It's time for Amazon October Prime Day 2023 Garmin smartwatch savings of up to 35%

When it comes to smartwatches and the best watches for runners, there's no shortage of choices. But while we love the most popular options -- the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 -- one of the best selections in smartwatches for sports enthusiasts comes from Garmin. Luckily for us, Amazon is having its second massive sales event of the year right now.

Shop Garmin deals on Amazon

The Prime Big Deal Days event is giving shoppers the chance to snag select Garmin smartwatches and fitness trackers on deep discount on Amazon, including the 4.7-star-rated Garmin Fenix 7S Solar (which Prime members can get for 21% off). We chose our favorites below, which we must admit, was no easy feat.

Save $150 on the rugged Garmin Fenix 7S Solar

It's impossible not to be impressed with the Fenix 7S Solar smartwatch from Garmin. One of the top-of-the-line models, this is a long-running, multisport GPS tracker with a scratch-resistant Power Sapphire lens, which uses the sun to extend battery life.

Clever features like the built-in LED flashlight keep you illuminated after dark (dusk runners, hello!), while the 24/7 health and wellness tracker can also track sleep. Multi-band GPS makes this watch incredibly accurate, a bonus for trail runners, adventurers and anyone else on the go. The 28-day battery life in smart watch mode was music to our ears.

It just dropped to $550 for Amazon Prime members, marked down from $700. That's the lowest price we've seen for this Garmin smartwatch in the last few months.

Why we like the Garmin Fenix 7S Solar:

This gorgeous top-of-the-line smartwatch comes in nearly a dozen colors to suit every personality and taste.
It has solar charging: Its 28-day battery life can be extended to 37 days when worn outside for at least three hours a day.
The Garmin Fenix 7X offers better GPS tracking than most popular smartwatches, making it ideal for hikers and explorers.

$550

Get Garmin's daily smartwatch for 20% off: Garmin Vivoactive 4

When choosing a smart watch, we hate to let price dictate a purchase, but it's tough to deny the quality of Amazon's discount on the Garmin Vivoactive 4 GPS smartwatch. Keep track of everything from energy level, stress levels and sleep (sorry it can't find your keys, but they're probably still in the door, you're welcome), but it can track just about everything else.

Twenty preloaded indoor sports and GPS apps, including yoga, running, and swimming, can record all the ways you move, all day, all the time. Smart notifications keep you in touch with text messages and calendar reminders when paired with your mobile device. Available in two sizes.

Regularly $330, it's currently on sale at Amazon for $265, its lowest price in the last 30 days. And you don't even have to sign up for Prime to get this deal.

Why we like the Garmin Vivoactive 4:

Its battery lasts for up to 8 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 6 hours in GPS and music modes.
Features more than 20 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps so you can track performance during yoga, running, swimming and more.
You can download music to your the Garmin Vivoactive 4 directly so you can listen to tunes without having your phone nearby.

$265 at Amazon

Get 30% off Garmin's best-selling outdoor watch: Garmin Instinct

Boasting durability that can withstand life's adventures, the Garmin Instinct is shock and water resistant (up to 100 meters). Multiple navigation systems make for accurate tracking in rugged environments proving more accurate than GPS alone.

We like the track back feature for hiker, climbers, runners and adventurers to help navigate the back to your starting point. The battery life was a plus as well: 14 days in smartwatch mode and up to 16 hours in GPS mode.

Train with preloaded activity profiles and monitor heartrate, activity and stress, to make this one of the most efficient smart watches, especially for the price. Four color options available.

Regularly priced at $250, the Garmin Instinct GPS is on sale at Amazon for $174.

Why we like the Garmin Instinct:

It's lower price makes it more accessible to athletes on smaller budgets.
Trackback GPS feature makes it easy to return to your starting point while on a hike.
It's water-resistant up to 100 meters, so you can wear it on swimming workouts.

