Garmin Ltd. is a multinational technology company best known for designing and manufacturing GPS-enabled devices, smartwatches, fitness trackers, navigation systems, and aviation and marine electronics. Founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min H. Kao, Garmin has grown from a GPS navigation startup into one of the world’s leading brands in wearable technology and outdoor electronics. Today, Garmin develops products for fitness enthusiasts, athletes, pilots, boaters, drivers, outdoor adventurers, and enterprise customers. [1]

Garmin was founded in 1989 by electrical engineers Gary Burrell and Min H. Kao. The company’s name is derived from the first names of its founders:

• Gary Burrell

• Min Kao

Their vision was to bring GPS technology—which had largely been limited to military and government applications—to everyday consumers. Garmin’s first commercial GPS receiver was released in 1991, initially serving the aviation market before expanding into automotive navigation and later consumer wearables. [1]

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Garmin became one of the dominant manufacturers of portable GPS navigation devices for automobiles. As smartphones with built-in navigation became widespread, the company shifted its focus toward wearable technology, fitness, aviation, marine systems, and outdoor navigation, where it remains a market leader. [2]

Garmin’s mission is:

“To be an enduring company by creating superior products for automotive, aviation, marine, outdoor and sports that are an essential part of our customers’ lives.”

Garmin aims to:

Become the global leader in every market it serves by offering products known for superior quality, innovation, and value.

Garmin operates across five primary business divisions.

1. Fitness

The company’s most recognized category includes smartwatches and fitness trackers designed for:

• Running

• Cycling

• Swimming

• Triathlon

• Gym training

• Health monitoring

Popular product families include:

• Forerunner

• Venu

• vívoactive

• Lily

• Instinct

• Fenix

• Enduro

2. Outdoor Recreation

Designed for hiking, camping, mountaineering, hunting, and exploration.

Products include:

• Rugged GPS watches

• Handheld GPS navigators

• Satellite communicators

• Dog tracking systems

3. Aviation

Garmin is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of avionics.

Products include:

• Flight displays

• GPS navigation systems

• Radar

• Autopilot systems

• Engine monitoring

• Cockpit management systems

Garmin avionics are installed in thousands of commercial and private aircraft.

4. Marine

Garmin manufactures marine electronics such as:

• Fish finders

• Sonar systems

• Chartplotters

• Marine radar

• Boat autopilot systems

• Marine communication equipment

These products are widely used by recreational boaters and commercial vessels.

5. Automotive & OEM

Garmin continues to produce navigation and fleet-management technologies including:

• GPS navigation devices

• Dash cameras

• Fleet management systems

• OEM navigation solutions for automakers

[2]

Garmin manufactures a broad range of devices, including:

• GPS smartwatches

• Fitness trackers

• Cycling computers

• Running watches

• Dive computers

• Golf GPS devices

• Marine chartplotters

• Fish finders

• Aviation avionics

• Automotive GPS units

• Satellite communicators

• Handheld GPS navigators

• Action cameras (historically)

• Dog tracking collars

Fenix

Premium multisport GPS watch for outdoor enthusiasts and endurance athletes.

Features include:

• GPS navigation

• Offline maps

• Solar charging (selected models)

• Long battery life

• Advanced training metrics

• Hiking and mountaineering tools

Forerunner

Designed primarily for runners.

Features include:

• Pace analysis

• VO₂ Max estimation

• Recovery time

• Training readiness

• Race predictions

• Music storage (selected models)

Instinct

Built for durability.

Features:

• Military-inspired rugged design

• Water resistance

• GPS

• Compass

• Solar charging options

Venu

Lifestyle smartwatch with:

• AMOLED display

• Health monitoring

• Music

• Contactless payments

• Smartphone notifications

vívoactive

Fitness-focused smartwatch balancing sports tracking with everyday use.

Enduro

Optimized for ultra-endurance athletes with exceptional battery life.

Lily

Compact smartwatch designed with a fashion-forward aesthetic while retaining core health and fitness features.

Modern Garmin wearables commonly include:

• Heart rate monitoring

• GPS tracking

• Blood oxygen (Pulse Ox)

• Sleep monitoring

• Stress tracking

• Body Battery™ energy estimation

• VO₂ Max

• Training Status

• Training Readiness

• Recovery Time

• HRV (Heart Rate Variability)

• Menstrual and pregnancy tracking

• ECG functionality (supported models and regions)

• Incident detection

• Safety tracking

Feature availability varies by model. [2]

Garmin devices synchronize with Garmin Connect, the company’s companion platform.

It allows users to:

• Track workouts

• Analyze fitness progress

• Create training plans

• Sync routes

• Monitor sleep

• Share activities

• Connect with coaches

Garmin also offers an optional premium tier, Garmin Connect+, while continuing to keep existing Garmin Connect features and user data available at no cost. [3]

Garmin products integrate numerous technologies, including:

• Multi-band GPS

• GLONASS

• Galileo

• BeiDou

• SatIQ™

• Solar charging

• AMOLED displays

• MIP (Memory-in-Pixel) displays

• Pulse Ox sensors

• Garmin Pay

• Wi-Fi

• Bluetooth

• ANT+

• LTE (selected models)

• InReach® satellite communication

Garmin is recognized for:

• Excellent battery life

• Accurate GPS tracking

• Advanced sports metrics

• Rugged hardware

• Offline mapping

• Reliable navigation

• Strong aviation and marine expertise

• Broad product ecosystem

Garmin competes with companies including:

• Apple

• Samsung

• Polar

• Suunto

• Coros

• Fitbit (Google)

• Amazfit

Competition varies by product category, from consumer wearables to aviation and marine electronics.

Garmin follows a vertically integrated business model, designing, manufacturing, distributing, and supporting many of its products in-house. The company emphasizes long-term investment in research and development, manufacturing facilities, and its workforce.

Garmin sells products in over 100 countries and maintains offices, manufacturing facilities, and support centers across North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions. Its technologies are used by millions of consumers as well as professionals in aviation, marine, fitness, and outdoor industries. [2]

Garmin played a significant role in popularizing consumer GPS technology during the 1990s and later became a leading innovator in sports wearables. The company introduced the Forerunner series in 2003, widely recognized as the first GPS-enabled running watch, helping establish the modern market for GPS sports watches. [4]

1. About us | Garmin

2. About Garmin

3. Archiving the video and newsroom post here, before they inevitably break their promise. Don’t become the boiling frog

4. Garmin Celebrates 20 Years of the Forerunner, The World’s First GPS Smartwatch | Press Release | Garmin Philippines