Garmin Approach J1 vs Approach S70 42mm
Size, specs & wrist fit compared
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Which one fits you
Both need much the same wrist — roughly 44–61mm across the flat of the wrist. Neither will fit where the other won't, so decide on thickness, weight and features instead.
The Approach J1 wears larger than the Approach S70 42mm (43mm vs 42mm case), giving it more wrist presence — and needing a wider wrist to sit cleanly.
The Approach J1 is the slimmer of the two (11.4mm vs 12.6mm), so it slides under a cuff more easily.
On the wrist the Approach J1 feels lighter (29g vs 44g, case only).
Among the 318 43mm watches we hold thickness for, the Approach J1 is thinner than 87%, so it wears flatter than its width suggests.
The Approach S70 42mm is middle-of-the-pack for thickness among the 655 42mm watches in the database.
The Approach J1 is 1mm wider, 1mm longer, 1.2mm thinner and 15g lighter than the Approach S70 42mm. Both are circular.
Approach J1
Approach® S70 - 42 mm
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Garmin
Approach J1
Garmin
Approach® S70 - 42 mm
Watch Fit Tool
For sports watches, lug-to-lug (L2L) is what matters most — it decides whether a watch overhangs your wrist. Bulky is fine; overhang is not.
Measure at the point where you wear your watch — typically just below the wrist bone.
Flat width — lay your arm on a table, palm facing up, and measure straight across the top of your wrist with a ruler. Bone to bone; do not follow the curve down the sides.
Around — wrap a tape measure snugly round the wrist. No tape? Wrap a strip of paper, mark the overlap and hold the strip against a ruler.
Width ≠ circumference. They are different numbers — around 170mm is about 64mm across — so set the toggle to whichever one you actually measured before you type it in.
Garmin Approach J1
Case 43.0mm · Lug-to-lug 43.0mm · Thickness 11.4mm · 29g
Balanced Fit
43mm on a 55mm wrist
Comfortably inside the edges of your wrist, and it seats and sits low enough to wear without thinking about it.
On a 55mm wrist the sweet spot is 47–53mm lug to lug. This one is 43mm, so you could go bigger.
Measure where you wear it, just below the wrist bone. Either of these works — the tool converts between them.
- 1. Flat width — arm flat on a table, palm up. Measure straight across the top of the wrist, bone to bone, ignoring the curve down the sides.
- 2. Around — a tape, or a strip of paper marked and held against a ruler, snug the whole way round.
Leather: Attaches at the lugs, so the case back rests on your skin. Thins and softens with wear. Typical figures, not this model’s own.
Show the measurementsHide the measurements
- Across the wrist6.0mm spare each side
Comfortable, with visible skin either side.
- Off the wrist11.4mm off the skin
Normal sports-watch height for a wrist this size. (11.4mm case, back against the skin)
- How it seats~4.4mm under the rim
Seats well, with the case back following most of the wrist.
- Weight on the wrist29g
Light enough to forget you have it on. (0.5g per mm of wrist)
Garmin Approach® S70 - 42 mm
Case 42.0mm · Lug-to-lug 42.0mm · Thickness 12.6mm · 44g
Balanced Fit
42mm on a 55mm wrist
Comfortably inside the edges of your wrist, and it seats and sits low enough to wear without thinking about it.
On a 55mm wrist the sweet spot is 47–53mm lug to lug. This one is 42mm, so you could go bigger.
Measure where you wear it, just below the wrist bone. Either of these works — the tool converts between them.
- 1. Flat width — arm flat on a table, palm up. Measure straight across the top of the wrist, bone to bone, ignoring the curve down the sides.
- 2. Around — a tape, or a strip of paper marked and held against a ruler, snug the whole way round.
Leather: Attaches at the lugs, so the case back rests on your skin. Thins and softens with wear. Typical figures, not this model’s own.
Show the measurementsHide the measurements
- Across the wrist6.5mm spare each side
Comfortable, with visible skin either side.
- Off the wrist12.6mm off the skin
Normal sports-watch height for a wrist this size. (12.6mm case, back against the skin)
- How it seats~4.0mm under the rim
Seats well, with the case back following most of the wrist.
