The GW-60 is a great GPS watch for our sport.

If you want, however, a GPS watch but don't need to have it as an official speed logger, there are lots of other choices out there.

All I want is actual on-water speed, distance, and max speed. I don't need heart rate or any other fitness stuff. I don't need bluetooth or wifi. I am perfectly happy with cable data and charging. The GW-60 is great for this.

However, you can get this same GPS functionality from many other watches, including Garmin watches.

My alternative to the GW-60 is the Timex Ironman GPS. No fitness stuff, just basic GPS information, and simple micro-usb cable upload and charging. No bluetooth or wifi to complicate the firmware. PC upload through industry-standard micro-usb cable to a PC Timex utility that can interface with Strava or Endomondo or some others.

The point is this: simple watch, simple cabling (industry-standard micro-usb instead of proprietary clamps), simple firmware, simple storage and display. The Timex is on Amazon for $74 US. One third the cost of the GW-60 and most of the Garmins.

I have worn both the GW-60 and the Timex on the same arm for several sessions to compare results. On-water speed, distance, and max speed all come in within 1-2% of each other, consistently. Battery life for the two is about the same, both for watch mode and for GPS.