Product Description

The S120 was designed with the recreational runner in mind. This new watch delivers advanced features to help guide your training and assess the effectiveness of your workouts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #104210 in Sports & Outdoors
• Color: Grey
• Brand: Polar
• Model: 1902840
• Released on: 2005-01-06

Features

• Heart rate monitor designed for the recreational runner
• Measures maximum heart rate, average rate for lap, and how long it takes you to recover (in heart rate or time)
• Personal target heart rate zones with audible and visual alarms
• 24-hour clock with day/week indicator and stopwatch
• Large easy-to-read display with split screen; water resistant to 50 meters

Amazon.com Product Description
Designed with the recreational runner in mind, the Polar S120 Heart Rate Monitor enables you to work out more efficiently and effectively and reach your fitness goals. It comes with the S120 wrist receiver, a transmitter that's worn comfortably around your chest, and an elastic strap to hold the transmitter in place. The wristwatch-like receiver features a large display that includes 12/24-hour time of day, alarm, and stopwatch. It provides readings of maximum heart rate of total exercise, average heart rate of each lap, and recovery measurement (by either heart rate divided or time).

The independent timer feature lets you select a CountDown or CountUp timer to assist you in interval training, as well as remind you to drink regularly, preventing dehydration. The S120 also includes the UpLink feature, which enables you to download an exercise set and monitor icons from the Polar web site.

The S120's visual and audible alarms alert you when you reach your target heart rate zone. The Time in Target Zone feature calculates the amount of total exercise time spent in your personal target zone. You can use this feature together with the Total Exercise Time to determine the effectiveness of your exercise program.

Feature Detail:

• Measures maximum heart rate, average rate for lap, and how long it takes you to recover (in heart rate or time)
• Target heart rate zones with audible and visual alarm
• Independent CountDown/CountUp timer for interval training
• UpLink feature enables download of exercise set from Polar web site
• Large easy-to-read display with split screen
• 24-hour clock with day/week indicator and stopwatch
• 1.5-year average battery life
• Water resistant to 50 meters (165 feet)

What's in the Box?
S120 heart rate monitor watch unit, wireless transmitter, elastic strap, battery (built-in CR2032 lithium cell), printed instructions

Manufacturer Warranty
2-year limited warranty

Note:
Polar heart rate monitors are precision instruments; consumers are not advised to change their own battery. Polar recommends that all service be done by an authorized Polar Service Center which will include a warranty for 90 days on repairs and 6 months for batteries.

Customer Reviews

Perfect first HR monitor watch
This is my first watch with a heart rate monitor and it has been wonderful so far. Below is how I found it useful. I received it as a gift so I didn't compare other brands/models but the person who bought it for me heard it recommended as a brand known for quality from someone who would know.

* Has a number of "heartrate zones" that you create so the watch tells you when you are going in/out of a selected zone. I use this to stay between 60-85% HR during long runs, for example.
* Records detailed information about your workout - avg HR, max HR and time in each heartrate zone. For each "lap" or "segment" it tells you avg HR and ending HR - great for interval training.
* Comfortable and easy to read just as a watch or basic stopwatch, even without the heartrate monitor

Things you might not like at first:
* I wasn't used to wearing a chest strap so had to get it the right fit through trial and error (stayed on even when I had it too big, though)
* There are a ton of features and it's kind of overwhelming at first. The manual isn't the easiest to dive into but when you go back to look for a specific function it is well done.

Great for the average runner (like me !)
I am very happy with this watch. I really enjoy running and I wanted to learn how to get the best benefit from running without over-exertion and injury. The polar website said heart-rate monitoring helps with pace, getting the desired benefits from my run, and helped to reduce injury.

Pros: Works perfectly, immediately picked up by the gym equipment--no holding on required, setting 3 zones for warm-up, running, and cool down was a snap, the audible beeps help me to know when I'm slacking off or working too hard, the constant feedback is very motivating.

Cons: Not many here, however, the screen seems difficult to see in the sunshine. Will have to see the effect of that when spring comes !

I did a lot of shopping online and I liked the Polar M-61 ($130) best but I got this one because of the lower price ($80). The M-61 has more features and is more fashionable; so you may want to look at that one too.

Didn't Work for Me
Maybe the S120 will work for you, but it was nothing but trouble for me. I bought it because of the great features and price, but returned it because of all the problems: 1) The manual is anything but friendly, e.g. after completing the 11 steps to set the date you are then told that there's a short cut. Thanks. 2) After spending much more than an hour with the manual just to get the basic settings in, I'm off to exercise. Great start, the reading is my usual pulse around 55, then it drops out to 0. Ok, maybe the contacts are too dry, so I wet them. Off I go again and the pulse rate measures 204 then to 0. Ok, maybe the chest strap is positioned poorly. Different position, same result -- measured pulse rates all over the map. I decide to forget what the monitor records and finish my exercise. Final result -- I got periods of reasonable heart rates, but lots of time the values were either 0 or over 190. The next day I try again with the same result -- drop outs and then sky high readings. It went back later that day.