The best Garmin watches offer a balance between the communication and notification features you might find on an Apple or Samsung watch, and improved features specifically tailored to exercise and outdoor adventuring. If you're looking for a watch that has a longer battery life than a traditional smartwatch and is better at tracking exercises like running, cycling, swimming and hiking, then a Garmin watch should be your first port of call.
There are plenty of Garmin watches to choose from, including cheap options such as the Vivoactive watches and the Forerunner 165, to more specialized products and premium options like the all-new Garmin Fenix 8. Some of them also feature in our best running watches and best fitness trackers guide, if you're looking for a watch tailor-made for runners. You can even grab yourself an extra saving with Garmin promo codes.
So whether you want an all-singing, all-dancing fitness tracker for a triathlon, or a cheap fitness buddy for your couch to 5K, Garmin's got you covered. Here are our top picks for the best Garmin watch in 2024.
Matt is TechRadar's Fitness, Wellbeing and Wearables Editor, which means he's an expert on workouts, smartwatches, and all things fitness tech. Matt's spent years covering the health and fitness beat, is a regular Garmin user, and has personally tested many of the watches below.
The quick list
Want to get straight to the best Garmin watch for your needs? Use our quick round-up below to immediately find a GPS watch that suits you – and you can read more about it by jumping to our full write-ups and explanations using the links.
The best Garmin Watch for most people
The Garmin Venu 3 tops our list because it does everything so well for both lifestyle and fitness considerations. Perfect for everyone from hardcore triathletes to casual fitness enthusiasts looking for an Apple Watch replacement.
The best cheap Garmin Watch
The Garmin Vivoactive 5 is the best cheap Garmin Watch. It's not as cheap as the Vivosmart 5 band, but it packs a load of workout profiles and a gorgeous AMOLED screen. It will do a great job of recording your workouts.
The best Premium Garmin on the market
New for 2024, the Garmin Fenix 8 is a phenomenal bit of premium kit. It's got a hefty price tag, but that'll net you an advanced GPS, a new heart rate sensor, 16 days of battery life, and more.
The best Garmin watch for outdoor sports
The Garmin Instinct 2 is an amazing, tough-as-nails trail running companion. Exceptional battery life, workout suggestions, recovery guidance and a shockproof resin case are a few of its standout features.
The biggest, most advanced Garmin outdoor watch
If the Garmin Instinct 2 is the best outdoor watch for most people, the Enduro 2 is the best outdoor watch for elite athletes. Designed for serious orienteers, triathletes, and endurance runners, this watch is a monster.
The best Garmin Watch for runners
The Garmin Forerunner 265 is an amazing watch for people serious about their running. With the Training Readiness score, advanced metrics, and gorgeous AMOLED screen, it's perfect regardless of whether you love the tarmac or the trail.
Load the next three products
The best hybrid Garmin watch
The Garmin Instinct Crossover is an excellent watch if you love the aesthetics of Casio G-Shocks, but want a genuine smartwatch. With Garmin Instinct 2 innards and analog hands with Revodrive satellite technology, it's the perfect hybrid.
The best for new runners
The Garmin Forerunner 165 is a good watch for new runners: it's cheaper compared to other choices, you still get GPS tracking
and Garmin's excellent running and recovery metrics, but sacrifices have been made to ensure the price remains lower.
The best for style
Garmin's MARQ range is designed to echo premium rotary watches, with rotating bezels and classic-looking dive watch-inspired faces. The MARQ Athlete (Gen 2) is the running-orientated model.
The best for golf
A great all-rounder golf watch, full of features including shot detection and full-color maps, for a very good price.
The best Garmin watch overall
The Garmin Venu 3 is the best in this generation of smartwatch and sport watch blend. You still have all the GPS and GLONASS tracking smarts Garmin is famous for, combined with running, cycling, swimming and more sports options. Yet this also tracks lifestyle well with sleep, stress and the ability to link with third-party gym equipment. It'll even let you see who's at your Ring doorbell with an image preview on the super clear AMOLED screen.
On the smartwatch front, there's offline Spotify allowing you to sync all your tracks to listen directly on bluetooth headphones, no smartphone required. You can view your day's schedule at a glance, check your heart rate, water intake and stress level, log period symptoms, receive smartphone notifications, reply, and more.
