- Some of the Garmin smartwatches that support custom watch faces include Fenix 6, Forerunner 235, Vivoactive 3, Forerunner 45, Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 945. If you’d like to check whether or not your device is supported you can visit Garmin’s ConnectIQ storefront. Like much of Garmin’s downloadable content, the watch faces are created.
- Forerunner® 245 is a running watch that includes training status to indicate if you’re under training or overdoing it, and training plans from Garmin Coach.
This makes the Garmin Forerunner 245 an incredibly good running watch for the money. The vast majority of runners would find the Garmin Forerunner 245 satisfies their every need. The watch can be found in two models: Garmin Forerunner 245 and Garmin Forerunner 245 Music. Both do exactly the same, except the Music model allows you to directly.
Several of Garmin’s latest watches offer support for apps, music and other smart features. They can also be personalized by downloading and installing custom watch faces, which completely change the way the main display looks.
Some of the Garmin smartwatches that support custom watch faces include Fenix 6, Forerunner 235, Vivoactive 3, Forerunner 45, Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 945. If you’d like to check whether or not your device is supported you can visit Garmin’s ConnectIQ storefront.
Like much of Garmin’s downloadable content, the watch faces are created by third-party developers. You can browse, download and rate them via ConnectIQ. More are added to the store regularly, so it’s always good to check back and see what’s new.
You can also download apps, widgets, and other updates via ConnectIQ depending on the device you own. Almost any of Garmin’s wearables can be enhanced by adding new device apps or custom data fields, which allows the watch to track more than it does natively. A Garmin Approach golf-themed watch, for example, can be used to track hiking specific stats, or display a star-chart, merely by installing new content.
That being said, one of the best ways to spruce up your watch is to install custom watch faces. You can find new faces that display way more than just the time, like sports stats, calendar details and even custom graphics — there’s a Super Mario themed watch face!
To help you get started, here are some of the best Garmin watch faces you can download right now:
25. Duck Hunt
Remember the classic Nintendo game Duck Hunt? That’s precisely what this watch face is, an animated rendition. When you look at your watch the animation plays, showing an endearing Muttley giggling as ducks fly overhead.
There are no stats displayed, just the time and date so this watch face is best when you don’t care to see your data or metrics.
Compatible Devices: D2 Bravo/ Titanium / Charlie / Delta / Delta PX / Delta S, Descent MK1, Epix, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR
24. CarbonAnalog
If you want a simple analog watch with a carbon-fiber style design then CarbonAnalog is a good choice. Right now, not many devices are supported. Hopefully, the developer will add more soon.
Compatible Devices: D2 Bravo, D2 Bravo Titanium, Fenix 3, Fenix Quatix 3, Fenix Tactix Bravo, Fenix 3 HR, Fenix Chronos
23. Energy Face
If you want a clean e-ink style watch face that doesn’t use a lot of battery, check out Energy Face. It also displays a huge selection of personal stats and info, like Bluetooth status, alarm, and moon phases. It also has several configurable fields.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / Forerunner 230 / 235 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Music
Energy Face at ConnectIQ
22. Simply Late!
This watch face offers a rather unique take on the modern watch. All that’s displayed is the current hour with a progress indicator to tell you what part of the hour you’re in. Data is also displayed nicely at the top. It’s meant for anyone who likes to see the current hour at a glance, but nothing more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR
21. Divinity
Like skulls? Want one on your watch face alongside the date and time? Then check out Divinity, an official watch face from Garmin.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivolife
20. GearMin
The GearMin watch face is an absolute beast, displaying just about every stat and personal detail your watch can track. It’s for data lovers and always active people, specifically those that want quick access to all important stats. You get elevation, current location, date and time, total steps, goal progress, Bluetooth status, notifications, heart-rate, alarms, an activity graph and much more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
19. Classic Collection
The best thing about this watch face is it’s a bundle that includes several classic designs inspired by real watches. All of the faces feature analog clock designs, of which there are seven. There are a variety of configurable colors, backgrounds, clock hands and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S
18. DividedTime
Want a plain style watch that displays the current time and date, with plenty of configurable options? Look no further than DividedTime. It offers a wide range of color options for the foreground and background. You can also remove everything extra for an incredibly clean style.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
17. Infinity
Infinity mimics traditional analog watches by display hour, minute and second hands. In the background is an infinite array of cubes, which is where the name comes from. At the north side of the face is the battery level and the south side has total steps. It looks great, works great and is definitely one to grab.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
16. RunningPro
This watch face has another analog-style design, except it displays running and activity stats in the background. You can see battery levels, current weight, altitude, calories burned, total steps, data, moon phase and more.