- Weight on the wrist44g
Light enough to forget you have it on. (0.8g per mm of wrist)
2D Dimension Schematics
Every case drawn to scale on a shared centre — from above, and in profile against the wrist.
- Garmin Approach J143mm · 11.4mm thick
- Garmin Approach® S70 - 42 mm42mm · 12.6mm thick
3D preview
Approach J1 vs Approach® S70 - 42 mm on a wrist
Sized to your own wrist, turned any way you like.
Shapes are built from published measurements, not manufacturer 3D models — accurate proportions, generic dial.
Battery life compared
Runtime for every power mode either watch publishes, 1 of them directly comparable.
J1S70 42mm
Smartwatch
10 days10 daysGPS
—15 hours
Specifications
The short version
7 key specs| Spec | GarminApproach J1 | GarminApproach® S70 - 42 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Case Width | 43mm | 42mm |
| Thickness | 11.4mm | 12.6mm |
| Weight | 29g | 44g |
| Shape | Circular | Circular |
| Display type | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) |
| Battery life | Watch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) | Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) |
| Released | 2026 | 2023 |
Every specification
232 specs| Spec | Garmin Approach J1 | Garmin Approach® S70 - 42 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Family | Garmin | Garmin |
| General | ||
| Weight | 29 g | — |
| Battery life | Watch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) | Smartwatch mode: Up to 10 days GPS Mode Up to 15 hours (using default display settings: gesture wake-up in Smartwatch mode and always-on while golfing) |
| Battery type | Lithium ion | — |
| Lens material | chemically strengthened glass | — |
| Physical size | 43 x 43 x 11.4 mm Fits wrists with a circumference of 115-195 mm | — |
| Bezel material | anodized aluminum | — |
| Memory/History | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| Strap material | elastic fabric hook and loop | silicone |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary plug charger | Garmin proprietary plug charger |
| Display resolution | 390 x 390 pixels | 390 x 390 pixels |
| Quick Release bands | yes (20 mm, Industry standard) | — |
| Display Size | — | 1.2" (32.02 mm) diameter |
| Color display | — | Yes |
| Lens Material | — | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 |
| Bezel Material | — | ceramic |
| QuickFit® watch band compatible | — | yes (20 mm) |
| Sensors | ||
| Connectivity | Bluetooth® LE | — |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™ | — |
| GPS | — | Yes |
| Compass | — | Yes |
| GLONASS | — | Yes |
| Galileo | — | Yes |
| Gyroscope | — | Yes |
| Accelerometer | — | Yes |
| Ambient light sensor | — | Yes |
| Barometric altimeter | — | Yes |
| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor | — | Yes |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | — | Yes |
| Variant | ||
| Color | Cloud Blue Aluminum Bezel with Black/Azure ComfortFit Fabric Band | — |
| Available Colors | Silver Aluminum Bezel with Lilac ComfortFit Fabric Band; Cloud Blue Aluminum Bezel with Black/Azure ComfortFit Fabric Band | — |
| Clock Features | ||
| GPS | Yes | — |
| Compass | Yes | — |
| GLONASS | Yes | — |
| Galileo | Yes | — |
| Gyroscope | Yes | — |
| Accelerometer | Yes | — |
| Ambient light sensor | Yes | — |
| Timer | — | Yes |
| Stopwatch | — | Yes |
| Time/date | — | Yes |
| Alarm clock | — | Yes |
| GPS Time Sync | — | Yes |
| Sunrise/sunset times | — | Yes |
| Automatic daylight saving time | — | Yes |
| Running Features | ||
| Handicap scoring | Yes | — |
| Tournament legal | Yes | — |
| Digital scorecard | Yes | — |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | Yes | — |
| Round timer/odometer | Yes | — |
| Auto CourseView updates | Yes | — |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | Yes | — |
| Hazards and course targets | Yes | — |
| Pairs with Garmin Golf app | Yes | — |
| Green View with manual pin position | Yes | — |
| Preloaded with 43,000 courses worldwide | Yes | — |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | Yes | — |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | Yes | — |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | Yes | — |
| Run workouts | — | Yes |
| Foot pod capable | — | Yes |
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | — | Yes |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | — | Yes |
