I review Garmin watches for a living — here's the one watch face I always use

Garmin Forerunner 570 with custom watch face

(Image credit: Future)

I’ve been writing about the best Garmin watches for the past decade, and while a lot has changed, one thing hasn’t — the custom watch faces are always a little, well, meh. One of the first things I do when I get my hands on a new Garmin watch is upgrade the watch face to my all-time favorite — yes, readers, I’m here to tell you that the $4.99/£4.99 Rondo face is the update you never knew you needed.

It’s wonderfully clean and simple to look at, and while it can be a little fiddly to download on the Garmin Connect IQ store, once it’s loaded onto your watch, customizing the data fields is a breeze.

Right now, the Rondo watch face is available on most of the current Garmin watches, including the Fenix, Epix, Forerunner, Instinct, and Venu lines. It particularly stands out on the new Garmin Forerunner 570 and Garmin Forerunner 970 thanks to their bright, beautiful AMOLED displays. You can read more on how to update your Garmin watch face here.

Of course, every runner will have their preference when it comes to watch faces. My colleague Nick, for example, loves this techy-looking free Garmin watch face, but here’s why I’d recommend Rondo:

It’s completely customizable

The data fields on the Rondo watch face are completely customizable, allowing you to decide which information you see when you glance down at your watch. You can choose to be directed to some of Garmin’s best health features, including body battery, stress level, or recovery time, or just see calories and steps if you’d rather.

Once you’ve locked your data fields in, you can press and hold down on a metric if you’re using one of the newer Garmin devices with a touchscreen, and be taken to an overview.

You can also customize the color scheme of the watch face to suit your style.

It’s super simple to read

Even when the display is dimmed, it’s easy to see the time on the Rondo face thanks to it’s large, clear numbers. By contrast, even in the brightest sunlight, I’ve found it easy to see this screen, especially on the newer, AMOLED watches.

It doesn’t affect battery life

Garmin’s watches typically have a pretty impressive battery life, and during testing, I’ve not found this custom screen to be a drain on the battery. Overall, this is a colorful way to give your Garmin watch an update. Sure, there’s a slight cost, but you only have to download it once, so if you do upgrade your Garmin watch in the future, you’ll be able to take your watch face with you.

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.

More from Tom's Guide

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.