Compatible Devices: All D2, Forerunner 645 / 645 Music / 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5
15. Clock32
This watch face has a stylish, digital design with the time and date in the center and a progress bar around the edges. It supports multiple color configurations and displays a ton of extra details. You can see heart-rate, total steps, notifications, alarms, Bluetooth status, battery level and much more.
Compatible Devices: All D2, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR
14. Time Flies
This watch face has a slick, analog and digital clock design with “rich customization options” and support for several detailed stats like data, Bluetooth status, and battery level.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
13. DigiSport
Best Watch Face Forerunner 245
This watch face closely resembles the Nike face available on the Nike+ edition of the Apple Watch. The time is displayed on the right, and three circular icons sit on the left. The icons can be customized, allowing you to choose what’s displayed. Most of the options are unlocked by buying the premium version for $1.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
12. Lachesis (Light)
This animated watch face displays illuminated neon colors around the edges and places the time right in the center. There are four color schemes: coral pink, sunset orange, ocean green and sand grey. Extra info displayed includes calories burned, battery level, data and total steps.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
11. SkyTracker
If you want to see weather data, SkyTracker is the right watch face. It will show the temperature and weather conditions for your current location. It also displays battery level, heart-rate, mobile notifications, time and data. Additional options are available to unlock, too, like new colors and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
10. ActiFace
If you want as much information on your small watch display as possible, then ActiFace is the right choice. It shows time and date, daily goal progress, total steps, mobile notifications and heart-rate. It also displays a useful activity history graph that shows the distance you’ve traveled and the total calories you’ve burned along the way.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920 XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
9. Gigantus
This watch face puts the time front and center in large, bold print. Various stats are displayed around the time, including heart-rate, Bluetooth status, alarms, activity details and more. You can also change the display colors by choosing from several presets.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music
Gigantus at ConnectIQ
8. Sport Master
Another official Garmin watch face, Sport Master is for all the active folks out there who want to track their progress in real-time. Time is displayed in both digital and analog formats. Additional details include calories burned, total steps, distance traveled, date, battery level and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
7. NoFrills
If you want something that has no frills, this watch face is the one to grab. The time sits front and center in a beautiful, bold font. As you progress towards your daily goal the numbers fill up with water. Additional stats are displayed around the edges including heart-rate, date, alarms, Bluetooth status, notifications and battery level.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920 XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
6. Ha Long Bay
Another animated watch face, Ha Long Bay adds a beautiful boating scene. Stats include total steps, battery levels, Bluetooth on, and time and date. It’s minimal, but it looks great and leaves plenty of open space to see the animation.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, Epix, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
5. JBlack
If you want a clean watch face that’s packed to the brim with info, JBlack is your best bet. It shows alarms, battery levels, BT status, the current moon phase, total steps, and, of course, the time and date. Plus, if you make a small donation to the developer who created it, you can unlock a few other features too like heart-rate or sunrise and set times (to clarify, the watch already shows this info via settings but a donation adds support to the home screen).