$174 at Amazon

Save $230 on the previous generation of Fenix: Garmin Fenix 6X Pro

An older (shh, don't tell) cousin of the Fenix 7X above, the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro has a large 1.4 inch display (that's 36% larger than Fenix predecessors) and uses solar power to end battery life, which lasts up to 21 days in smartwatch mode and up to 165 hours in GPS mode.

Systems here, including sleep monitoring, pulse, and heart rate monitoring are advanced and can assist with altitude acclimation at high elevations. Pre-loaded ski maps for more than 2,000 worldwide ski resorts make this the perfect accessory for the ski bunny in all of us.

Our favorite part, though? It's roughly half the price of the newer Fenix 7X during Amazon's Big Deal Days event.

Top features of the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro:

The built-in maps include over 2,000 ski maps from resorts around the world so this watch can guide you whether you're hiking, skiing, running or biking.
Track detailed running dynamics like pace, altitude-adjusted VO2 max, recovery advisor and more.

How we chose the best deals on Garmin smartwatches

When narrowing down which Garmin smartwatches to feature, we considered multiple factors.

Price? Yeah. We work hard for our money and know you do, too. We loved the variety of deep Amazon discounts on Garmin, but considered much more than price when making our selections.
Functionality. We thought long and hard about what each watch does. More importantly, do we need it? Smartwatch bells and whistles are great if you'll actually use them. If not, you're paying extra for features that sound good at a dinner party but never actually get used.
How does it look? Call us superficial, but if we're going to wear a tiny computer on our arm, we don't want it to look like a tiny computer on our arm.
What did other people say? We don't mind standing out in a crowd and forming our own opinions, but we do consider buyer reviews from confirmed buyers. Glowing reviews en masse are as informative as critical reviews screaming "Buyer beware!"

Shop more top-rated Garmin smartwatches on sale at Amazon:

A great Garmin for runners: Garmin Forerunner 745, $270 (reduced from $400)
Elevated style in a smaller size: Garmin Venu 2S smartwatch, $250 (reduced from $400)
A rugged Garmin for hikers: Garmin Epix Gen 2 smartwatch, $650 with Prime (reduced from $900)
A budget-friendly Garmin for beginners: Garmin Forerunner 45, $150 (reduced from $170)
Save $30 on your kid's first Garmin: Garmin vivofit jr. 2, $50 (reduced from $80)

What is Amazon Prime Big Deal Days?

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is Amazon's early Black Friday sale in October. Some are calling the two-day event October Prime Day or Prime Day Part 2 because of the size and scope of the sale. In 2022, this October sale was called the Prime Early Access Sale.

When is Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2023?

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days started October 10 and goes through October 11, 2023. The sale started at midnight Pacific time.

Do you need to be a Prime Member to shop Prime Big Deals Day deals?

While some of the best Amazon Prime Big Deals Day offers are Prime-exclusive or invite-only, there will also be tons of deals that are open to all shoppers. So even if you don't have an Amazon Prime membership, there will be deals available to you.

If you want to shop the best deals, though, you'll want to tap the button below and sign up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime. Prime memberships costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, and include access to Amazon Prime Video (Thursday Night Football) and a number of other great perks.

Start a free trial of Amazon Prime

What else is on sale during Prime Big Deals Day?

The second Prime Day event of 2023 will kick off the holiday shopping season with early deals on thousands of popular brands and essentials like massage guns, treadmills, rowing machines, smartwatches, gym headphones, bone conduction headphones, free weights, home gym equipment, fitness apparel, shoes and more.

What other retailers are holding competing Big Deals Day or early Black Friday sales?

Amazon isn't the only retailer slashing prices this month. You can also find great deals on your favorite brands at other major retailers. Here are the top sale events we're watching in the coming week:

Best Buy's 48-Hour Flash Sale is happening on October 10 and October 11, the same days as Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days.
Walmart's Holiday Kickoff sale will run from October 9 through October 12.
Nike's Ultimate sale is running from October 8 through October 15.