- Accurate GPS distance data for runners.
- Captures workout and heart rate data, and wirelessly and automatically transfers to your PC.
- Touch-bezel control eliminates need for multiple buttons.
- Touch-bezel control takes some practice to master.
- Heart rate monitor strap must be moist to provide accurate readings.
- Price: $300 without heart rate monitor, $349 with heart rate monitor. Available in black or green.
- Dimensions: 1.88" x 2.78" x 0.646" (4.8 x 7.1 x 1.6 cm).
Display Size: 1.06" (2.7 cm) diameter. - Weight: 2.11 oz (60 g).
- Waterproof.
- High-sensitivity GPS receiver. Holds signal well in urban and wooded settings.
- Virtual Partner (train against a digital person)
- Courses (compete against previous workouts).
- Auto-pause, auto-lap, auto-scroll (cycles through data pages during workout).
- Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button).
- Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace).
Runners have long had limited choices when it comes to accurately measuring training and race distances, but the addition of GPS to sports watches changed that. Garmin has taken another step toward making GPS runner-friendly with the Garmin Forerunner 405. With the 405, Garmin has crammed all the sophisticated GPS technology you need into a reasonably slim and compact sports watch.
Taking a cue from Apple, Garmin has also created a touch-bezel control instead of a bunch of buttons (the 405 has only two buttons).
Initial setup of the 405 is straightforward. You charge the watch (a charge lasts a generous 2 weeks in power save mode; 8 hours in training mode), follow the on-screen instructions to configure, and pair it (this happens automatically) with the heart rate monitor. You will also set up the wireless USB ANT receiver on your PC to receive data from the 405, and start an account at Garmin Connect online.
Once you're ready to run, strap the heart rate monitor around your chest, step outside, touch and hold "training" on the touch-bezel, and go. As you run, the Forerunner 405 uses GPS to capture and display precise location and speed data, in addition to your heart rate data.
When you're back home, simply bring your Forerunner 405 within nine feet of your computer, and it will automatically and wirelessly transfer your workout data to your PC and upload it to Garmin Connect, where you can analyze and archive your runs. This is a great convenience and an excellent way to keep a detailed training log without writing a thing.
Summing up, I appreciate the smaller, slimmer profile of the Forerunner 405. It's not a watch I'd wear in a business setting, but you could wear it all day. The touch bezel takes some practice, but will become second nature with use. The touch-bezel may easily be locked and unlocked to prevent accidental commands.
