When it comes to fitness watches, there are dozens of options on the market. While most of them can provide metrics like mileage time, heart rate, calories burned and plenty more, not all of them are tailored to the many health factors specific to women. The exception to this rule? Garmin. What sets Garmin apart from the competition for those who love to track their fitness stats is the brand’s innovative Women’s Health Tracking application, designed, as the name implies, specifically for women, making it the go-to brand for women who want the full picture. There are several models to choose from, but we narrowed the field down to bring you the best Garmin watches for women.
These are the 7 best Garmin watches for women.
First, an answer to the question “Why Garmin?” Unlike other fitness trackers, Garmin provides a fuller picture of your overall health through some of its smart watches (we’ll get to those soon) and, more specifically, the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone. The app can pull data after it gets to know your habits, supplying insights into things like irregular or even non-existent menstrual cycles, plus physical and emotional symptoms. Garmin says that, over time, “you’ll get reports that show patterns and fluctuations in your body” that you can use to talk to your doctor about any concerns or family planning.
This feature also takes into account how different hormones affect women, which make everything from nutritional choices to workouts fluctuate over the course of any given month. Tracking these details in the Garmin app helps it create customized reports to help you make the best decisions for yourself, your life and your goals.
Now that we’ve narrowed it down to the best brand on the market, we rounded up seven of the best Garmin watches for women by scouring reviews from real shoppers, comparing stats and specs and conducting our own exhaustive research. Check them out, below.
Display Size: 1.2 inches | Weight: 2.08 ounces | Battery Life: Up to 9 days
Right off the bat, it’s clear to see that, based on specs alone, the battery life of the Garmin Fenix 6S Pro is outstanding no matter how you decide to use it. When tracking a run, hike or walk, this watch can use an array of global navigation systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) to deliver the most accurate distance, elevation, speed and health data while advanced training features like PacePro pick up on your pace and offer training advice to get the most out of your workout. It has plenty of different workouts to choose from and can advise on how to get the most out of your recovery session post-exercise too. As is the case with many other fitness watches, this one synchs to your phone and your texts, calls and other notifications can appear on screen if you’d like.
Advanced health metrics include heart rate, pulse-ox, sleep monitoring and more. The watch has an “always-on” display as well, so it has the appearance of a regular timepiece with bezels in stainless steel, titanium or carbon.
Display Size: 0.75 Inches | Weight: 0.58 ounces | Battery Life: Up to 7 days
The design here might be narrow and minimalist, but this watch still does plenty—and you can still clearly read the display, according to multiple reviewers who were initially skeptical of the slim profile. You can track your heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, sleep and stress levels with this Garmin and it can also help reduce any anxiety with a built-in breathing timer. There’s also an array of activity profiles for different workouts like strength training or rowing, and it’s safe to wear while tracking laps in the pool. The notifications that pop up on your phone can be forwarded here, too—and Android owners can even reply to texts from the watch.
Tracking your milage occurs when syncing to your phone’s GPS, but this watch can tell you when you should opt for a rest day building a profile of your workouts.
Display Size: 1.2 inches | Weight: 1.36 ounces | Battery Life: Up to 7 days
Like others here, this Garmin watch is equipped with the Women’s Health Tracking feature we previously discussed, but it puts the application front and center with daily notifications to help track each aspect of your health—if you want it to. But what truly sets this timepiece apart from the pack is its dedication to music. The Forerunner 245 synchs with your phone to provide all of the fitness metrics you’d expect, but it can also store up to 500 songs after logging in to your Spotify, Deezer or Amazon music account.
So, the next time you want to jump into a workout free from distractions, with only your music and thoughts to guide you, this watch can stand as the only piece of tech that accompanies you out the door (along with Bluetooth headphones). Plus, Body Battery technology can lend let you know how hard you should workout or, conversely, if you should even exercise at all. Best of all, it backs up a full week’s worth of data, ensuring your hard work stays on record for time to come.
Display Size: 1.08 inches | Weight: 1.31 ounces | Battery Life: Up to 14 days
There are a few iterations of the Forerunner worth noting (another model made this list), but the 55 stands as the no-frills option that delivers the basics you need from a fitness watch without overcomplicating things. The lack of over-the-top components means the battery life here is substantial, but you still get the health data you’d expect along with perks like Garmin’s innovative predictor that lets you know if you’re peaking during any given workout or week. This model also puts the Women’s Health Tracking info front and center, if you’d like, and it can track a number of workouts. The display isn’t a touchscreen, but five easy-to-use buttons allow you to peruse menus, workouts and stats.
Again, there’s no touchscreen here and you can’t store music, but you can expect your phone’s notifications to show up on the display. You’re also encouraged to view your previous workouts and health stats after you’ve had a chance to catch your breath.
Display Size: 0.91 inches | Weight: 1.89 ounces | Battery Life: up to 54 days
This watch is especially impressive for anyone who hates when your watch dies on you at the worst possible moment—like the second you happen to leave your house for a run. The Garmin Instinct Solar harnesses the power of the sun to keep the battery charged, and as long as you’re directly exposing the screen to the sun, the watch has virtually unlimited battery. It’s also built to military-grade standards with materials like Gorilla glass for those of us who beat up on our devices. Under the hood, advanced mapping courtesy of GPS, GLONASS and Galileo help guide the way and a built-in coach lets you know how your week is going before offering up a potential workout. And speaking of directions, this watch also uses what Garmin calls Tracback Routing that helps you find your way back after setting out from any given location.
Equipped with all of the necessary sensors to track calories burned, mile splits and sleep habits you’d expect, it also syncs with your phone to display your notifications at a glance or, if you’d prefer, the weather, calendar events and alerts.
Display Size: 0.95 inches | Weight: 1.48 ounces | Battery Life: Up to 7 days
This hybrid smartwatch combines the features of a fitness tracker with the looks and style of a traditional analog watch. You can set it to look like a regular timepiece that also displays a small, digital time on the face, or you can play with the settings to change up the colors and customize the face to suit your preferences. Read your texts, track all of your health and fitness stats, pay for goods with a contactless payment, keep an eye on your stress levels and more. This watch is also a champion of the Women’s Health Tracking tool found on your phone, but you can do most of the logging and learning straight from your wrist.
All of the workouts and exercises you could possibly adopt are likely already loaded here, and the built-in GPS makes capturing data a breeze. Plus, this watch takes an extra step towards keeping you safe by allowing you to share your live location to any of your contacts either manually or automatically when you begin an activity like an outdoor run.
Display Size: 1.1 inches | Weight: 1.35 ounces | Battery Life: Up to 10 days
You might compare the display size of the Venu 2S to the other Garmin watches on our list and wonder what makes this one special. Average display size aside, the stunning graphics of this watch (thanks to AMOLED technology) make it the most aesthetically pleasing to look at—which might make you wear it and use it more often than other options. Even the built-in workouts and breathing exercises are animated, adding a little flair to otherwise mundane functions.
This watch can store hundreds of songs and can play directly from your streaming account too, and it can forward your phone’s notifications and calendar updates to your wrist where you’re encouraged to respond and interact. The watch keeps track of all the standard health and fitness metrics of its sibling devices, and interactive Women’s Health Tracking is available as well. All of these features might drain the battery here more quickly than other smartwatches, but a rapid recharging option can supply you with enough juice when you’re in a pinch.