This is all made possible by the super high-resolution 1.4-inch AMOLED display, with three brightness settings and an optional always-on mode that allows you to see a huge amount of data at a glance, without digging out your phone.
This third gen model also features a microphone and speaker allowing you to take calls from a connected smartphone. Also useful for audio guided meditations and yoga classes that are stored onboard for use without a smartphone.
Read our full Garmin Venu 3 review
The best cheap Garmin watch
If you don't need a fully-fledged running watch like the Forerunner 265, but still want to get as much data as possible on your health and fitness, the Vivoactive 5 is the Garmin watch for you. It's super small and lightweight, and just shy of 12mm thick, but contains 30 workout profiles, impressive swimming and golf tracking, and still provides an impressive stream of stats for you to pore over.
In our tests, we found its GPS accuracy comparable to its bigger, beefier sibling, the Garmin Forerunner 965, and the designers have done a truly impressive job of cramming in a wealth of data with the modular layout without things ever looking cramped.
Sure, it's not quite as premiun-feeling or as functional for dedicated triathletes as a Forerunner, but it's extremely practical. It compares favorably to Fitbit, and unlike the Google brand, there are no features hidden behind a paywall. Everything in the Garmin Connect app is free to access, with no need to subscribe to a premium service to get deep insights into historic data and trends.
Read our full Garmin Vivoactive 5 review
The best premium Garmin Watch
The Garmin Fenix 8 was one of the most hotly-anticipated launches from the company in years, and it certainly lives up to the billing. Iterating on the Fenix 7, historically one of Garmin's best offerings, the Fenix 8 features brilliant hardware including an AMOLED display, speaker and microphone for calls, an LED torch.
There's new waterproofing and you can even use the Fenix 8 as a dive watch a-la Apple Watch Ultra 2. In fact, it's rated for diving up to 40 meters, although Garmin reckons it'll manage way deeper than that.
There's improved GPS onboard powering a new "dynamic routing" feature that automatically generates directions to take you home when you're out cycling or running, as well as route alterations if you take a wrong turn. Our stellar review is based on the smashing 47mm version, but there are three total size options 43mm, 47mm, and 51mm. There's also a Solar version with a MIP display and commensurately huge battery life.
While it doesn't deviate too much from historic Fenix designs, it still looks absolutely fantastic and ranks as one of the very best Garmin's we've ever used.
Read our full Garmin Fenix 8 review
The best outdoor Garmin watch
We were big fans of the original Garmin Instinct, but it was always a very functional looking watch – chunky and stoic. The Instinct 2 keeps all the features of its predecessor (including a shockproof fiber-reinforced resin case and exceptional battery life) and tucks it all into a slimmer package that's now available in two sizes: 45mm or 40mm for smaller wrists.
It's a full multi-sports watch, with carefully designed tracking modes for a wide range of activities, and runners, cyclists and swimmers are particularly well served. You get the advanced training tools you'd expect from a modern Garmin watch, including workout suggestions, recovery time guidance, and load monitoring so you can strike the right balance between effort and rest
The standard Instinct 2 offers impressive battery life, but While the first-gen Instinct Solar could hypothetically keep running indefinitely on a single charge, the company says that it's now a practical possibility if you spend enough time outdoors. We were certainly impressed by its performance in our tests; even with regular workouts, the power meter barely budged when we got enough sun.
The only downside is the fact that its monochrome memory-in-pixel display isn't great for maps, and you'll get far less detail than you would with a watch like the Fenix 7 or Epix (Gen 2). The Instinct 2's mid-range price makes it very tempting though, and it comes highly recommended. If you want a cheaper version, the Garmin Instinct Solar, a version of the original watch, can be bought for a lot less than the updated model.
Read our full Garmin Instinct 2 review
The most advanced Garmin watch for athletes
The Garmin Enduro 2 is a big beast, and it's not for people who just regularly train, even if they might run one marathon a year. If you're going to spend this amount of money on an outdoor watch ($1,099.99 / £929.99 / AU$1,749) you're most likely a triathlete, long-distance or an ultrarunner.
