The Best Garmin Watches - 2021
We looked at the top 10 Garmin Watches and dug through the reviews from 12 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Garmin Watches.
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Our Picks For The Top Garmin Watches
- The Best Garmin Watch
- 1. Garmin 010-02064-00 Instinct, Graphite
- 2. Garmin 010-01689-00 Forerunner 35 Running Watch, Black
- 3. Garmin 010-01769-09 vívoactive 3, White & Rose Gold
- 4. Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, Slate
- 5. Garmin Fenix 6 Multisport Bundle, Silver & Black
- 6. Garmin Venu GPS Smarthwatch, Rose Gold & Tan
- 7. Garmin D2 Delta GPS Pilot Watch, Titanium & Brown Leather
- 8. Garmin Forerunner 45S Running GPS Watch Power Bundle, Iris-Small
- 9. Garmin Approach S40 GPS Golf Smartwatch, Black
- 10. Garmin vivosmart 4 Activity & Fitness Tracker, Rose Gold & Gray
Meets Military Resistance StandardsThis is a great, rugged choice for prolonged camping, hiking or hunting.
Intuitive Control; Constant TrackingA streamlined design makes this watch great for use at a glance and on the run.
Stylish Exercise TrackerThis is a fashionable way to monitor your health and remain active, even without your phone.
Offline Playback; Training TipsThis smartwatch is great for tracking and improving your running routine, and it won’t be out of place in your day-to-day life.
Why we recommend these garmin watches?
Products Considered
Products Analyzed
Expert Reviews Included
User Opinions Analyzed
Our experts reviewed the top 10 Garmin Watches and also dug through the reviews from 12 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Garmin Watches.
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The Best Overall
Garmin 010-02064-00 Instinct, Graphite
Our Take
This smartwatch is built with fiber-reinforced polymer to withstand exposure to heat, shock and water. It features multiple GPS systems, plus a 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter. The watch not only monitors your heart rate and updates from your phone, it includes a backtrack feature that follows the same route back to your starting point.
What other experts liked
What other experts didn't like
The Best Bang For Your Buck
Garmin 010-01689-00 Forerunner 35 Running Watch, Black
Our Take
The straightforward design makes this easy to understand and use, tracking heart rate, intensity and steps 24/7. This model also includes a music control feature for a Bluetooth-paired smartphone.
What other experts liked
What other experts didn't like
Overall Product Rankings
8. Garmin Forerunner 45S Running GPS Watch Power Bundle, Iris-Small
10. Garmin vivosmart 4 Activity & Fitness Tracker, Rose Gold & Gray
Our Garmin Watch Findings
Garmin 010-02064-00 Instinct, Graphite
What We Liked: This smartwatch is built with fiber-reinforced polymer to withstand exposure to heat, shock and water. It features multiple GPS systems, plus a 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter. The watch not only monitors your heart rate and updates from your phone, it includes a backtrack feature that follows the same route back to your starting point.
Garmin 010-01689-00 Forerunner 35 Running Watch, Black
What We Liked: The straightforward design makes this easy to understand and use, tracking heart rate, intensity and steps 24/7. This model also includes a music control feature for a Bluetooth-paired smartphone.
Garmin 010-01769-09 vívoactive 3, White & Rose Gold
What We Liked: Downloadable watch faces allow you to control which apps and widgets are immediately accessible on smartwatch, available in several different color schemes, including white and rose gold.Contactless pay using this watch makes shopping easier and more sanitary. Best of all, you can easily keep tabs on your workouts.
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, Slate
What We Liked: This is a smartwatch that can store and play back up to 500 songs without a phone, all while dynamically monitoring your heart rate and running technique. The performance features on this watch‚ including contactless pay and an easy-to-use interface, create a unique sense of freedom.
Garmin Venu GPS Smarthwatch, Rose Gold & Tan
What We Liked: A bright AMOLED display clearly shows more than 20 Garmin Connect cardio, strength and yoga or pilates apps. You’ll get workouts right on your phone and can download music to boot. This smartwatch is available in different styles and colors, including an attractive rose gold and tan combination.
Our Garmin Watch Buying Guide
Bear in mind how you intend to use your Garmin smartwatch when shopping for one. Is it primarily for tracking your workouts, for hands-free access of your phone’s messages or for monitoring your health? Some watches include the ability to store and play music independent of your phone, while others need to be within Bluetooth range of your phone to do so.
Consider how often you feel comfortable charging your smartwatch, which will vary depending on how you use it. Using the GPS function actively will drain more power than passive tracking. If you want to use more high-powered applications, you will have to charge your watch every day. Having your watch monitor your health and then accessing the data on your phone or computer will allow you to go days between charges.
While all of Garmin’s smartwatches monitor the wearer’s heart rate, stride and location, some will also monitor the oxygen and water saturation of your skin to estimate stress levels. Still others are capable of monitoring details as small as how long your feet are in contact with the ground as opposed to how long you are in the air, in order to suggest more efficient techniques for running. As the precision and breadth of measurements increases, so will the price of the smartwatch; determining where the balance of features to cost lies is up to each shopper.
DWYM Fun Fact
Garmin was founded in 1989, and it was originally named ProNav. They have always focused on GPS devices and their first major customer was the United States military. Although the company was founded in the state of Kansas, Garmin has since incorporated in Switzerland. The company still maintains a facility in Kansas which serves as a call center, among other responsibilities.
The Global Positioning System, a satellite-based navigation system owned by the U.S. government, was launched in 1973 and reserved for military use until the 1980s. A minimum of 24 satellites are maintained by the U.S. Air Force as part of the core constellation, although the government usually flies more than that to cover needs such as servicing or decommissioning. As of 2021, there are 31 operational satellites set up in an expanded 27-slot configuration for improved coverage.
The Garmin Watch Tips and Advice
- Garmin offers an app available in both the Android and iPhone stores to collect and analyze the data your watch measures. You can use this to keep an eye on trends as well as adjust your watch’s setup.
- The Garmin app is also accessible on their website, so you can still use this function if you don’t want to download the app.
- Several of Garmin’s smartwatches and apps will evaluate your running stride, ground contact-to-air time ratio, breathing and stress patterns. These evaluations are then used to suggest ways to fine-tune your workouts.
- You might consider purchasing replacement bands for your smartwatch if you are going to be particularly active. A broken band will effectively make the watch unusable until replaced, and having spares on hand will prevent losing important exercise data.
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About The Author
Danielle Smyth is a writer and content marketing expert based in New York. She has been writing on business and finance, home and garden, DIY, travel and tourism, and a variety of other topics for over a decade, and she holds a Master of Science in Publishing from Pace University. Danielle loves working on product reviews and helping others find the highest quality items at the right prices. She loves watercolor florals, medium-wash jeans, and breezy fabrics, and is committed to finding the best fashion values.