Thinking of getting my first watch capable of tracking my distance and pace. Suggestions?

Don't do it. You'll turn into one of those people who runs for the numbers on your watch instead of running for improvement.

I suggest increasing budget a bit. You can get a Garmin Forerunner 45 for around $160 or a Coros Pace 2 for $180’ish. You can find used sports watches or Apple Watch for ~$150 or even a new Apple Watch SE type model for ~$150 on sale.

If you really want just GPS to track distance and pace, you can get cheap brands on Amazon for like $50.

I have been pretty happy with my Garmin 235. I don’t have any reference to compare it to, but it has shown outstanding durability. It must be about 5 years old, and I wear it everyday, including at work, where I am a construction worker.

You can get a higher level Garmin Forerunner 245 if you wait for a day like Amazon prime day or sales at certain times of the year, Cyber, etc. or whenever a new model comes out. I got mine for $170 actually and could've gotten the one that can't connect to Spotify for $130.

Garmin 255 or Polar Vantage x

Seconded

Not necessarily. I had a few and never looked at them during runs (after the new gadget feeling ended). It was just something to log distance, taking the place of looking at maps or estimating pace/converting to distance, etc.

Some years after I started carrying a phone around, I went the other way, ditched the watch, and now just use a phone app, since quick wrist access/viewing wasn't important to me. Why carry a phone? For the camera (live in a scenic place), gf/pet coordination/emergencies. I also started listening to podcasts a couple years ago.

Had plenty but Garmin 245 is my favourite. No complaints. Rarely listen to music but have a tonnes of music on it if needed

It's great for workouts and even long runs. Just don't use it during easy or recovery runs. Unless you want to pair it with strava to post your runs

Explain to me how this works exactly? Everyone with a GPS watch is only interested in data and not improving? Nobody who is focused intently on improving wears a GPS watch? Your ability to achieve great things is inversely proportional to the technology you use? Primitive is cooler and more admirable because you (theoretically) achieved more with less?

There are other benefits to getting a low-end Garmin (45 or 245) such as maps to record new routes and distances. Heart-rate checks during certain workouts, realizing that HR is relative to you and not absolutely correct (close enough). Also you don’t have to use GPS all the time. There also are stopwatch (time) and cardio (time and HR) functions. Probably worthwhile, overall.

Don't post on running forums. You'll turn into one of those people who talks about how to run better instead of running for improvement.

Get the cheapest Garmin you can find. Almost all of my GPS watches have been refurbished. I've used a refurbished Garmin Instinct for almost 2 years. Definitely the nicest GPS watch I've owned. Unfortunately the low end Garmins have gotten more expensive over the years. Used to be able to get a refurbished forerunner 110 for under $100.

One reason I really like the Garmin Instict (gen 1) is that the wristband is easily replaceable and is secured with a standard watch wristband pin. My older Garmin watches all had proprietary mounting solutions or the wristband was molded into the watch body. I'm a little hard on watches so being able to fix and replace wristbands is nice (I've not broken this watch's wristband yet)

Genuinely intrigued that runners without a running watch exist?

How do you train?

Are these the same clowns who lug their phones around with them on some armband thing or worse, a chest holder.

Astonished runners without a watch even exist. How do they practice pace, workouts etc or are they joggers?

I'd imagine that most no watch ever runners aren't super serious about paces or PRs or anything like that

I am the same as you, I just want the basics. Bought the Garmin Forerunner 45 (120.00) Walmart.com / I love it but it does take a little longer to get a signal than I would like (3-4 min) I only display /total time /overall average pace / distance / each mile it beeps-flashes my last miles time

I managed to run D1 and compete seriously after college in the marathon without a smart watch. I am in my 40s and still only run with a Timex. I am not against these smart watches, I just don't really want one. I guess the best way to explain it is that we used to have to learn pace and it just stayed with me. I also use local tracks and trails that have mile markers to keep track of intervals. I can't be the only one on here that knows pace by heart... I don't grind as much anymore, but if you asked me to go run a 5:55 mile right now, I think I could get within 2 seconds of that time without using a watch. Not a flex at all, just speaking to what we used to have to do back in the 90s/00s.

But to the OP's question, I got my daughter a Garmin Forerunner 45 and she likes it. I am not sure the pace is 100% correct, though. Maybe overall average or mile-by-mile, but certainly not current pace.

It’s not that hard. I don’t carry my phone while running but it’s really not a problem to carry it with well-designed pockets on running shorts.

For track workouts, you really just need a stopwatch to be able to know your rep finish time. Do you look at your watch to pace yourself while running? I don’t. You run by perceived exertion feel. The data is helpful mostly to nerd out after the fact. I love having the data but it’s not absolutely necessary to train. I’d think you can train entirely by feel alone and be within 95% of where you would be with monitoring post-hoc run analytics data over time.