Garmin Instinct - Tactical Edition Rugged GPS Watch - Black

Product Information

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. 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

Although I do like the very nifty way of thinking of the Garmin Instinct series, I still feel more comfortable if I can tell the watch if the barometer should be in the lead or the altimeter. Well, I can choose them manually so there is no harm done; I can be in the lead. The best time to choose the Altimeter mode is when you are in the mountains and a lot of elevation changes are made. The barometer mode is best used in places where the change in pressure must be a result of barometric pressure changes like in my totally flat Netherlands. Storm or weather alarm If you don’t have time to browse through historic stats, that’s not an issue – the app will provide you with occasional ‘insights’ based on your lifestyle and workouts. For example, if you tend to take fewer steps on a Thursday, the app will nudge you to get outside and take a stroll before the day is out. The Instinct – Tactical Edition GPS watch monitors your heart rate, activity and stress throughout the day, so you know how much you do — and how hard you’re working to do it. When you’re ready to train, we’ve got you covered with preloaded activity profiles for running, biking, swimming and more. It also has mission-specific training options, including Jumpmaster and a preloaded tactical activity. 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 WatchThe second one is that the Instinct is able to display the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid system and the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) at the same time. The third one is the Stealth mode that switches the storage and sharing of gps data off and turns the watches function to offline so no data is being transmitted. For me not being in military circumstances ever the tactical functies are not that useful but I can imagine that for people who are in tactical situations this can be key. Stealth mode turns the watches function to offline so no data is being transmitted. Charging the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical Part 2 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. Additionally, the Instinct was able to pass corrosion testing under Method 509.6: spraying it with salt-fog for 24 hours and then drying for an additional 24 hours produced no corrosion, guaranteeing that the Instinct retains its durability in salt-rich maritime environments.”

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. By the way: In practice in the Alpes last summer the Altimeter has proven to be fast adapting to the changing altitude and very accurate! When calibrated regularly, the Garmin Instinct Solar altimeter is accurate. Smartphone connection 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.It is not my ambition to write a full manual about the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical but let me talk you through the functions of the buttons. This is quite basic and important for the rest of the review. By default – Auto position on screen – the Instinct monitors changes in pressure and uses an algorithm to decide if this change is a result of changing location – up or down the mountain – or the result of changing weather. The original Garmin Instinct has a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. The 45mm Instinct 2 has a resolution of 176 x 176mm, and the 40mm Instinct 2S has a resolution of 156 x 156 pixels. Battery life The original Garmin Instinct was a brilliant sports watch, but its chunky, utilitarian design meant it wasn’t one we were inclined to wear it as a regular timepiece. The Garmin Instinct 2’s slimmer profile, optional 40mm case and new colorways mean it’s fun rather than purely functional, so you’re more likely to wear it as an everyday smartwatch. Battery life: up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS mode, up to 40 hours in UltraTrac™ battery saver mode

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. All Garmin Instinct watches allow you to receive smartphone notifications on your wrist (Image credit: Garmin) 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. 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.

Hoạt động Jumpmaster

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. 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 Some functions that are specific to the Instinct Tactical are a dual position display that uses both MGRS and degrees/minutes/seconds, and stealth mode, which stops the device from sharing and storing your GPS location and disables all wireless connectivity. Further, the watch comes with a night vision mode that allows the face to be viewed under night vision devices, as well as jumpmaster and waypoint projection apps. Despite that, there are still plenty of handy features for outdoor activities such as Auto Climb, which gives you handy insights into your recent elevation gain so you can adjust your efforts accordingly. In a similar vein, 3D Speed and 3D Distance factor in your elevation change when calculating your speed and distance during hilly activities.

With the watch on my wrist, the lux meter next to it and walking with both facing the sun direction but not holding them perfectly in the sun, I measure about 30.000 lux. With a light meter on my wrist I measured how much sunlight hits the watch face when hiking. The Camo edition doesn’t add any extra functions or apps, but has a camouflage patterned band and case.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 So, the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical is a sports watch that measures and registers what we generally want. That is good. But what about its outdoor capabilities? Should be good since it is the TACTICAL version. GPS