Garmin has a solid rail phonograph record when it come to making smartwatches that do n’t look like smartwatches . ItsVívomove HRmanages to completely hide its smart capabilities under a non - descript analog face . Inspired by feature - pack watches from company ’s like Breitling and Omega ( and the big prices they command ) , the troupe ’s new MARQ smartwatch lineage is n’t quite as subtle , but Garmin is hop it will invoke to fans of traditional analog timepieces who want both mode and functionality . And do n’t take care paying a big premium for it .
Garmin has positioned its new MARQ line of business as the digital equivalent of a ‘ tool scout ’ , which is a condition used to identify feature - pack analogue watches that do more than just severalize time . They are often categorized based on what they can do ; a Pilot ’s vigil might include a slide rule on the bezel for calculating fuel usage , while a Racing scout might have an incised tachymeter making it well-situated to gauge the speed of a vehicle . base on five categories of puppet watch , Garmin ’s MARQ telephone line is made up of the Aviator , Driver , Captain , excursion , and Athlete .
Functionally , the watches feature the same core boast you ’ll find in most of Garmin ’s existing smartwatches and physical fitness trackers , including notifications for e-mail , call , and messaging from a machine-accessible smartphone , a reflective exhibit that ’s clear in bright sun , euphony storage with Bluetooth streaming , NFC defrayal , GPS position trailing , and an optical tenderness pace / pulsation oximeter sensing element . What sets these picket apart from Garmin ’s current vesture card are fresh activity - specific functions , luxury build materials like titanium and sapphire glass , and price tags that put the MARQ line alongsidesmartwatches from more placeable fashion brands like Tag Heuer .
The most expensive of the collection is the $ 2,500 MARQ Driver made from titanium and treated with a peculiar carbon finishing for extra durability . It come pre - loaded with course data for over 250 democratic raceway path around the domain , and timekeeper for calculating a vehicle ’s average speed over a discharge . From there you ’ve got the $ 1,950 aeronaut designed for pilot ’s with aviation maps , airport info , and weather map , the $ 1,850 maitre d’hotel with coastal charts , interface conditions , plus weather and lunar time period information , the $ 1,750 Expedition with topography single-valued function , barometer , altimeter , and worldwide message when connected to Garmin ’s inReach Mini satellite communicator , and finally the $ 1,500 jock with extra functionality for tracking runs , and performance details always seeable on the face .
Garmin ’s Todd Register , the creative jumper cable and ware director of the newfangled line , secern Gizmodo the heavy challenge of designing and go through the MARQ timepieces was merely fitting all of the extra functionality into a timepiece that , at least at a passing glance , does n’t front like a smartwatch bulging with features . apart from an LCD display , these could easily be mistaken for watches worn by ivy league - types who tire out their jumper like mantle . But that also means you wo n’t see any feature crossing between the MARQ watches . The add functionality is more than just customs duty apps made for each watch — so if you ’re a pilot who also bask sailing , you ’ll require to cough up $ 3,800 for both version .
You ’ll also notice one very coarse class of tool watches missing from Garmin ’s young batting order : the nose dive watch . The MARQ watch are each waterproof to a profoundness of 100 meter ( 320 + feet , or 10 ATM , in vigil terms ) which is fine for snorkeling , but inapplicable for scuba diving event . To be conceive a true honkytonk watch it will need to be rated for much deeper profoundness , which is n’t unimaginable but requires design and hardware change that would set it apart from the flesh constituent the other five pieces in the new line all part . That was something Garmin require to avoid for the MARQ origin ’s initial launching .
Garmin has never shy away from pricy wearable ; its$600 Epix was the first watch to welt a touchscreen Global Positioning System navigatorto your wrist , but the MARQ product line is a considerable step up above even that . The company is strain to make smartwatches invoke to watch snobs by improving its approach to design , material , and functionality , but how many Breitling fans have ever actually stepped into a plane ’s cockpit ? The luxuriousness watch securities industry is still very much dependent on brand realisation , and it will be a long fourth dimension before Garmin has the same charm as watchmakers like Omega , Tag Heuer , or Breitling — if ever . The other outcome is that in 50 years you may pass on a pricey but still useable Rolex watch to your grandkids and have sex it ’s break up in value . But a $ 2,500 smartwatch with a long - all in battery and out - dated technology will benothing more than a curiosity for Antiques Roadshow .
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