Polar Launches a New Running Watch

Polar M430

Polar is back with a brand new running watch — the M430 — that builds off the success of the M400. Equipped now with wrist-based optical heart rate technology, integrated GPS, and personalized, adaptive training guidance, the watch looks set to make a great training tool for all you stats-loving runners.

Using a new 6-LED wrist-based heart rate monitor, the M430 works with Polar’s heart rate algorithms to deliver accurate real-time heart rate data. The fully waterproof running watch tracks the standard core running metrics (pace, distance, altitude) in addition to 24/7 activity tracking, how well you sleep at night, and your recovery time.

When paired with the Polar Flow web service, the M430 acts as a smart coach that creates training plans and provides feedback. The Running Program considers your training history, gauges your current activity levels, accounts for a final goal date and then builds a personal running program for you. You can then upload daily training plans to your watch to follow — you’ll know if you are on target to accomplish your training goal for the day via vibration alerts. When you are done, you will see how the session benefitted your overall training, how it translates into expected race finish times, and how much time you’ll need to recover.

The Running Index feature in Polar Flow lets you track your running efficiency over time. Your score is calculated automatically after every run, based on your heart rate and from the speed data collected from your GPS or stride sensor. A higher reading indicates that you can run faster with less effort. This could be a great tool to track how well your training plan is working, how age or life in general are affecting your running, how your diet affects your performance, etc.

The M430 offers a selection of GPS power modes that extend battery life to nearly 30 hours — normal operation with GPS and heart rate is 8 hours.

The Polar M430 running watch retails for $229, comes in three colors (orange, white, grey) and will start shipping in May.

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