The story of the Garmin Forerunner
Generations and strap changes
- 2025Forerunner 570 and 970
Available in Singapore from 4 June 2025; the 970 has a titanium bezel and sapphire lens.
Forerunner 570 comes in 42 mm and 47 mm; the 970 in a 47 mm case.
- 2023Forerunner 265 and 965
First Forerunners with AMOLED displays; the 965 adds a titanium bezel. The 265 went on sale 31 March, the 965 in mid April.
Case sizes: 42 mm 265S, 46 mm 265 and 47 mm 965.
- 2021Forerunner 945 LTE
First Garmin smartwatch fully network-connected without a phone.
- 2018Forerunner 645
First running watch built to connect to third-party music apps such as Spotify and Amazon Music; it could also store MP3s.
- 2015Forerunner 225
Garmin's first watch with a built-in optical heart rate sensor.
- 2009Forerunner 310XT
Garmin's first watch built for triathletes, covering swim, bike and run.
- 2006Forerunner 305
Its GPS antenna wrapped partly around the wrist for better reception, and it sold for over six years.
- 2003Forerunner 201
Garmin calls it the first GPS running watch on the market; large by later standards.
Firsts and innovations
Garmin says the Forerunner 201 (2003) was the first GPS running watch on the market.
The Forerunner 225 (2015) was Garmin's first watch with a built-in optical heart rate sensor.
The Forerunner 945 LTE (2021) was Garmin's first smartwatch that could connect to a network without a phone.