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As an active person who has used the Garmin 745 as my everyday watch for the last couple of years, I've found it useful and will likely stick with Garmin when I eventually need a new watch. While it's far from perfect, I'd recommend it over all the other smartwatches I've seen others use so far. I'll start off with the pros before sharing some things I haven't loved about it.
One of the best things about the Garmin is its durability. The watch has a rugged design and seems built to withstand harsh conditions. It is water-resistant up to 50 meters, so you can wear it swimming, diving, snorkeling, etc., without worrying about water damage (I've tested these activities and had no issues). I have been using this watch for over two years now, and it has survived many accidental drops and bumps without any significant damage.
I have used this watch for outdoor activities like road/trail running, road/mountain biking, hiking, walking, skiing, etc., and I have found the mapping and GPS accuracy to be good overall. It is definitely designed more for triathlete activities, but works well enough for others. You can also sync it to upload your results to Strava.
When I go on runs with my friends who use Apple watches, I've noticed that my Garmin's map results seem more accurate than theirs. I'm not sure if it's due to the GPS and GLONASS satellite systems or another difference, but it's something I've noticed consistently.
Another positive of the Garmin 745 is its battery life. Garmin says the watch can last up to 16 hours in GPS Mode without music, up to 6 hours in GPS mode with music, and up to 7 days in smartwatch mode on a single charge. I think I've experienced a bit less actual operational time than that (especially in GPS mode), but regardless, the battery life is so much better than the Apple watch (charging every night would drive me nuts) and is one of the main reasons I went with the Garmin.
It charges quickly, but uses a unique charger (also different from other Garmin watch chargers I've seen), so it's a pain to get a new one if needed.
The 745 has an (optional) built-in music player that allows you to store and play music directly from the watch. However, the process of transferring music to the watch can be cumbersome and time-consuming. The watch also lacks a touch screen, which makes it challenging to navigate through the music menus and the not-so-intuitive other menus/features.
Mine has done a poor job of auto-syncing and requires manual re-setup with Spotify every few months to verify my account. Pairing headphones to the watch can also be hit or miss depending on the quality of Bluetooth. I reverted back to just using my phone for music pretty quickly.
Another negative aspect of the Garmin 745 is its occasional phone connectivity issues. Sometimes, the watch loses its connection to the Garmin Connect app on my phone, which means that I cannot sync my data or access some of the watch's features. This issue seems to occur randomly across numerous phone and watch updates, and I have not been able to pinpoint the cause.
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