Recommend 735XT for a skinny wrist?

I thought the FR35 has both HR and smart alerts.

The 735 would be fine on your wrist. My wrist isn't much bigger and the 235, which is the same size as the 735, works well.

I wear my Fenix 3 most of the time now and plan on getting the Fenix 5s after the early adopters find the initial bugs. ;)
But that's a big jump money wise from the 35 and 735 models.

I think it is pretty good on a skinny wrist. I would go to REI or somewhere that has them and try them on. I thought about the F5S before I bought my 735xt a couple of weeks ago but really did not want to go above the $450 price that I paid vs the F5S that starts at $600.

735xt is the king of the slender wristed hearts :D

I'm slender wristed too, the 735xt was the only option. I couldn't be happier with the device. Please note, the 735xt is one milimeter smaller than 230/630 series. I know it sounds stupid but it makes huge difference. Also, don't be fooled by the size of Fenix 5s, the watchface is small, but the ugly "hinges" make it much broader on top and on the bottom of the watch - big design compromise. Plus the weight, the 5s is almost twice heavier than the 735xt, which kills the "it's not there" feeling and is problematic for the oHRM, all heavy watches have the same issue. So, get the 735xt, it rocks.

Sounds about the same as my wrists (~16cm) and the 735xt is great on it... Not weird at all.

How does it fare with skinny wrists (mine being roughly 6 inches)? The watch face looks to be just about acceptable in terms of size.

That's such a subjective thing, it's best you go into a store and physically try on the display models to see for yourself.

Here's how the FR235 and FR630 look on my skinny wrist, and I understand the FR735XT would be comparable in size and no larger:

… I'd like to get one with smartwatch abilities - 24x7 use and a good battery (why I'm looking at the 735XT rather than the 235).

I'm not sure the FR735XT is so significantly better in terms of battery life than the FR235 in practice, unless you're after the UltraTrac mode in particular.

Hi, thanks for the replies. All very helpful.

I'd love to go for a Fenix but can't justify the price tag and apart the the 5S I think they have bigger watch faces. I live in the UK and unfortunately I've not found any shops that have the higher end Garmin devices out to try - mostly the low end ones along with FitBits.

Thanks for the photos as well, ASmugDill, they certainly help - though I'm surprised the 235 looks quite so big on the wrist. Wouldn't bother me too much for running but if I was to wear it 24x7 it might be a bit annoying.

It is not big at all actually compared to other watches out there. F3HR, Suunto Spartan. I think unless you get the FR25 or FR35 (square) you will find most of the round watches are pretty close in size to a degree.

Hi, thanks for the replies. All very helpful.

I'd love to go for a Fenix but can't justify the price tag and apart the the 5S I think they have bigger watch faces. I live in the UK and unfortunately I've not found any shops that have the higher end Garmin devices out to try - mostly the low end ones along with FitBits.

Thanks for the photos as well, ASmugDill, they certainly help - though I'm surprised the 235 looks quite so big on the wrist. Wouldn't bother me too much for running but if I was to wear it 24x7 it might be a bit annoying.

Here's an FR235 and FR10 side by side. My wrist is about 6.25" around.

… I'm surprised the 235 looks quite so big on the wrist. Wouldn't bother me too much for running but if I was to wear it 24x7 it might be a bit annoying.

I cannot comment on the subjective aesthetic assessment, but the FR235 and FR630 are both lightweight as far as watches go, and have not unduly intruded on my conscious awareness in 24×7 per se. In fact, sometimes I'd sorta forgotten that I was wearing one of them, and ended up inadvertently scraping the watch against the wall because I failed to make subconscious spatial adjustment for what physically stands above the top of my wrist while I walk through corridors.

If anything, it was the optical heart rate sensor ‘bump’ on the back of the FR235 that sometimes caused irritation on my skin (due to moisture build-up, but of course your skin may not react the same way) and make me take notice of the device being there physically. As such, even though the softer watch strap on the FR235 conforms better to the wrist, it has not proven to be (subjectively!) more comfortable for 24×7 wear than the FR630 with the stiffer watch strap, which sometimes looks slightly bigger simply because it's not ‘sticking’ to my skin. My understanding is that the FR735XT is more like the FR235 in those respects.

Both are fine.
I guess they aren't small, but they are round.
Compare to anything else (tomtom/vivoactive2) which are tall but not wide and they are far worse.
These look bigger than they are due to the width.
My wife also has a 235 and its fine for day to day use. As stated above, they weigh nothing.
Incidentally, the 735 does look noticably smaller than the 235. There isn't much in it but side by side it is quite noticeable despite the same screen size.

Its all subjective I guess, but it really isn't an issue, and I didn't find anything smaller (well shorter anyway) when I was looking for my wife's.