Garmin Instinct - Tactical Edition Rugged GPS Watch - Black

Product Information

Monitor your heart rate¹, activity and stress; train with preloaded activity profiles, and stay connected with smart notifications² The 40mm Instinct 2 S we tested is leaner still at 13.3mm, and when placed on the scales it weighed 43g including the silicone band. Garmin’s quoted weight is 42g, but there’s always a little variability between devices. The Garmin Instinct 2 isn’t a single watch, but an entire series. First of all, there are now two case sizes to consider: the standard 45mm, and a new 40mm diameter model. The watch we tested here was the 40mm Garmin Instinct 2S, and although 5mm shaved off the case size might not sound like much, it makes the watch much more comfortable and practical for smaller wrists. One sensor that doesn’t make the cut is the pulse ox sensor that’s started to appear on Garmin’s watches and is actually available on the new Instinct Solar model. While it’s definitely a feature that hogs the battery, it’s one that would be useful to have at your disposal when you’re training or exploring at altitude. Also like most smartwatches the Garmin takes over a part of the smartphone functions: I like the fact that it shows messages so I don’t have to grab my phone. I can also use the ‘Find my phone’ function in case I lose my iPhone. Be aware that it uses the bluetooth connection to find your smartphone so when the connection is lost… Weather forecast

Watches in the Instinct and Instinct 2 series are designed with outdoor sports in mind, but they also have a decent set of smartwatch features for everyday use. One of the first things you notice about a watch is how it feels on your wrist. The Instinct’s new silicone band has just enough stretch to aid in both comfort and keeping the watch in place while performing strenuous activities like running, hiking, swimming, or weightlifting. Weighing in at 52 grams, it’s significantly lighter than the 82-gram Fenix 3 it replaced. The activity buttons are also flatter and more ergonomically placed on the Instinct series watches; the round, protruding buttons on the Fenix 3 would often inadvertently depress, starting an activity at inopportune times.

All Garmin Instinct watches allow you to receive smartphone notifications on your wrist (Image credit: Garmin) The experience of using these features is good on the whole, but can be compromised by the small nature of the screen. When you’re following a route, it’s just a simple line to your destination, with room to show off distance left to reach a destination. It also makes use of that secondary screen to clearly point you in the right direction. It would definitely be nicer to have a bigger screen at play here, but it makes good use of that smaller space to still make it a good navigating experience. Bottom Left: ABC/scroll (ABC) button. Press to scroll DOWN through the widget loop and menus. Press and hold to view Altimeter, Barometer and Compass. There’s no microphone, so you can’t take calls or use your phone’s voice assistant from your wrist as you can with the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, but if you own an Android phone then you can automatically reject calls with a text message. Like many of the watch’s more advanced features, that’s easy to set up and customize in the Garmin Connect app. Trong các thử nghiệm về hiệu suất độ cao lớn sử dụng Phương pháp 500.6 của MIL-STD-810G (Quy trình I và II), Instinct hoạt động ở độ cao 12.000 foot, và có thể được lưu trữ ở độ cao 40.000 foot (độ cao hành trình bay quốc tế). Theo Quy trình IV của Phương pháp 516.7 (Thử va đập kiểu con lắc), Instinct vẫn không bị hư hỏng sau thử nghiệm va đập nhiều hướng từ việc thả rơi ở khoảng cách 122 cm.

Garmin does not provide data on what the relation is between the intensity of the sun and the charging time but they do provide data on the effect of the sun onto the battery time. In all cases they calculate for how long the watch will keep on going when it is exposed to 50.000 lux for 3 hours a day. The data Garmin provides on the Garmin Instinct Solar tactical Outdoor Watch As mentioned above, the main reason why I wanted to review the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical is because of the fact that it is able to be charged by the sun. The watch face is a small solar panel. Or in fact two layers of solar panels. The light gray area is a 100% solar panel that converts for 100% the sunlight into energy that is stored in the battery. The darker area is a 10% solar panel that is transparent for 90% because it sits on top of the display that displays all the numbers and symbols. As soon as sun rays hit the solar panel the watch starts charging. In the top left side of the screen a little circle – the Solar Intensity panel – shows the amount of sun that hits the Garmin. It is also possible to switch to a dedicated screen that shows how much light has been hitting the Garmin in the past hours. The solar intensity screen shows when and how much has been charged. Doing the same on a day with overcast results in almost the same measurements as on a sunny day and keeping the Instinct in the shade. Watches in the Garmin Instinct range are designed to be tough and durable rather than flashy. All Instinct and Instinct 2 models come with a fiber-reinforced polymer case and silicone band – though you can replace this with a woven, leather or metal strap if you buy one separately.To use the watch’s alarm, timer or stopwatch, all you need to do is long-press the Set (bottom-right) button and select the appropriate option. From this menu, you can also set sunrise and sunset alerts, which is a handy feature if you want to make the most of the early daylight hours or avoid getting caught out when the sun comes down. There's also no charge to use the various workout programs included with Garmin Connect, including the bespoke cycling and running plans that can help you prepare for a new event, or aim for a personal best.

