Mark,
Thank you so much for your detailed response! I learned a lot from it, not least of which was the difference between the way the heartbeat is measured between wrist worn devices vs. chest straps. I had also not considered the fact that chest straps can function without an accompanying device (other than a smartphone or tablet).
Although I am now much more open to using a chest strap than I was before, assuming I HAD to use a wrist-worn device, would you (or anyone else) be able to offer a recommendation based on my specific needs?
Thank you again!