Compatible Devices: D2 Delta / Delta PX / Delta S, Descent MK1, Forerunner 645 / 645 Music, 935 / 945, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, All MARQ
4. Crystal
Want as much information on-screen as possible, yet in an attractive way? Crystal is your type of watch face. It was named the winner of “Best New Watch Face” at Garmin’s 2019 Connect IQ Developer awards. It shows a variety of stats and info, and there are three configurable data fields including heart-rate, battery level, and mobile notifications.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 735XTJ, Forerunner 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT/ 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Venu, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
3. Movement
Made by Garmin, Movement is an excellent watch face in style and function. There’s a rainbow style UI, with various metrics placed around the face. You can see elevation, battery levels, a music equalizer, along with time and date. You can also change the colors to personalize the face if you like.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivolife
2. Line
Line takes a unique approach to display metrics and time info on screen all at once. As the name suggests, a line separates the time and date from personal stats. There are multiple configurations so you can swap the layout to be side-by-side or top-bottom. You can change the display colors. The information shown includes calories burned, battery life, weather, heart-rate, mobile notifications, alarms and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, Epix, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT/ 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR
1. My Watch
My Watch takes the number one spot because of how functional it is. It doesn’t look bad either, especially with how the minor details are displayed. The time takes front and center, and you get a wide variety of stats and info including heart-rate, activity time, altitude, temperature, moon phases, and much more. There are also two styles, light and dark, and none of the features are locked behind a paywall or donation requirement.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, Forerunner 645 / 645 Music / 935, All Fenix 5, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivolife
At long last Garmin updates their popular mid-level running watch
Garmin has finally updated their mid-level running-focused watch lineup with the announcement of the new Forerunner 245. There are two variants of this model: the 245 and the 245 Music, priced at $299 and $349 respectively. Both offer substantial updates and new features when compared to the last generation Forerunner 235. This article focuses on what makes this watch a compelling choice.
The new Forerunner 245 Music features the ability to store and playback music to paired Bluetooth headphones. However, the music capability isn't the only thing that makes it different. The 245 Music also features built-in WiFi, which is needed to sync playlists from services like Spotify. The WiFi is also useful for automatically syncing new workouts to Garmin Connect and SportTracks without requiring you to pair the watch with your phone.
Besides music and WiFi, both new 245 models are the same. The sections below highlight the most important features...
New features and improvements on the Garmin 245
Improved Display
The color display on the Garmin 245 is now made of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and is a complete circle, not squared-off on the top and bottom like the Forerunner 230 and 235. The resolution has improved as well, with the new 245 offering 240 x 240 pixels, whereas the 235 has 215 x 180 pixels.
Improved Optical Heart-Rate Monitor
If you look back at the high-end Fenix 5 Plus that Garmin released last summer, the heart-rate monitor on the new Forerunner 245 doesn't seem radically different. But if you look back to the last generation Forerunner 235 from late 2015, you will see how far it has progressed. The heart-rate monitor on the 235 wasn't the most reliable, so the Garmin Elevate heart-rate monitor on the 245 should be a significant improvement. It's the same heart-rate monitor that's found on the Forerunner 945 and Garmin's top-of-the-line MARQ sports watches.
Pulse Ox
Along with the improved heart-rate monitor is another feature borrowed from the Fenix 5X Plus, a wrist-based sensor called Pulse Ox. This is an advanced feature that measures oxygen absorption, which can tell you how well your body is adapting to exercise. It works best when you're not moving, and you can set the 245 to read your Pulse Ox as you sleep. The 245 handles complete wellness tracking as well, such as step and sleep tracking, and this data is automatically brought into SportTracks for analysis.
Improved Battery Life
The new Garmin 245 can get up to 24 hours of use when in GPS mode, which is more than double the amount of life you got from the Forerunner 235. The 245 gets 7 days of life when in smartwatch mode, and when playing music and using GPS it will last for 6 hours.
UltraTrac Mode
If you want to do workouts that exceed 24 hours in length, whether it's an ultramarathon or an epic hike, you can enable the new UltraTrac Mode on the 245. This decreases the number of times the watch will write GPS points and use sensor data, but it greatly increases the battery life to record unusually long activities.