| What You'll Love | ||
| Timer | Yes | — |
| Stopwatch | Yes | — |
| Time/date | Yes | — |
| Alarm clock | Yes | — |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Display type | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) | AMOLED (optional always-on mode) |
| Water rating | 5 ATM | 5 ATM |
| GPS Time Sync | Yes | — |
| Sunrise/sunset times | Yes | — |
| Automatic daylight saving time | Yes | — |
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | Up to 10 days | Up to 10 days |
| Garmin Pay™ | — | Yes |
| Music storage | — | Yes |
| Training status | — | Yes |
| Pulse Ox blood oxygen | — | yes (spot-check and optionally in sleep) |
| Sleep score and insights | — | Yes |
| Activity Profiles | ||
| Step counter | Yes | — |
| Gym | — | Strength, Cardio, HIIT, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing |
| Swim | — | Pool Swimming |
| Cycling | — | Biking, Mountain Biking, Indoor Biking |
| Wellness | — | Walking, Pilates, Yoga, Indoor Walking |
| On the Water | — | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking |
| Racket sports | — | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel, Platform Tennis, Racquetball |
| Snow & winter | — | Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Snowshoeing |
| Indoor running | — | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running |
| Outdoor running | — | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running |
| Outdoor recreation | — | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Golfing |
| Daily Smart Features | ||
| Swim | Pool Swimming | — |
| Cycling | Biking | — |
| Wellness | Walking | — |
| Outdoor running | Running | — |
| Outdoor recreation | Golfing | — |
| Stocks | — | Yes |
| Calendar | — | Yes |
| Passcode | — | Yes |
| Connectivity | — | Bluetooth®, ANT+®, Wi-Fi® |
| Find My Phone | — | Yes |
| Find My Watch | — | Yes |
| Morning report | — | Yes |
| Weather forecasts | — | Yes |
| Smart Notifications | — | Yes |
| Smartphone compatibility | — | iPhone®, Android™ |
| Controls smartphone music | — | Yes |
| On-device Connect IQ™ Store | — | Yes |
| Plays and controls watch music | — | Yes |
| Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile | — | Yes |
| Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | — | Yes |
| View images from notifications on watch (Android™ only) | — | Yes |
| Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | — | Yes |
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields and apps) | — | Yes |
| Activity Tracking Features | ||
| GPS speed and distance | Yes | — |
| Customizable data pages | Yes | — |
| Touch and/or button lock | Yes | — |
| Auto Pause® automatic timer halt | Yes | — |
| Auto Lap® interval tracking feature | Yes | — |
| TrueUp™ | — | Yes |
| Move IQ™ | — | Yes |
| Step counter | — | Yes |
| Floors climbed | — | Yes |
| Calories burned | — | Yes |
| Distance traveled | — | Yes |
| Intensity minutes | — | Yes |
| Automatic rep counting | — | Yes |
| Garmin Connect™ Challenges app | — | yes (optional Connect IQ app) |
| Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity) | — | Yes |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | — | Yes |
| Training, Planning and Analysis Features | ||
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | Yes | — |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | Yes | — |
| % HRR | — | Yes |
| % HR max | — | Yes |
| HR zones | — | Yes |
| HR alerts | — | Yes |
| HRV status | — | Yes |
| Manual lap | — | Yes |
| Auto max HR | — | Yes |
| Auto scroll | — | Yes |
| HR calories | — | Yes |
| Custom alerts | — | Yes |
| Physio TrueUp | — | Yes |
| Recovery time | — | Yes |
| Training load | — | Yes |
| VO2 Max (Run) | — | Yes |
| Training effect | — | Yes |
| Virtual Partner | — | Yes |
| Advanced workouts | — | Yes |
| Interval training | — | Yes |
| Training load focus | — | Yes |
| VO2 Max (Trail Run) | — | Yes |
| GPS speed and distance | — | Yes |
| Improved recovery time | — | Yes |
| Configurable lap alerts | — | Yes |
| Customizable data pages | — | Yes |
| Touch and/or button lock | — | Yes |
| Activity history on watch | — | Yes |
| Downloadable training plans | — | Yes |
| Training effect (anaerobic) | — | Yes |
| Auto Pause® automatic timer halt | — | Yes |
| Respiration rate (during exercise) | — | Yoga and Breathwork only |
| Auto Lap® interval tracking feature | — | Yes |
| Primary benefit (Training Effect labels) | — | Yes |
| HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices) | — | Yes |
| Product Info | ||
| Main SKU | — | 010-02746-00 |
| Product ID | — | 847697 |
| Product Name | — | Approach® S70 - 42 mm |
| Release Date | — | 5/24/2023 |
| Product Variation | — | Black/Peach Ceramic Bezel with White Silicone Band |
| Cycling Features | ||
| Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor) | — | yes (using ANT+ or BLE) |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | — | Yes |
| Golfing Features | ||
| PinPointer | — | Yes |
| Swing Tempo | — | Yes |
| Custom targets | — | Yes |
| Tempo Training | — | Yes |
| Virtual caddie | — | Yes |
| Full vector map | — | Yes |
| Handicap scoring | — | Yes |
| Tournament legal | — | yes (with tournament mode enabled) |
| Digital scorecard | — | Yes |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | — | Yes |
| PlaysLike distance | — | Yes |
| Round timer/odometer | — | Yes |
| TruSwing™ compatible | — | Yes |
| Auto CourseView updates | — | Yes |
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | — | Yes |
| Hazards and course targets | — | Yes |
| Pairs with Garmin Golf app | — | Yes |
| Green View with manual pin position | — | Yes |
| Preloaded with 43,000 courses worldwide | — | Yes |
| Green Contours (with Garmin Golf membership) | — | Yes |
| CT1 Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | — | Yes |
| CT10 Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | — | Yes |
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | — | Yes |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | — | Yes |
| Wind speed and direction (requires connection to Garmin Golf app) | — | Yes |
| Touch-targeting (touch target on display to see the distance to any point) | — | Yes |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | — | Yes |
| Swimming Features | ||
| Time and distance alerts | — | Yes |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | — | Yes |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | — | Yes |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | — | Yes |
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | — | Yes |
| Outdoor Recreation | ||
| Total ascent/descent | — | Yes |
| Workout and Training Plans | ||
| HIIT workouts | — | Yes |
| Yoga workouts | — | Yes |
| Cardio workouts | — | Yes |
| Pilates workouts | — | Yes |
| Strength workouts | — | Yes |
| On-screen workout animations | — | Yes |
| On-screen workout muscle maps | — | Yes |
| Health & Wellness Monitoring | ||
| Sleep | — | yes (advanced) |
| Hydration | — | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Breathwork | — | Yes |
| Fitness age | — | Yes |
| Sleep coach | — | Yes |
| Nap detection | — | Yes |
| All-day stress | — | Yes |
| Women's health | — | yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget) |
| Health snapshot | — | Yes |
| Jet lag adviser | — | Yes |
| Respiration rate | — | Yes |
| Resting heart rate | — | Yes |
| Relaxation reminders | — | Yes |
| Abnormal heart rate alerts | — | yes (high and low) |
| Relaxation breathing timer | — | Yes |
| Body Battery™ energy monitor | — | Yes |
| Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second) | — | Yes |
| Safety and Tracking Features | ||
| Assistance | — | Yes |
| Incident Detection during select activities | — | Yes |
| Incident detection alert on phone for wearables | — | Yes |
| Kid Activity Tracking Features | ||
| Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app | — | yes (optional Connect IQ app) |
Wrist Fit
Garmin Approach J1
Sits best on wrists ~45–61mm wide (≈ 12.0–16.3cm circumference).
Garmin Approach S70 42mm
Sits best on wrists ~44–60mm wide (≈ 11.7–16.0cm circumference).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Garmin Approach J1 bigger than the Garmin Approach S70 42mm?
The Garmin Approach J1 is bigger — 43mm vs 42mm case width.
Which fits a smaller wrist better, the Garmin Approach J1 or the Garmin Approach S70 42mm?
The Garmin Approach J1 suits wrists around 45–61mm wide, and the Garmin Approach S70 42mm around 44–60mm. The one with the smaller lower bound is the safer pick for a small wrist.
Can I see the Garmin Approach J1 and Garmin Approach S70 42mm side by side at true scale?
Yes — the schematics and photos above show both watches at matched scale, and our fit tool overlays each on your wrist width.