OLATHE, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Garmin® International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN), today announced the Forerunner® 255 series of GPS running smartwatches that include full triathlon support, new training metrics, enhanced smartwatch features (when paired with a smartphone) and more. Light on the wrist but not on features, the Forerunner 255S and Forerunner 255S Music are available in 41 mm sized cases while the Forerunner 255 and Forerunner 255 Music are available in 46 mm cases, making them the perfect companions for are available in 46 mm cases, making them the perfect companions for runners chasing their fastest time yet. What’s more, users can spend more time doing what they love and less time charging with up to 14 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 30 hours in GPS mode. Garmin unveiled the Forerunner 255 series in conjunction with Global Running Day, an annual celebration of the sport of running that encourages athletes of all levels to make a life-changing commitment to running.
“Designed for runners by runners, the Forerunner 255 series of GPS running smartwatches are loaded with features and training tools to help you compete at a higher level,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “With brand new performance and recovery insights, top-of-the-line training features and enhanced smartwatch functionality, you have everything you need – right on your wrist – to keep pushing for your fastest PR.”
Building upon the popular Forerunner 245 series of GPS running smartwatches, the Forerunner 255 series adds the following new features:
- Morning report: Receive the day’s weather and daily workout suggestion, as well as information about last night’s sleep and HRV status.1 The report can even be customized so athletes can view only the details they want to see.
- Full triathlon support: Switch up a workout routine with triathlon and multisport activity profiles. During races and brick workouts, easily toggle between sports with a single button press.
- Race widget: View race prep information – including a race day-specific performance prediction, race day weather and a countdown clock – all in one widget. Once a race is scheduled, daily suggested workouts will adapt based on an athlete’s race plans.
- HRV status: Track heart rate variability while sleeping to get a better handle on recovery and an overall wellness picture.
- Garmin Pay™ contactless payments: Breeze through checkout lines by paying for purchases right from the wrist.2
- Multi-band GPS: Garmin’s reliable GPS accuracy just got better. By enabling multi-band, multi-satellite-system tracking on the watch, athletes can receive more accuracy in their run data, even in the most challenging environments.
- Native running power: When using a Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Pro™ (sold separately), receive real-time metrics of how much power is being exerted on a run, built into the watch – no app required.
Training tools
Offering personalized training and recovery insights, the Forerunner 255 series includes performance monitoring tools to help athletes push the limits.
- Daily workout suggestions provide an entire week of day-to-day training guidance on what workout is most effective for overall wellness and will adapt based on race plans that are set up using the new race widget.
- Train for a 5K, 10K or half-marathon using Garmin Coach, free training plans that adapt based on a runner’s goals and performance.
- Switch up workouts with dozens of built-in sports apps, including triathlon, cycling, pool and open-water swimming, track run and more.
- Using new indicators such as HRV status, recent exercise history and performance, athletes will gain greater insight into their overall training status – and whether they’re training productively, peaking or strained.
- Better prepare for a race or training cycle with performance metrics from Garmin Firstbeat Analytics™ like VO2 max, acute load, training status, training effect and more.
- Stay on pace using PacePro™, a tool that provides grade-adjusted guidance as athletes run a course.
- Plan and download routes using the course creator in Garmin Connect™, which uses Trendline™ popularity routing to provide the best local paths, or create courses on platforms like Strava and Komoot that will seamlessly sync to the watch.
- When using a Running Dynamics Pod or HRM-Pro (sold separately), track running dynamics such as cadence, stride length, ground contact time and more.
Health and wellness insights
The Forerunner 255 series is designed to track overall well-being 24/7. Wrist-based Pulse Ox3 monitors blood oxygen saturation levels to provide a clearer picture of sleep while Body Battery™ shows current energy levels to help athletes find the best times for activity and rest. Every morning, users will receive a personalized score for their sleep quality and can view their different sleep stages as well as heart rate, stress, Pulse Ox and respiration data. What’s more, women can use the women’s health tracking app to track their pregnancy and adjust their training to plan for upcoming races based on where they are in their menstrual cycle.
Connected features
Packed with connected features, the Forerunner 255 series lets users get the most out of their smartwatch. Directly from the wrist, users can receive text messages and view social media updates, emails and more. Whether working out alone or with friends, built-in safety and tracking features include incident detection, assistance and LiveTrack to let loved ones follow along on a run or ride.4 Following a workout, the Forerunner 255 series will automatically upload activities to Garmin Connect, a no-cost, subscription-free platform where athletes can view all of their health and fitness data, connect and compete with friends, sign up for challenges and more. What’s more, the Forerunner 255 Music and Forerunner 255S Music can store up to 500 songs right on the watch, including playlists from Spotify®, Amazon Music and Deezer (premium subscription may be required) from the athlete’s Apple® or Android™ smartphone, and can connect to their wireless headphones for phone-free listening.
Available now, the Forerunner 255 and Forerunner 255S come in fun new colors – including tidal blue and light pink – and have a suggested retail price of $349.99. The Forerunner 255 Music and Forerunner 255S Music are also available now in black or whitestone and have a suggested retail price of $399.99.
Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized life for runners, cyclists, swimmers and athletes of all levels and abilities. Committed to developing technology that helps people stay active and elevate performance, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday. Other Garmin fitness brands include Tacx® and Firstbeat Analytics. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual Newsroom, email our press team, connect with @garminrunning on social media, or follow our adventures at garmin.com/blog.
1 The data and information provided by these devices is intended to be a close estimation of your activity and metrics tracked, but may not be precisely accurate
2 View current supported country, payment network and issuing bank information
3 This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox is not available in all countries.
4 When paired with a compatible smartphone; see Garmin.com/ble. For safety and tracking features requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety
About Garmin International, Inc.
Garmin International, Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin, Forerunner and Tacx are registered trademarks and Garmin Connect, Trendline, Pace Pro, Garmin Pay, Firstbeat Analytics and Body Battery are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Amazon Music and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. SPOTIFY and the Spotify logo are among the registered trademarks of Spotify AB. Android is a trademark of Google LLC. Apple is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 25, 2021, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0001-411180). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