Running Dynamics
When used with the separately available RD Pod or HRM-RUN or HRM-TRI bands, the new Garmin 245 provides Running Dynamics data such as Vertical Oscillation, Ground Contact Time, and more. These metrics are available the view on data screens as you run, and you can analyze this data after you work out in Garmin Connect and SportTracks.
Bluetooth Fitness Sensor Support
There are plenty of Bluetooth-related features in new Garmin 245, such as showing notifications from your phone, getting weather updates, and other smartphone features. What's new is that it's now possible to pair Bluetooth Smart fitness sensors, such as a Bluetooth heart-rate monitor, to use them with your 245. This wasn't possible with the Forerunner 235 and 230.
Galileo Support
New to the Forerunner 245 is support for the European Union satellite system called Galileo. Basically, when you set up your watch, you can choose to use just GPS satellites, or you can choose GPS + GLONASS which includes the Russian satellite system, or choose GPS + GALILEO. What this means is that if you look at your map data and think it could be more accurate, you can switch to these various satellite systems and find the ones that work best for you.
Basic Navigation
Another feature not found on the old Forerunner 235 and 230 is navigation. The new 245 doesn't have full maps like the new Forerunner 945, but it does provide a way to view your path on a map, to save locations, and it can give you instructions to navigate your way home.
Assistance Alert and Crash/Incident Detection
If you accidentally crash on your bike, or stumble and fall on a run, the Garmin 245 can alert your emergency contacts and provide them with your last GPS location. Plus, if you haven't had a traumatic crash or fall but you still want to let your emergency contacts know where you are, you can hold down a button on the 245 to do so. These features require that you have your phone with you.
Lap Swimming Support
While it was possible to use Connect IQ apps to record pool swims with the Forerunner 230 and 235, this workout type is now officially supported in the new 245. It can record pool swims, but not open water swims nor scuba dives. The Garmin 245 provides pool lengths, swim intervals, stroke count, stroke types, and SWOLF. UPDATE: In September of 2019 Garmin added the abiity to record heart-rate data while swimming with the Forerunner 245. Updating the firmware adds the new functionality.
Other new goodies in the Garmin 245
Virtual Partner - You can add a 'Virtual Partner' data screen to an activity to try to maintain a specific speed or pace. You can even race against it.
Improved Predicted Race Times - This feature was in the Forerunner 235 and 230, but it's been improved because in addition to VO2 Max, it also looks at your training history and other data sources.
Metronome - While it was possible to add a metronome to the Forerunner 235 and 230 via Connect IQ, a metronome is now included with the new Garmin 245. This is a useful tool for training to improve your cadence.
Configurable Lap Banner - You know those notifications you get every time you complete a mile or kilometer? You can configure the data that's displayed on this banner to your liking with the Garmin 245. There is also a lot more configurability found throughout the Forerunner 245.
Watch Face Forerunner 245 Band
Final thoughts...
Forerunner 245 Watch Band
There's a lot to like in the new Forerunner 245. The bigger picture items are great, such as the improved heart-rate monitor, improved GPS, improved battery life and so on. There are also plenty of little things to appreciate, like the new all-day stress tracking and Body Battery features, which make the 245 an excellent wear-at-all-times fitness tracker.
Garmin Forerunner 245 Watch Faces
The new Garmin Forerunner 245 will likely be the best all-around mid-level sports watch you can get. And while it is appealing, it doesn't have everything we want. For example, it lacks a barometric altimeter, which means that as good as an activity tracker as it may be, it cannot count stairs. This also means that it can't use Garmin's Running Power, which is a bummer. But even with its shortcomings, the new Forerunner 245 is going to be the perfect watch for a great number of people.
| Article written by Sam Mallery, Director of Marketing, Zone Five Software Inc. |