Forerunner 305

Old guy here. I'm tall with thin wrists and even an Apple Watch Ultra looks a little ridiculous on me (to me). Back in the day, our only Garmin GPS option was the 305. It was like wearing a CRT monitor on your arm. *However*, I never really noticed it during training or racing. It was the cost of doing business and my brain just filtered out the proprioceptors like it does with shoes and jackets, etc. Given that almost all the Garmin options are pretty thin, how it looks is likely the only real concern. The diameter shouldn't affect whether it snags on clothing, etc., but you might need a smaller strap. I'd choose the one with the best features for your data-crunching. If you don't need a lot of data, the smaller watches would probably do the job. https://preview.redd.it/8g7pjtsq85sf1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d11130072d2f69e311abd65ebd09c0478bba4a9c

I've been using Garmin watches since 2004. I've never had one fail, I've replaced them out of wanting a new feature or eventually losing battery life. Models: FR 201, 305, 225, vivoactive 1 & 3, FR 735XT, Edge 520+ 6 watches over 21 years. Plus pulling the 305 apart and replacing the battery (it still works - so did the 201 last I heard that the guy I'd given it to had passed it on)

Garmin faithful (though not fanboy) here… 305>610>935>255s (middle numbers might be wrong and I’m too lazy to doublecheck). Wrist issues are going to happen to a small slice of the population with silicone straps… emphasis on small. As far as training readiness… these are consumer grade devices… squint when the garmin (or coros or suunto or apple or whoever) tells you stuff and you’ll be fine. 

Ha! This post took me on a trip down memory lane! I had to look at my history in Garmin Connect. Started using my Garmin Forerunner 305 back in 2010. Since then I’ve upgraded 3 times: 310XT in 2012, (loved this watch), 235 in 2019, 165 this year in 2025.

You buy a Garmin for what it does today, not for what it may or may not do in a year with some maybe-happening update. As opposed to typical (real?) smart watches, a Garmin will keep working for years and will be compatible with the app even if it is not receiving further updates to its software. I can go for a run with my 15 year old 910XT today stick the ANT stick on my computer and upload all the data to the app with all the functionality the watch had the day I got it. I can probably do that even with my 18 year old 305 (I haven't tried in a while, but I would expect it to work). So, buy something that satisfies your needs today. It will keep doing it's job for its lifetime. If you develop additional needs, well then you can consider an upgrade.