How to Find a Lost Garmin Watch

What you’re dealing with

They advertise a readable model and unit identifier, so you can tell your Forerunner from someone else’s in a busy running club.

Broadcasts as	Forerunner, Fenix, Instinct, Venu, followed by a unit ID
Typical battery	One to three weeks on most models, longer on solar
Findable by scan	Yes, while powered on
Search window	Days to weeks

Once the battery is gone: Garmin battery life is the best in the wearable category. A watch lost a fortnight ago may well still be broadcasting.

Off for a swim leg or a shower and into the bag.

Removed while driving home, then knocked off the seat.

The single most common place for a triathlon watch to end its life.

Check the last-seen map firstBefore you search a room, find out which building. A pin saves you from searching the right way in the wrong place.
Scan from the middle of the roomNote everything that appears, then select the device you want so the rest of the list drops away.
Walk and watch the signalSweep in a straight line, give each position a few seconds, and turn 90 degrees when the reading stops rising.
Search inside things, not across themA strong signal with nothing visible means it is underneath or inside something. Fabric and metal block Bluetooth badly.

Save it in My Devices so its last-seen position is logged every time your phone passes it.
Scan the boot of the car before you scan the house. Sports kit goes back into the vehicle more often than into the wardrobe.

The same method applies to these, with different battery windows and different hiding places.

Quite possibly. Garmin standby drain is low enough that many models are still advertising well past a fortnight.