For serious athletes with money to burn, the Garmin Enduro 2 is perfect. It comes laden with an impressive amount of features. It's got outstanding battery life for one thing, even in battery-sucking GPS mode while viewing full-color topographical maps on the big AMOLED screen.
It has tons of premium features: Training Readiness score we've mentioned, but one standout is NextFork which alerts you to upcoming splits in the trial, and grade-adjusted pace, which tells you how your gradient pace (i.e. hill climbing) translates to running on a flat surface, to give you some standardized fitness information. Automatic rest time calculates the time you spend at race aid stations. Plus, all the usual features from pretty much all the other Garmin watches released before it.
For it's price, it's hard to justify for casual exercisers. But as a performance tool for ultra-competitors, the Enduro 2 is perfect.
Read our full Garmin Enduro 2 review
The best Garmin watch for runners
The Garmin Forerunner 265 was released as an update to the 255 series, which was less than a year old. The fact it's a fairly iterative update, changing too little about its predecessor, and it loses some battery (no doubt rerouted into power for that new AMOLED screen) is the only thing stopping it from getting our elusive five stars. It's the reason the 265 has supplanted our previous best watch for runners, the Forerunner 955 from our list.
It's an excellent running watch by any metric, and would do well on the wrist of any runner. It packs a lot of features into a compact package, with an impressive range of workout modes, dedicated feedback on your training load including the new Training Readiness score feature, which debuted on the 955. Onboard storage comes as standard, so you can download music onto your phone or just use it to control Spotify.
If you're primarily a runner and are looking to upgrade your entry-level watch to something more advanced, the 265 is well worth your consideration. Even if you're a regular marathon runner, this will see you right. It's lightweight and unobtrusive enough for everyday wear and is tough enough to shrug off rough treatment. With a gorgeous new screen, it'll stand up to modern conventional smartwatches too, and won't look out of place in the office.
Read our full Garmin Forerunner 265 review
The best hybrid Garmin watch
The Garmin Instinct Crossover is a Garmin smartwatch with all the intelligence of an upgraded Garmin Instinct 2, but with analog hands supported by satellite technology to ensure pinpoint-accurate timekeeping. When you're using the smart aspects, the hands rotate to get out of the way, and the watch connects to satellites when it's time to rotate the hands back to the right time.
It's a fantastic idea and a great mix between a serious outdoorsy analog watch such as G-Shock Mudmaster with satellite and smart tech. The Garmin Instinct 2 the Crossover is based on allows the watch to do things your average G-Shock never could, with recovery metrics such as Garmin's Body Battery ensuring you can get ready for your next race.
It shines on trails with navigational tech such as TracBack, compass, stride length during running, and stroke counting during swimming. Due to its analog hands and sacrifices made to its screen, it doesn't have any topographical maps, which means due to its higher price point, it's tough to recommend if you're looking for a watch to guide you through rough terrain much easier.
However, if you want something more traditional-looking and feeling, which can still offer advanced health and fitness metrics, this is the watch for you. It'll take any knocks you can throw at it and last for weeks, especially if you spring for the solar model.
Read our full Garmin Instinct Crossover review
The best Garmin watch for new runners
The Garmin Forerunner 165 is Garmin's new beginner-friendly running watch, and is similar to the 265 and 965 generation of Forerunners in design, sharing the redesigned Run button and lovely AMOLED touchscreen.
Once it's on your wrist, newcomers will discover an array of excellent training tools inside that'll help you monitor your fitness and optimize your training. These include new suggested workouts based on your past activities, which help give your training some structure even if you're not following a dedicated plan, and Garmin's Body Battery functionality. After a workout, you'll also see advice on how long to rest and recover before your next effort.
Garmin's signature GPS accuracy makes it a great entry point for anyone upgrading from a Fitbit to a dedicated sports watch. It's a bit more expensive than a Fitbit Charge 6, and you have to pay extra for the version with onboard music storage, but you can control music on your phone just fine with either version.
Read our full Garmin Forerunner 165 review
The best Garmin watch for style
Some Garmin watches are pretty utilitarian in design, but the Garmin MARQ range is designed to look like it wouldn't feel too out of place under a shirt cuff, with an ultra-premium, stylish finish. The MARQ Athlete (gen 2) offers a rotating bezel designed to help you mark target running times, a gorgeous AMOLED screen with sapphire crystal lens, and a grade 5 titanium metal casing.
