I am looking to see if you can do the following:

Make the face look like an analog watch
GPS track my bike rides
Show text messages and caller ID from my iPhone
Vibrating alarm

I don't have one, but this review should answer your questions.

Thanks for the link.
Looks like a solid watch. I would like the big brother Spartan Sport HR but it does not count steps for a full days activity.
Most of my activity is not work out related unfortunately.

Get a Garmin 230 or 235. Note, the 235 is basically a 230 with an LED HR monitor. I will also tell you that LED based HR monitors are not the least bit accurate at activity levels above a very slow walk.

How can I say this, simple, I have had a Garmin 235 for the past two years and when I am working out or even cutting the grass I strap on an Electrically based Chest band Garmin HR monitor. Because the wrist monitors can produce reading that are in excess of 75 beats per minute WRONG.

I can also tell you the optical monotors are 100% not capable of producing an accurate Heart Rate if you are having something serious like an attack of Ventricular Tachycardia. Yeah, that also comes from experince. Turns out that the Heart Murmur that got me bounced from the Marine Platoon Leader Command program during the induction physical has now degraded to a Mitral Valve that needs to be replaced. Sometime in the next month or two I'll be going in for Open Heart Surgery. Fortunately I was wearing my chest monitor when that attack happened and the HR trace I recorded was enough to push my family doctor into having me see a cardiologist. Going in for a Trans Esophageal Echo a week from Friday and after that confirms what has been see so far I'll be scheduled to go under the knife.

So, why does all this factor into your request. It is very simple. If I had trusted those optical HR monitors I would never have had a clue that I really did need a full HR workup. Currently my running VO2 Max is at 40, which puts me in the top 20% of my age group for fitness. BTW, I am 63. Problem is that my fitness was masking a pretty serious valve defect and if I had continued pushing too hard I could have put my heart into a full blow fatal heart rhythm.

If you are over 30 and taking up regular vigorous exercise you absolutely need a good Accurate Heart Rate Monitor than can reveal what your heart rate really is. If you are over 50 your really should have a Kardiamobile EKG attached to your smart phone. Unfortunately a HR monitor such as Garmin's can only report the heart rate, not a true Cardiac Trace. That is where the Kardiamobile comes in handy. Not some pretty green lights that only checks your heart rate every 10 minutes for 10-15 seconds or even worse make a guess based on your arm movement.

Now, if you think I must be totally whack then do one simple test. I am quite certain you will find it very revealing. Put on one of those LED monitors and stand up straight and start swinging your arm and only one arm like you are walking at a 13 minute per mile pace. Do this for just two minutes and then look at what heart rate is being reported. BTW, I just did this simple test except I was also wearing my chest monitor. Per the Optical Monitor my HR was 135, per my chest monitor my HR was 82. Currently after resting for about a minute my Chest monitor is showing 65 and the Optical is showing 90.In another 5 minutes if I keep typing the two types will be within a beat or 3.

Bottomline is this, Opticals work well when you are idle or sleeping. If you are active use an Electrical Chest Monitor.

In the reviews most are saying the Suunto HR wrist monitors are FAR more accurate as they use some V word sensor. Venetia or something like that.
Couple videos a guy compared the Garmin, Suunto, and chest strap. Chest strap was the best of course with the Suunto not too far behind and the Garmin quite lacking as you have found.

They also said the tighter you wear the watch the more accurate it is. They especially found this when cycling.
During workouts I will use a chest strap.

My wife has the Garmin Forerunner 35 nice middle of the road watch. A huge step up from her vivofit it replaced.

I have $350 credit to a store but they only carry Suunto. Suunto is supposed to be a solid watch so I’d like to stick with it. Since it will really cost me nothing and all the reviews I have found are very positive.