The Garmin Forerunner GPS watches are without doubt, the most advanced GPS sports watches on the market today.

By linking to a network of satellites, the Forerunner watches can accurately measure speed, pace, distance and elevation above sea level. Garmin’s unique approach intertwines the power of GPS, with advanced and practical sports watch features that let you measure and recording sports performances in an intelligent and intuitive way.

But what are the similarities between the six Forerunner watches on the market? and more importantly, what are the differences?

Two Generations of Forerunners

For the purposes of this discussion, we consider two “generations” of Forerunner watches. The “older generation” includes model numbers: 101, 201 and 301, which have now been superseded by the 205, 305 and 405 models – the “current generation”.

How Forerunner Watches are Similar

All Garmin Forerunner watches are all-in-one GPS wrist units, meaning the GPS aerial is mounted in the watch.

This is quite distinct from other GPS watch manufacturers such as Timex, Suunto and Polar, who require you to secure an external GPS device to your body. With Forerunner watches, you can just put the watch on your wrist and you’re ready to go.

The Garmin watches also share some amazing proprietary sports watch features. Some are only found in certain models, but most are present in all Forerunner watches. Below is a summary these shared features:

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