Running watch as tool watch, Wrist check at the Western States Ultra 100 mile endurance run

“It’s a tool watch”: The running watch, and watches as tools

We watch enthusiasts hear this phrase often describe an extravagant horological purchase: “It’s a tool watch”. But what does that mean?

There seem to be two overlapping categories of talk on tool watches. First, is a watch that works for its owner, not the other way around. Watches made of steel, not precious metals. Unfussy watches that can take a beating (as opposed to a “beater” watch, which is different). Second would be the engineering flex of a watch perfectly created for a task. The unidirectional bezel and helium valves on a dive watch is a tool for a diver. A GMT complication is for a world traveller who needs to know the exact time in multiple time zones at a glance.

Running is intrinsically linked to time. It makes sense that watches are tools to the task of running. There is not much association of running watches within this safe prestige category of tool watches though. Running watches these days are Fitbits, exercise trackers, Apple Watches. Live map scrolling Garmins or super long lasting Coros watches. One running coach we worked with simply used an ancient Casio digital watch to glance at the lap time while working on the track, or long runs on the streets.

What running watches are not, are luxury items exactly. Yes, they can cost four-figures, they are not necessarily cheap. But they are digital rubber and plastic bits that will take a beating, eventually, inevitably consumed by the practice of running. However we want to be so bold to argue that if watch collectors truly value well-crafted task tools on wrists, that we have to acknowledge running watches as tool watches.

Wrist check at a 100 mile, under 30 hour ultra running event: The Western States Endurance Run

At the Olympic Valley village at Lake Tahoe last weekend, Weekend Watch was live at the starting line of the 100 mile Western States Endurance Run: the most storied ultra running event out there. Participants begin by running up a ski slope in Tahoe at 5am on Saturday, and must finish before 11am Sunday at a high school track in Auburn, CA 100.2 miles away. We were at the event to assist a runner and enjoyed the entire experience. Needless to say, timekeeping is a crucial part of the race. Most of the stations are have no cell phone coverage, and the runners are not live tracked. So to know where a runner is requires checking their posted times going through aid stations and estimating their pace before they get to the next. In other words, a perfect example of why one needs a watch, in addition to their phone, to tell time.

One noteworthy runner we followed was Hella Sidibe, second 100 mile run ever, first Western States. We sighted him at the 30 mile aid station at Robinson Flats, and again after 100 at the finish line. Hella is known (among other things) running across the United States of America, and for wearing four separate running watches: An Apple Watch, a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, a Coros Apex Pro, and a Wahoo. All of them are collecting data. At this point his four watch-wearing is something of a trademark for him. We can’t criticize either. Have you never thought of wearing two (or more) watches?

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Hella finished in an amazing 27 hours 29 minutes and 52 seconds. Congratulations to him and all of the runners, whatever their finishing time.