, they are indispensable. GPS watches are the best way to monitor pace, distance, and time of run. This provides runners the information they need when they have to decide whether to speed up or slow down when running. The other features of GPS watches, such as a heart rate monitor, calorie counter, chronograph, and thermometer are added bonuses.

There are only four manufacturers of GPS watches at present: Suunto, Garmin, Timex, and Polar. Although Casio was the first to introduce a GPS watch with the Casio Pathfinder in January 1999, it has since discontinued production. A top runner’s magazine reviewed products from the four manufacturers and ended up recommending one watch from each of them.

Suunto. The company offers a range of GPS watch models but the T4 comes with strong recommendations. It is described as elegant yet functional. It can keep data on your last 15 workouts and displays them in a format that is easy to understand. It is an excellent recorder of distance and speed, but it does not register elevation gain.

Garmin. The Garmin Forerunner 305 features a large display that is easy to read even while running. Pace, distance, grade, heading, and maximum heart rate are easily tracked, thanks to its first-rate GPS functionality. Further, the Forerunner 305 appears to have addressed the problem of losing GPS signals when running in trails where there are tall trees, or in the city where there are tall buildings. It is this that makes Garmin the dominant force in the GPS watch industry.

Polar. Of the watches offered by Polar, the RS800 comes with recommendations. Its screen display can be customized to show extra information, such as altitude and stride rate, in addition to the basics. It provides accurate information on how fast and how far you are running. One weakness, however, is that it does not provide location data. It cannot help you re-trace your steps on your way back.

Timex. The Ironman Bodylink is the easiest to operate among the four watches. You don’t even have to read it manual to get it up and running with you. Strap it on, push a few buttons and it will show your speed, distance, heart rate, and other data. It also has the additional feature of an alarm that will sound off if your fall below or exceed a pre-set pace.

On balance, all these four GPS watches that carry a load of information which runners need to fine tune their training are excellent running coaches. Your investment in any of them is certainly worth the potential improvement in your runs.