Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Smartwatch with Solar Charging Capabilities and Tactical Features, Built-in Sports Apps and Health Monitoring, Moss Green

i love this watch because it places function over everything else where other smart watches overdo it with features that don't provide much benefit while draining battery life needlessly. This watch uses a monochrome screen that allows you to customize virtually every feature. the monochrome screen is visible in all levels of sunlight and is backlit well in lowlight. it even has a tactical setting if you are using it with NVGs...seriously! most watches nowadays have color screens that perform poorly on sunny days. they also usually have touch screens which are glitchy when wet or sweaty and they are a power hog. this watch uses tactile buttons which I prefer on a sport watch because it is less prone to accidental bumping or misuse while working out. and of course this option is energy efficient. This efficiency is further enhanced by the fact that the watch is also solar powered. I ride my bike everyday and in the summer months with good sun, This watch will run for weeks to a month without needing recharge even when using GPS features regularly.Another advantage is that the watch will except any 22mm watch band and doesn't require special proprietary straps. To make wrist strap changes even easier, it has Drilled Lugs so you don't need any special tools to remove the the straps.The modes and features, are numerous and there are plenty of videos online that go through all the features in 30 minutes or less better than I can in this review. I mainly want to focus on things that normally irritate me about smart watches and fitness watches that this Garmin does better. While features and functions are 50% of a smart watch these days the other 50% is the App it syncs with. I think Garmin makes a decent app and for those with fitness app and fitness tracker experience I would say that Garmin is more similar to Strava than Fitbit. Personally I use Strava so I paired my Garmin to Strava and mostly use that, However I do use the Garmin app for sleep and recovery tracking. If you do use Strava, I have found that Garmin syncs well with Strava once paired. the main loss of Garmin over Fitbit is it doesn't log nutrition, however that is something I am willing to live with since the watch has a benefit over most other fitness trackers Ive used and that is its ability to do all of its functions independent of my phone. Many trackers require you to have your phone on you while using certain features while the Garmin is completely stands alone and you just use the phone essentially to view stats and metrics.Bottom line, if you want a serious tool for working out, tracking weather, navigation, and logging fitness goals, this watch gives you more than you need without the fluff. Its a good example of technology that doesn't get in its own way by trying to distract you with bells and whistles...it just works and its tough.

Purchased for our 22year old grandson for Christmas. He loves it. He says it is very easy to use. Perfect watch for someone on the go on land and water. Great quality with a name we could trust.

Not as fancy as something Bond would wear, but MacGyver could work wonders with the functionality! Working in park maintenance, I’m usually outdoors with chainsaws, hand tools, and small and heavy equipment. Subsequently, I wanted something rugged enough to be a work accessory, and versatile enough to integrate tech into something as fundamental as a watch; this Garmin does all of that.The biggest features I use are the weather and sunset time widgets, as my work on the job site and at home on my farm are dependent on these conditions, and being able to glance on the fly helps me adapt my schedule in real time. Having this information on my wrist means I can access it easily without having to dig out my phone while sitting in a Bobcat or Excavator, or fishing underneath my chainsaw chaps. The most handy feature by far, however, is the Area Calculator, which uses GPS to measure job sites and determine how much fertilizer and seed I need to order, and it really helps me stay on top of planning and budgeting.The Alarm also keeps me on schedule, as the vibration and sound combo wakes me up before dawn better than any other watch I’ve owned. Being able to set recurring alarms from the app on my phone also makes this a breeze, as I can adjust my daily wake-up time, and also go back to analyze how much sleep I’ve gotten throughout the week.I’ve had the Garmin Instinct Tactical for a month and a half now, and only had to fully charge it twice (other than when I topped it off to 100% when it arrived). I suspect I will need to charge it less during the summer months when I’m out in direct sunlight more, given the solar charging capability. I also feel naked without it on my wrist, as It’s become so invaluable I rarely take it off. I’ve added aftermarket protection in the way of a “screen protector” over the face and a rubberized ring around the outside of the case; so far even flush cutting stumps and digging through the mud hasn’t so much as required a quick wipe down to look as good as new.If anything changes, I’ll update this review, but for me this watch is perfect, and the price was great. I can’t recommend it enough!

This is my first smart type watch, I’m really liking the watch and its features. I’ve had it now for about a month, I found the watch setup fairly straightforward and no real issues connecting it to the Garmin app. It’s comfortable and lightweight, the watch face is easy to read and customizable with lots of cool options. The battery charges quickly and the solar use is a great feature. I’m still figuring out some of the more advanced options but the overall quality and look of the watch are fantastic. It seems fairly rugged and mine is doing well in the marine environment it’s in almost everyday.

Had the watch for 3 days. Starting on day three it began to glitch and reboot every 10 min or so. Probably isolated to just that watch I had. Before it started doing that I really liked it. Upgraded to the instinct2x solar after that and love it!

I bought this for my boyfriend and he absolutely loves it!!He is heavy into fitness, outdoors and gyming so this watch has been a peeeerfect gift.The features are great and has everything you need from tracking heart rate to sleep patterns.He works outside so never needs to worry about charging it thanks to the solar charging feature. He also does manual labor so it’s proven its durability.Comfortable enough to even keep on while sleeping.Best value for money!

Works as advertised. Complicated but this comes with the very wide range of features. I am particularly enjoying the Body Battery feature. Bought reworked. Would buy again.