A stylish, super-premium alternative to the Fenix and Epix models, this is the athletic watch to get if you want to look the business and money is no object. Like the Garmin Instinct Crossover above, it's a good marriage of traditional dive watch and smartwatch. Except instead of a G-Shock hybrid, the Marq is more like a Patek Phillipe.
Read the full Garmin MARQ Athlete (Gen 2) review
The best Garmin Watch for golf
The Garmin Approach S42 was rated our best golf watch overall because it's quite cheap now, and still really good. That's all there is too it.
During our tests, our reviewer did sorely miss the Virtual Caddie feature, but loved a lot of this watch, including great battery life, an AutoShot mode that makes life easier on the course, and Green View. Green View allows you to position the pin manually using the large color touchscreen, and shows you the green's contours: essential if you're planning a birdie and want a, well, a bird's eye view of the green to better determine your angle of attack.
Now it's been lowered in price to £249.99, it strikes an excellent balance between value and function. Definitely the golf watch to get, unless you have the budget for its super-premium alternatives.
How to choose the best Garmin watch for you
When choosing a Garmin watch, there are three key points to consider: what sport are you interested in, what level are you at, and what is your budget?
If you're starting your fitness journey and want a watch that will help improve your habits, that's fantastic – a watch in the Venu line will suit you perfectly. They're pretty small and discrete, making them great for all-day wear, and offer a good range of general fitness tracking tools. If your budget runs to it, the Venu 2 and Venu 2 Plus are our top picks, thanks to their onboard GPS and fantastic displays.
Suppose you're a beginner or intermediate runner. In that case, the Forerunner 165 or 245 will work very nicely for you. If you also enjoy cycling, swimming or both, the Forerunner 265 or 965 are superb triathlon watches that will serve you well. Worried about scuffs and scratches? Take a look at the Instinct 2; it's built like a tank and has incredible battery life.
If you're seriously into your training and want the most profound insights into your health and fitness, the Fenix 7, Epix Gen 2 and their newer Pro variations are excellent choices. The latter is perfect if you want to explore new routes, as its high-res OLED display is brilliant for mapping. It does come at a cost though, and the Fenix 7 (although not cheap) is a more budget-friendly option.
Best Garmin watches for women vs men: Is there a difference?
Functionally, there's no difference between Garmin watches for women and men: they're generally unisex. Size, weight and style is a consideration for everyone, and where Garmin watches have multiple size options, we've outlined those options in our full reviews. Generally speaking, smaller sizes and lighter watches tend to be preferred by individuals with slimmer wrists, especially if they're running watches.
Another aspect to consider are the features available, including women's health tracking if it's something you're interested in. Most Garmin watches have the ability to track menstrual cycles using heart rate, skin temperature and other metrics it collects, but even if the watch features those options, you can choose to opt out or turn off the feature in Settings.
How we test
When testing a Garmin watch, we wear it night and day for at least two weeks so it can build up a full picture of our health and fitness and ensure battery scores live up to specifications. We slept, exercised, and recovered with all the Garmin watches on this list to determine which is best for what purpose. We weighed up the accuracy of their GPS tracking, the responsiveness of their heart rate monitors, and the quality of their training tools. We've even evaluated their battery life, display quality, and overall design.
We enable SpO2 tracking if available and track at least five workouts across those two weeks to give us an idea of how long the watch's battery will last in typical use. If the watch supports app downloads from Garmin Connect, we can also use a battery monitor app to check how quickly it drains.
To test the accuracy of the watch's GPS, we take it for several runs on pre-measured courses and compare the results to similar route-mapping software from our phones and a competitor watch, usually an Apple Watch Ultra. If it has mapping capability, we create a new route using Garmin Connect, sync it to the watch, and use it to navigate the route.
We'll test the watch in a variety of situations, from running to indoor cycling, looking at the details of metrics such as heart rate variability and sleep scores. Does the wealth of information available match up to similar watches in its price range? Is the presentation dense or helpful? Check out our how we test section for more details.
