Gear Check

Garmin Forerunner 45 vs 645

I recently bought my daughter the Garmin Forerunner 45S GPS running watch. This model is sleek and small and considered one of the entry level Garmin watches, but in fact it is packed with all the metrics the average runner needs in a very fashionable modern design.

I currently wear the Garmin 645 model, but the Garmin 45 is such an amazing and cute watch I have considered downsizing to the sleeker smaller 40mm watch instead.

While these are both great watches, here are some of the main differences between the two. The Garmin 645 includes a few extra features that the basic Garmin 45 does not, such as Garmin Pay, optional music storage, and an altimeter and barometer. The 645 watch also has the silver bezel design for a slightly dressier look and interchangeable watch bands to easily swap to a different color watch strap.

Personally I have never used Garmin pay. I do not listen to music from my watch so I own the 645 model not the 645M (Music option).

The silver bezel on this watch was one of the features that originally attracted me to this specific model for a dressier watch to wear to work. However after just a year of owning the watch the bezel is covered in scratches and scuff marks from daily wear. The Garmin 45 has a slightly smaller watch face, but without the bezel looks much sleeker, and so cute on the wrist.

I like the option to swap the watch bands to different colors, but I mainly just wear the black band that came with the watch. Extra Garmin watch bands tend to run $29 which makes it a bit costly to own a variety of colors. Numerous cheaper off brand watch straps can be purchased from Amazon. I own a red, teal, as well as the Turquoise Garmin strap that is standard in the Garmin 245 watch model.

I prefer to switch the watch face than to change the watch band. Both watches can easily change the watch face through the Garmin App.

I like the neutral look of the black watch strap, or in the case of the new Garmin 45, the white watch band.

I would definitely recommend the Garmin 45 watch. I would buy one for myself, but I don’t think my fourteen year old daughter is interested in twinning with her mom.