The smartwatch market is way more populated than it was a few years ago. And if you use it for outdoor activities, a rugged smartwatch is what you need to get. While this market was previously owned by Casio and Garmin, we now have some exciting options from Amazfit, Fire-Boltt and even Apple. These smartwatches are built to last and pack all sorts of fitness-tracking features. If you are looking for one such smartwatch, here are some of the best rugged smartwatches you can buy across price ranges in India.
Table of Contents
Best rugged smartwatches in India (March)
| MODEL | PRICE |
| NoiseFit Force | Rs 2,499 |
| Fire-Boltt Cobra | Rs 3,499 |
| Pebble Cosmos Endure | Rs 4,999 |
| Casio G-Shock G-Squad Athleisure GBD-100 | Rs 12,995 |
| Amazfit T Rex-2 | Rs 15,999 |
| Garmin Instinct | Rs 19,990 |
| Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro | Rs 39,999 |
| Amazfit Falcon | Rs 44,999 |
| Garmin Fenix 7 | Rs 67,490 |
| Apple Watch Ultra | Rs 84,990 |
NoiseFit Force
If a rugged design is what you like, the NoiseFit Force is a great, affordable option. Built with zinc alloy and a polycarbonate blend, the casing will be durable for your adventures with its impact-resistant qualities. Further, the smartwatch features a 1.32-inch colour display, heart rate monitor, GPS, water resistance, and claims up to 14 days of battery life. It supports fitness tracking, music control, and smartphone notifications. Bluetooth calling is a nifty feature that makes your life even more organised. The smartwatch runs on a custom operating system and is compatible with both Android and iOS phones.
The NoiseFit Force sells for about Rs 2,499 online.
Pros:
- Superbly affordable
- Highly customisable interface
- Bright display
Cons:
- Not the biggest display out there
- Low battery life
Fire-Boltt Cobra
Designed for the outdoors, as Fire-Boltt claims, the Cobra is made for all your land and water adventures. In fact, it is the most affordable rugged smartwatch, having passed several military-grade durability tests including extreme heat, cold, humidity, and more. With features such as GPS, heart rate monitoring, activity tracking, and water resistance, you really can’t go wrong with this one on your next outdoor hike. Other features include smartphone notifications, music controls, and a variety of sports modes, which keep you hooked to the smartwatch for all the data you need. The three-layer body, with physical buttons, is lightweight yet packs high strength. Finally, the CAMO colours are the cherry on top for all military fanboys.
The Fire-Boltt Cobra is available for a price tag of Rs 3,499.
Pros:
- Rugged design
- Most affordable MIL-STD 810-compliant smartwatch
- Feature packed
Cons:
- Flimsy feel in the hand
Pebble Cosmos Endure
Pebble Cosmos Endure is a smartwatch designed by Pebble, a company known for its innovative smartwatches. It is a rugged and durable watch, built to withstand tough conditions. The Cosmos Endure is IP68 water-resistant and has a long battery life, making it suitable for outdoor activities and sports. The shock-proof metal alloy case, with dual chamfered crown and durable glass, really helps with the durability required during outdoor activities such as hikes, rafting, paragliding, and more. It also has a colour display with 600 nits of brightness and various fitness tracking features, allowing users to monitor their physical activity and health.
You can get the Pebble Cosmos Endure for Rs 4,999.
Pros:
- Big, bright display
- Solid, metal build quality
- Multiple sports modes
Cons:
- No GPS capabilities
- Smartwatch features aren’t adequate
Casio G-Shock G-Squad Athleisure GBD-100
Part of the G-Squad Athleisure series, the GBD-100 features a rugged, shock-resistant design, water resistance, and various fitness tracking capabilities, including step counting, heart rate monitoring, and GPS connectivity. The highlight of the smartwatch is its “Athleisure” design, which includes a fine resin back cover, curved shape, and soft urethane band. These elements make it a superb lifestyle watch that you can use for your workouts as well as for regular usage.
The Casio G-Shock G-Squad Athleisure GBD-100 is priced at around Rs 12,995 in India.
Pros:
- The display is very bright for outdoors
- Classic yet modern design
- Lightweight
Cons:
- No premium features that justify price tag
- Could look bulky to some
Amazfit T Rex-2
One of the wearables brand Amazfit’s most ambitious gadgets, the T Rex-2 is made for your next adventure outing. The brand claims it was sent out to space where it survived immensely low air pressure and temperatures, which coupled with military-grade toughness, makes it one of the best picks on the best-rugged smartwatches list. This rugged smartwatch sports a 1.3-inch AMOLED display, GPS + GLONASS positioning for when you need to accurately track your hikes, 5 ATM water resistance for the rainy season, and an Alexa voice assistant. It has a long battery life of up to 14 days and offers comprehensive fitness tracking with 20 sports modes. The watch also features music control and storage, which make it a complete package.
You can buy the Amazfit T Rex-2 at a price of Rs 15,999 online.
Pros:
- Packed with features like navigation
- Adequate battery life
- Accurate GPS performance
Cons:
- Health tracking can be hit and miss
- No external sensors supported
Garmin Instinct
Coming to the holy grail of adventure watches, we have the Garmin Instinct smartwatch on our list. This rugged, outdoor watch is designed for activities such as hiking, swimming, and running. Constructed on the basis of US military standard 810G for thermal, shock, and water resistance (up to 100 metres), it features GPS and GLONASS satellite navigation, a 3-axis compass, a barometric altimeter, and multiple sport and fitness tracking modes. The watch has a battery life of up to 14 days in smartwatch mode and up to 16 hours in GPS mode. It also has some great customisable watch faces, smartphone notifications, and music controls, making it a superb lifestyle watch that you can wear to college or work.
