Your first Garmin probably won’t be a watch

Is Fenix 9 how new athletes get into Garmin? No. It sells mostly to people who already own a Garmin. The way in is now CIRQA, a $199.99 band that isn’t even a watch, alongside the cheapest Forerunners and vivoactive.

Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble said as much on this week’s Q3 earnings call. Outside Fenix, he said, buyers are “heavily weighted towards new users”, and he named CIRQA first.

Fenix 9 is for upgraders

Pemble said early Fenix 9 demand has come, unsurprisingly, mainly from existing owners. Newcomers to the Fenix series tend to follow later, as the watch reaches more shops. That matches every recent Fenix launch: the flagship sells first to loyal owners who already know what it does.

The price helps explain it. Fenix 9 starts at $999.99 / £859.99, which is a lot for a first sports watch, and the Fenix 8 and Fenix 8 Pro are still on sale for less and are more often discounted. For many buyers, the previous generation is the better value, especially with Black Friday close.

If you’re choosing between them, my Fenix 9 vs Fenix 8 guide sets out what changed and which model to buy, and the Fenix 8 series guide covers every variant. For the whole range, start with the Garmin Fenix hub or the best Garmin Fenix guide.

Where new Garmin customers come from

Pemble named four products that bring in “significant numbers of new users”: CIRQA, vivoactive, and the entry-level Forerunner 70 and Forerunner 170. What they share is a low price – no surprise there. The Forerunner 70 is Garmin’s cheapest running watch at $249.99, and CIRQA is cheaper still.

If you’re buying your first Garmin watch, those are the models to look at, and my cheap Garmin guide compares them with discounted older Forerunners.

CIRQA is the big one

CIRQA is the product Pemble kept coming back to. Demand “exceeded our expectations”, Garmin is still clearing a backlog and expanding production, and CIRQA owners are now the main reason Connect+ subscriptions are growing.

He also explained who buys it. People looking at CIRQA want “the screen-less approach” and “the ability to have flexibility with other devices that they might wear”. In other words, they want Garmin’s health and training data without giving up the watch already on their wrist, whether that’s a mechanical watch, an Apple Watch or nothing at all.

The band itself is generally good (with caveats). In my CIRQA review, its heart rate on the biceps matched a chest strap, although I’ve since found it doesn’t reliably save every workout. My CIRQA vs WHOOP comparison sets it against the other screenless bands.

Garmin missed a trick

For years, Garmin tried to win new customers with cheaper watches. Every new runner was asked to make a watch decision first: which Forerunner, which size, which features. That is a big ask of someone who has just started on their fitness journey, and many of them chose an Apple Watch or a Fitbit instead.

Garmin has sold vivosmart bands for years, but always as a cut-down watch with a small screen. WHOOP showed there was another way in: a screenless band you wear all day, which asks nothing of the wrist except space. CIRQA is Garmin’s version, and the early demand suggests the easiest route to a new Garmin customer was never a watch.

It also changes what happens next. A CIRQA owner is already in Garmin Connect, with sleep, HRV and training data building up. When that athlete wants GPS and pace on the wrist, the obvious next step is a Forerunner. Garmin may have found a cheaper, easier way to start the journey that ends with a Fenix.

What it means if you’re buying

If you’re new to Garmin and don’t want to give up your watch, CIRQA is the easiest way in. If you want GPS on your wrist, the Forerunner 70 or 170 is the sensible first Garmin watch. And if you’re upgrading an older Fenix, compare the Fenix 9 with a discounted Fenix 8 before you pay full price.

Quick answers

What is the best first Garmin watch?
For most new runners, the Forerunner 70 or Forerunner 170. They are Garmin’s cheapest running watches and, according to Garmin, among the products that bring in the most new customers.

What is the cheapest Garmin watch?
The Forerunner 70 is Garmin’s cheapest running watch at $249.99. If you don’t need a screen, the CIRQA band is cheaper at $199.99. My cheap Garmin guide compares them with discounted older models.

Who is buying the Garmin Fenix 9?
Mostly existing Garmin owners upgrading from an older watch, according to Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble. New customers tend to follow later.

Can I use Garmin CIRQA with another watch?
Yes. CIRQA has no screen and reports through the Garmin Connect app, so you can wear it alongside any watch. Garmin says that flexibility is a main reason people buy it.

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Last Updated on 28 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner