Garmin · 2021
Forerunner 55Size, Dimensions & Wrist Fit
The Garmin Forerunner 55 sits best on flat wrist widths of about 44–60mm (≈ 11.7–16.0cm wrist circumference). Adjust the slider below to check your wrist.
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The Forerunner® 55 in short
The figures that decide whether this watch suits you, pulled out of the full specification sheet further down.
- Between 20 hours and 14 days per charge depending on the power mode — smartwatch at best, gps at worst.
- Water rated to 50 m.
- 37g on the wrist. Lighter than 76% of the 42mm watches we have weights for.
- 1.04" (26.3 mm) diameter LCD display, always-on capable.
- Takes 20mm bands, so third-party straps fit without an adapter.
Does the Forerunner 55 fit your wrist?
Drag the slider to your wrist width and see the Forerunner 55 overlaid at true scale. Lug-to-lug — not case diameter — decides whether a watch overhangs your wrist.
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 Forerunner® 55
Case 42.0mm · Lug-to-lug 42.0mm · Thickness 11.6mm · 37g
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 wrist11.6mm off the skin
Normal sports-watch height for a wrist this size. (11.6mm 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 wrist37g
Light enough to forget you have it on. (0.7g per mm of wrist)
Happy with the fit? Check current availability for the Forerunner 55.
Check offer2D Dimension Schematics
The Forerunner® 55 drawn to scale — from above, and in profile against the wrist.
- Garmin Forerunner® 5542mm · 11.6mm thick
3D preview
Garmin Forerunner® 55 on a wrist
On an arm sized to your own wrist — the view a product photo never gives you.
Shapes are built from published measurements, not manufacturer 3D models — accurate proportions, generic dial.
How long the Forerunner® 55 lasts, by power mode
Runtime changes by a factor of 17 depending on what you leave switched on. Bars are scaled against the longest mode.
- Smartwatch14 days
- GPS20 hours
How the Forerunner® 55 ranks on battery
Against the 296 Garmin watches in our database, ranked on each figure Garmin publishes.
- Everyday use14 days#151 of 285
- GPS tracking20 hours#174 of 267
What size band does the Forerunner® 55 take?
Lug width
20mm
Any 20mm strap fits, so you are not restricted to Garmin's own bands. Quick-release pins let you swap without tools — check that a replacement lists 20mm and quick-release before buying.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, WatchFitTool earns from qualifying purchases. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
Forerunner® 55 specifications
The figures that decide a purchase, followed by every line Garmin publishes.
- Battery life
- 14 days
- Display
- 1 inches
- Resolution
- 208 x 208 px
- Water rating
- 5 ATM
- Glass
- chemically strengthened glass
- Strap
- 20 mm
- Storage
- 32 MB
- Charging
- Garmin proprietary plug charger
Full specification sheet
236 published lines across 25 groups, unedited
Overview
- Family
- Garmin
Design
- width
- 42
- height
- 42
- volume
- 20.46 cm³
- weight
- 37 g
- thickness
- 11.6
- ATM rating
- 5 ATM
- resolution
- 208 x 208 px
- screen size
- 1 inches
- Display type
- LCD
- Has a display
- pixel density
- 294 ppi
- width of band
- 20 mm
- water resistance
- Waterproof
- Always-On Display
- has a touch screen
- is designed for kids
- waterproof depth rating
- 50 m
- Watch band is replaceable
- Has sapphire glass display
- maximum operating temperature
- 60 °C
- has branded damage-resistant glass
- lowest potential operating temperature
- -20 °C
Battery
- battery life
- 14 days
- has wireless charging
- has a removable battery
- battery life with GPS on
- 20 hours
- Has a solar power battery
- has a rechargeable battery
General
- Battery life
- Smartwatch Mode: Up to 2 weeks GPS mode: Up to 20 hours See details
- Display Size
- 1.04" (26.3 mm) diameter
- Color display
- Lens Material
- chemically strengthened glass
- Memory/History
- 32 MB
- Strap material
- silicone
- Charging method
- Garmin proprietary plug charger
- Display resolution
- 208 x 208 pixels
- Quick Release bands
- yes (20 mm, Industry standard)
Sensors
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- has GPS
- Accelerometer
- has a compass
- Has a barometer
- has a gyroscope
- Has a cadence sensor
- has an accelerometer
- Monitors perspiration
- Has a heart rate monitor
- Has a temperature sensor
- Monitors blood oxygenation levels
- Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor
Features
- release date
- 2021-06-02
- Has a stopwatch
- Has smart alarm
- warranty period
- 1 years
- Has call control
- Has silent alarm
- has HRV tracking
- internal storage
- 31.25MB
- measures VO2 max
- Has notifications
- Has ECG technology
- Locates your phone
- has a front camera
- has fall detection
- has voice commands
- Acquires GPS faster
- Has vibrating alerts
- number of microphones
- 0
- shows readiness level
- Can be used to answer calls
- measures resting heart rate
- has irregular heart rate warnings
- has fast/slow heart rate notifications
- Has a built-in camera remote control function
Connectivity
- has NFC
- supports ANT+
- supports Wi-Fi
- supports Galileo
- Bluetooth version
- 5
- has a cellular module
- Is compatible with iOS
- Is compatible with Android
Product Info
- Main SKU
- 010-02562-01
- Product ID
- 741137
- Product Name
- Forerunner® 55
- Release Date
- 6/2/2021
- Product Variation
- White
Miscellaneous
- has aptX
- Has auto pause
- Available on PC
- Is compatible with Windows
- Is compatible with Mac OS X
- has an external memory slot
- Compatible with smart scales
- has a battery level indicator
- has a socket for a 3.5 mm audio jack
- Compatible with external heart rate monitors
App & Software
- Ad-free
- Free app
- Tracks BMI
- Has coaching
- Includes maps
- Supports routes
- Has achievements
- Has goal setting
- Has live tracking
- Has exercise diary
- Predicts ovulation
- Can be personalised
- Has weight tracking
- Predicts start date
- Tracks water intake
- Has inactivity alerts
- Has period notifications
- Has temperature tracking
- Doesn’t require account
- Provides activity reports
- Displays fertile window notifications
- Counts how many calories you've burned
Clock Features
- Timer
- Stopwatch
- Time/date
- Alarm clock
- GPS Time Sync
- Sunrise/sunset times
- Automatic daylight saving time
Cycling Features
- Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor)
- Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories)
Running Features
- Run workouts
- Race predictor
- Foot pod capable
- Run/Walk/Stand detection
- PacePro™ Pacing Strategies
- GPS-based distance, time and pace
- Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute)
What You'll Love
- Display type
- Sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
- Water rating
- 5 ATM
- Battery life (smartwatch mode)
- Up to 2 weeks
Activity Profiles
- Gym
- HIIT, Cardio, Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping
- Swim
- Pool Swimming
- Cycling
- Biking, Indoor Biking
- Wellness
- Walking, Pilates, Yoga
- Indoor running
- Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Virtual Running
- Outdoor running
- Running, Outdoor Track Running
Activity tracking
- Measures pace
- Tracks distance
- Tracks elevation
- Designed for golf
- Tracks your sleep
- Tracks steps taken
- Designed for diving
- Has a route tracker
- Has exercise tagging
- Has multi-sport mode
- Tracks calorie intake
- Provides sleep reports
- Detects activities automatically
- Has a stroke counter for swimming
Swimming Features
- Time and distance alerts
- Auto rest (pool swim only)
- Drill logging (pool swim only)
- Countdown start (pool swim only)
- Underwater wrist-based heart rate
- "Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only)
- Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only)
- Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only)
- Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories)
Outdoor Recreation
- Fish forecast
- yes (via Connect IQ™)
- Area calculation
- yes (via Connect IQ™)
- Sun and moon information
- yes (via Connect IQ™)
Daily Smart Features
- Calendar
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth®, ANT+®
- Find My Phone
- Find My Watch
- Weather forecasts
- Smart Notifications
- Smartphone compatibility
- iPhone®, Android™
- Controls smartphone music
- Pairs with Garmin Connect™ Mobile
- Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields and apps)
Activity Tracking Features
- TrueUp™
- Move IQ™
- Step counter
- Calories burned
- Distance traveled
- Intensity minutes
- Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity)
- Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal)
Workout and Training Plans
- Garmin Running Coach Experts
- Garmin Coach - Prebuilt Cycling Plans
- Daily Suggested Workout - Running (Pace and Heart Rate Based)
- yes (limited)
Health & Wellness Monitoring
- Sleep
- yes (advanced)
- Hydration
- yes (in Garmin Connect™ and optional Connect IQ™ widget)
- Fitness age
- All-day stress
- Women's health
- Respiration rate
- Resting heart rate
- Relaxation reminders
- Abnormal heart rate alerts
- yes (high and low)
- Relaxation breathing timer
- Body Battery™ energy monitor
- Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second)
Safety and Tracking Features
- Assistance
- Live Event Sharing
- Android™ Only
- Incident Detection during select activities
- Incident detection alert on phone for wearables
Kid Activity Tracking Features
- Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app
- yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app)
Training, Planning and Analysis Features
- HR zones
- HR alerts
- Manual lap
- Auto max HR
- Finish time
- HR calories
- Voice alerts
- Physio TrueUp
- Recovery time
- VO2 Max (Run)
- Advanced workouts
- Interval training
- GPS speed and distance
- Improved recovery time
- yes (limited)
- Configurable lap alerts
- Customizable data pages
- Touch and/or button lock
- Activity history on watch
- Downloadable training plans
- HRM running pace and distance
- Customizable activity profiles
- Auto Pause® automatic timer halt
- Respiration rate (during exercise)
- Yoga and Breathwork only
- Auto Lap® interval tracking feature
- HR broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices)
Alternatives to the Forerunner® 55
Watches that cover a similar amount of wrist, with the measurements that separate them.
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Garmin
epix™ Pro (Gen 2) – Sapphire Edition | 42 mm
- Width
- 42mm
- Thick
- 14.2mm
- Weight
- 63g
Garmin
fēnix® 7S Pro – Solar Edition
- Width
- 42mm
- Thick
- 14.1mm
- Weight
- 63g
%20%E2%80%93%20Standard%20Edition%20%7C%2042%20mm.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Garmin
epix™ Pro (Gen 2) – Standard Edition | 42 mm
- Width
- 42mm
- Thick
- 14.2mm
- Weight
- 63g
Garmin
fēnix® 7S Pro – Sapphire Solar Edition
- Width
- 42mm
- Thick
- 14.1mm
- Weight
- 58g
Garmin
Approach® S70 - 42 mm
- Width
- 42mm
- Thick
- 12.6mm
- Weight
- 44g
Garmin
Bounce™
- Width
- 42mm
- Thick
- 12.6mm
- Weight
- 37.2g
Forerunner® 55 — Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Garmin Forerunner 55 fit my wrist?
The Garmin Forerunner 55 looks balanced on flat wrist widths of roughly 44–60mm (about 11.7–16.0cm circumference). Drag the slider above to check it against your own measurement.
What size band does the Garmin Forerunner 55 take?
20mm. Any 20mm strap fits, so you are not limited to Garmin's own bands — look for a quick-release fitting if you want to swap without tools.
How long does the Garmin Forerunner 55 battery last?
Between 20 hours and 14 days per charge, depending on the power mode. Garmin rates Smartwatch at 14 days and GPS at 20 hours; the chart above lists all 2 modes.
How does the Garmin Forerunner 55 battery compare with other Garmin watches?
At 14 days in everyday use it ranks #151 of the 285 Garmin watches in our database — below the middle of the range. The full ranking, including GPS and power-saving figures, is on our Garmin battery life comparison.
Is the Garmin Forerunner 55 thick for a 42mm watch?
At 11.6mm, thinner than 71% of 42mm watches, so it slides under a cuff more easily than most of its size. Thickness, not case width, is what decides whether a watch catches on a shirt cuff.
What other watches are the same size as the Garmin Forerunner 55?
Certina DS Action Chrono PVD / Carbon / Bracelet, Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch 3861 Moonshine Gold / Black Lacquer, TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Seafarer Stainless Steel / Silver, Huawei Watch 5 - 42mm all sit within half a millimetre of the Garmin Forerunner 55's 42mm case, so they cover the same amount of wrist.
