Review on 🏃 Polar M200: Advanced GPS Running Watch with Wrist-Based Heart Rate Monitoring by John Kennedy

First impressions from a first time GPS watch buyer but a seasoned athlete. So far this watch has exceeded my expectations. It is convenient and easy to use. It has everything I was looking for. 1) Enough wrist heart rate readings when needed, 2) BT connection for chest heart rate monitor (I use Wahoo TickrX) for more accurate readings during workouts, 3) Accurate GPS. I was surprised how accurate it was when running in the woods with 50ft trees blocking most of the light, 4) multiple and customizable displays during workouts like current pace, total pace, lap and total time, height climbed, of course MR. and more 5) It is waterproof and can be used for swimming. I even get heart rate readings with a chest strap, 6) it's a "running" watch but the Polar Flow app allows me to set it up for different sports. I ride as much as I run, 7) connects to my Strava and Fitnesspal, 8) it even gets smartphone notifications. While it's really basic and I don't plan on using it, 9) it has good battery life and it looks like I only need to plug it into the charger 1-2 times a week. If I want to listen to music, let my wife track my real-time location, or call/text, I just take my phone with me. .Now the reasons I only gave 4 stars. it's not that surprising, but still worth mentioning. At $115, I wasn't expecting a perfect watch. 1) I REALLY REALLY want the little BT icon to light up on the watch to let me know it's still reading heart rate from my chest strap and not my wrist. I mean it shows it's been synced but next time it doesn't ask for a sync so I'm not 100% sure it's using my chest strap. I just think it is. 2) Turning on the GPS takes 1-2 minutes. not a deal breaker as i need to warm up anyway but i'm used to my phone being locked in seconds. The good thing is that when locked it seems very accurate. 3) The bond is a double-edged sword. It's soft and light (rubberized material), but most reviews say it breaks pretty quickly (I'm not surprised), and a few people even said the dial started falling out. As a casual swimmer in open water, this scares me. Again, the straps are cheap and easy to swap out, so no problem! Good watch for your money. Has the most necessary functions. Let's see how it holds up.