The solar models are a little more expensive, but the photovoltaic material doesn’t have any effect on the look of the display, so it’s well worth considering the extra investment to avoid frequent charging. In addition, it is important to calibrate regularly. In the case of the altimeter, enter a reference altitude. For example, in the hut which height is exactly on the map. On the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical – the Instinct series – this is possible. But there is a bit more going on. Calibrating is necessary to get the most accurate readings. Although the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical with its green color might look like an 100% military outdoor watch, this is not the case. The whole Instinct family has a sports and training heart. It’s just a matter of pushing the right buttons. Pressing the GPS button brings me into the screen where I choose the activity that I prefer. In my case it is mostly running and biking but there are many to choose from. Pressing the GPS button again starts the activity. Like most sports watches the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical logs everything from distance to time to laps and of course heart rate. Pressing the GPS button brings me into the screen where I choose the activity that I prefer. Heart rate The Barometer screen appears after pressing the ABC-button a few seconds and then pressing it shortly three times.The barometer screen looks very similar to the altimeter screen. In the right hand corner cirkel the current barometric pressure is shown. Left to the cirkel the lowest and the highest pressure are shown above each other. The bottom of the screen is occupied by the barometric pressure trend from the past 6 hours. Same remarks here as in the paragraph about the altimeter. The barometer screen shows the pressure change over a periode of time. Altimeter and barometer need to know The Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical is operated by pressing buttons. In this respect it is different than the majority of smartwatches nowadays. They all have touchscreens. With the Instinct I never make touchscreen mistakes or have the irritation of things not working due to wet fingers.

One thing that I always like in outdoor watches is the storm or weather alarm. This alarm warns me if the barometric pressure rises or drops very fast in a short period of time. In most cases this is the indication that a change in weather is coming fast and most of the time it is not fair weather that is closing in. The Instinct has such a storm or weather alarm and it is operated by the barometer. Setting it is just a matter of pressing the Set-botton for a few seconds and setting the right values. The storm alarm warns me if the barometric pressure rises or drops very fast in a short period of time. Altimeter and barometer calibration On a bright clear day in late autumn and early spring I measured about 52000 lux with the lux meter and the watch facing the sun directly. These are ideal circumstances. At a launch presentation for the Instinct 2, Garmin said that unlimited battery life is a realistic possibility for someone like a lifeguard who works outdoors. Smartwatch and fitness features Smartwatch features Watches in the Instinct 2 range are legal for golf tournaments too, and include tools like a digital scorecard, yardage to layups/doglegs, hazards and course targets, and green view with manual pin position. Pressing the ABC-button a few seconds reveals the first screen: the Compass. Press it again but shortly and I am on the Altimeter screen and repeating this gets me the Barometer screen. So… ABC should be CAB but that was probably not a marketing option. Let me go in depth on all three of them and let’s start with the C. Compass screen

Tactical-specific features include stealth mode, Jumpmaster, waypoint projection, dual-position GPS formatting and preloaded tactical activity If you want an outdoor watch that you don’t have to charge everyday or think about carrying around a charger with you, that’s something you don’t need to worry about with the Instinct.Like most outdoor watches the Instinct can – or must be – connected to a smartphone. In the Garmins case it uses the Garmin Connect– for smartphone and computer – to send data up and forth. Data that I collected when logging for example heart rate and the route during my evening run. The app shows a lot of information on my activities and what I like best: it is user friendly. Garmin Connect is also used to update the firmware in the watch and it works flawless. Since this is the tactical edition of the Garmin Instinct I need to write a few lines on the tactical functions. The first one being the readability of the watch face in night vision mode. This means that if you are wearing night vision goggles you are able to read the watch without the risk of being blinded by the watch’s light. When using the altimeter there are a few very important basics that you should know about how air and air pressure sensors work. The pressure sensor in a watch does not know whether a pressure change is the result of a weather change or a change in height. Imagine: You have your watch in the altimeter position and you spend the night in a mountain hut at an altitude of 2500 meters. While you are sleeping a low-pressure weather front is approaching. The pressure sensor registers this and the watch translates this as an increase in height. Without having moved a single meter, you wake up at 3000 meters. You will therefore have to keep a close eye on the weather when you are using the watch as an altimeter or as a barometer. Let me start with a bold remark: I have never been a great fan of Garmin outdoor watches. And… Garmin is not to blame; I am a small guy with small wrists and the Garmins that I tried in the past were just too big for me. I liked their function, for sure. With the Garmin Instinct series the US-based brand totally changed the ballgame for me. About half a year ago I gave Garmin a call and asked if I could do a review on one of the Garmin Instinct models. First they sent me the Garmin Instinct Tactical. Because of the release of the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical I decided to go for that solar powered model. Garmin was so friendly to exchange the watches and I continued testing. The Garmin Instinct Solar is light and not too big so it fits smaller wrist super. Size and weight As always, the longevity of this watch's battery will vary depending on how you use it. Functions like SpO2 monitoring and GPS will drain power more rapidly, but if you've opted for one of the solar models, you can expect your Instinct 2 to last much, much longer between charges.