Get the Garmin Instinct for 19,990 in India.
Pros:
- Lightweight, comfortable design
- Sports tracking is commendable
- GPS navigation is great
Cons:
- Payment support is missing
- App features could be improved
Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro
The only Samsung smartwatch to make it to our list is the Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro, mostly because of its gorgeous and durable Sapphire crystal display and IP68 water resistance rating. This premium watch has a bright 1.4-inch AMOLED display, built-in GPS, and a range of quintessential fitness tracking features such as heart rate monitoring, ECG, and sleep tracking. It is a through-and-through lifestyle watch with 4GB of storage for music, 5ATM water resistance, and long-lasting battery life. The Galaxy Watch5 Pro is available in multiple finishes and has a rotating bezel for easy navigation. It also offers a range of customizable watch faces and has the ability to receive phone notifications, make calls and control music directly from the watch.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro retails starting at Rs 39,999 in India.
Pros:
- Lightweight casing made from titanium
- Battery is good enough
- Sapphire glass AMOLED panel is a treat to look at
Cons:
- Skin temperature not enabled
- Features are less compared to Apple Watch options
Amazfit Falcon
Breaking Limits. This is the tagline for the Amazfit Falcon and we believe features like dual-band and 6 satellite GPS, 20ATM water resistance, and a titanium + sapphire glass unibody help it justify the tag. The smartwatch features a 1.34-inch colour display, GPS, heart rate monitoring, water resistance, music control, and a long battery life of up to 14 days. It runs on the proprietary operating system Amazfit OS and offers various fitness tracking features such as step counting, sleep tracking, and more. The watch is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones. It is known for its solid GPS accuracy.
You can usually buy the Amazfit Falcon for Rs 44,999.
Pros:
- Great battery life
- Accurate GPS tracking
- Physical buttons are very useful
Cons:
- Heart rate tracking is not the best
- Workout tracking could be improved
Garmin Fenix 7
Garmin Fenix 7 is yet another solid multi-sport GPS watch designed for outdoor enthusiasts and athletes. In terms of durability, it features a rugged and waterproof design, long battery life, and advanced navigation and fitness tracking capabilities. As for functionality, some of its key features include 24/7 heart rate monitoring, GPS and GLONASS support, altimeter, barometer, and compass, outdoor and indoor activity tracking, and support for tracking outdoor sports including hiking, skiing, and swimming. It also has connectivity options such as smart notifications, music control, and compatibility with the super useful Garmin Connect app.
The Garmin Fenix 7 starts at about Rs 67,490 online in India.
Pros:
- Navigation is amazing
- Highly durable design
- Battery life improved over the previous generation
Cons:
- Display might not be best in class
- No built-in microphone
Apple Watch Ultra
Launched last year to open up a new adventure audience for Apple is the Watch Ultra, the brand’s most rugged watch yet. With both L1 and L5 GPS integrated onto the smartwatch, you can take it anywhere and expect accurate and precise location metrics. Other than that, it sports a 49mm titanium case that can take shocks and is water resistant up to 100 metres, tested to MIL-STD 810H, and comes with IP6X dust resistance in case a desert is your thing. One of the most underrated features of the Watch Ultra is the 2000nits of brightness that its Retina Display sports, making it suitable for the harshest sunlight out there.
The Apple Watch Ultra retails starting at Rs 84,990 online.
Pros:
- Most durable Apple Watch yet
- Solid battery life
- Dual-band GPS for accurate tracking
Cons:
- Might be too big for some wrists
- No offline mapping
What to expect from rugged smartwatches?
Build quality
Given that you are looking for a rugged ‘smartwatch’, build quality becomes ever more crucial because of the chipsets and other technological elements in the wearable. Usually, the best build quality is in watches that qualify for the US military MIL-STD 810 standards, which test devices for their water, dust, and climate resistance. Thus, if a smartwatch has that as a feature, you can expect the best in durability.
Further, design and casing are important to determine the durability of a smartwatch. The materials used in their construction, such as stainless steel, titanium, or synthetic polymers, are chosen for their resistance to wear and tear, impact, and moisture. So, look for that.
And, finally, water resistance standards are important to look at. IP ratings of 67 and 68 are usually the norm in rugged smartwatches, while you can also look at the ATM resistance to check for durability in case you are a heavy user during swims, rainy season, and surfing. Some of the most premium rugged smartwatches come with up to 10ATM or 100 metres of water resistance.
Health tracking
Rugged smartwatches are for outdoor adventures. And, adventures mean lots of exertion for your body. In such a case, getting a smartwatch that has all the necessary health-tracking capabilities is a must. This refers to the ability of the device to monitor and collect data on metrics such as heart rate, steps taken, sleep patterns, and activity levels. This information can be used to track and monitor personal health and wellness, and in some cases, can even be used to detect and alert users to potential health issues. Several of the smartwatches on the list provide users with feedback, insights, and tips to help them improve their health and fitness.
Features
Apart from the features you need from your next rugged smartwatch, there are some that you will really enjoy. These are the ones that are common to most smartwatches and include things like notification alerts, Bluetooth calling, built-in microphones and loudspeakers, music playback controls, taking photos remotely, GPS navigation, and more. If you are looking for something to wear regularly as well, we suggest you look for these features too.
