Is a Satellite Watch worth the Money?
Before we get to far down the rabbit hole I would preface this by saying I have been a watch guy for the last 5 years and prior to that I always found I would crack the face or ware down the watch so fast it wasn't worth it to me. Below I have showcased the watches I have used so you know where my experience is coming from. In no way do I claim to be in a expert in this criteria. However, my number 1 aspect is functionality and my number 2 is durability.
Watch timeline:
- G-Shock
- Rockwell Coliseum - Broke
- Rockwell Coliseum
- Apple Watch - Broke
- Garmin Vivoactive - Stopped Functioning
- Garmin Instinct Tactical - Currently Using
My current watch is a Garmin Instinct Tactical and I do have to say, "I love this thing". As far as a tool to use while out scouting, hunting, fishing, or just daily use it has proven it's worth over and over.
I am no tech wiz and this Garmin can do way more that I will ever use, I will put the specs and features below for all you technical people.
Durability - I have been using the Instinct since December and so far it has held up under 5 hunts, 2 of which were some very extreme conditions. If you are putting on the miles and want to know what kind of elevation you are covering then this Garmin is clutch.
(Packing out a 6 foot black bear in MT, I used the instinct on this trip almost as much as my binoculars)
Here are the features that I like and use the most when it pertains to the outdoors particularly hunting:
- Elevation
- Moon phase
- Sunrise/ Sunset
- Twilight Feature
- Compass
- Weather
Battery Life
I can go a solid 2 weeks without charging the instinct. That is with daily use on continuous basis. The longest I have gone is 17 days.
The instinct has a really cool track feature that allows the use of Garmin's satellite service in which will track your location and if need be, guide you back the direction you came. I've messed around with this feature several times and if I needed it in an emergency I could see it being very handy. Or if I needed to give search and rescue my coordinates the watch will tell me my longitude and latitude with a click of a button. That screams functional to me.
This watch comes with the "normal" features that seem to attract most individuals to a "smart watch". Step tracking, activity, notifications, etc.... and those are great things but I wanted this thing for a tool to better my chances while in the field chasing game. Overall, if you are a watch guy and think you might want something that does more than tell time than I would definitely consider a smart sat watch. As you can see I have not used 100 different brands or compared between Garmin's competitors..... this is my experience.
Thanks for reading.
Justin
SPECS
WHEN YOU CAN RELY ON INSTINCT, THE WORLD CAN RELY ON YOU
You’ve never been one to follow the beaten path — that’s where Instinct comes in. This rugged GPS watch is mission-ready and built to withstand the toughest environments.
Withstand the elements with military standard toughness.
Tactical-specific features such as night vision compatibility and more for field ops.
Navigate your world with multi-GNSS satellite support and outdoor sensors.
Pair with your compatible smartphone for on-wrist messaging, alerts and notifications.
Map, track, sync and share your trek from anywhere with our exclusive app.
Don't be limited by battery life. Get up to 14 days in smartwatch mode.
General |
|
| LENS MATERIAL |
chemically strengthened glass |
|---|---|
| BEZEL MATERIAL |
fiber-reinforced polymer |
| CASE MATERIAL | fiber-reinforced polymer |
| QUICKFIT™ WATCH BAND COMPATIBLE |
yes (22 mm) |
| STRAP MATERIAL |
silicone |
| PHYSICAL SIZE |
45 x 45 x 15.3 mm |
| DISPLAY SIZE | custom, two-window design; 0.9” x 0.9” (23 x 23 mm) |
| DISPLAY RESOLUTION | 128 x 128 pixels |
| DISPLAY TYPE | monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) |
| WEIGHT |
52 g |
| BATTERY LIFE | Smartwatch mode: Up to 14 days GPS mode: Up to 16 hours UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 40 hours |
| WATER RATING | 10 ATM |
| MEMORY/HISTORY | 16 MB |
Clock Features |
|
| TIME/DATE | |
|---|---|
| GPS TIME SYNC | |
| AUTOMATIC DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME | |
| ALARM CLOCK | |
| TIMER | |
| STOPWATCH | |
| SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES | |
Health Monitoring |
|
| WRIST-BASED HEART RATE (CONSTANT, EVERY SECOND) | |
|---|---|
| DAILY RESTING HEART RATE | |
| ABNORMAL HEART RATE ALERTS | yes (high and low) |
| BODY BATTERY™ ENERGY MONITOR | |
| ALL-DAY STRESS | |
| RELAXATION BREATHING TIMER | |
| SLEEP | yes (Advanced) |
| HYDRATION | yes (in Garmin Connect™) |
| WOMAN'S HEALTH | yes (in Garmin Connect™) |
Sensors |
|
| GPS | |
|---|---|
| GLONASS | |
| GALILEO | |
| GARMIN ELEVATE™ WRIST HEART RATE MONITOR | |
| BAROMETRIC ALTIMETER | |
| COMPASS | |
| ACCELEROMETER | |
| THERMOMETER | |
Daily Smart Features |
|
| CONNECTIVITY | Bluetooth®, ANT+® |
|---|---|
| SMART NOTIFICATIONS | |
| TEXT RESPONSE/REJECT PHONE CALL WITH TEXT (ANDROID™ ONLY) | |
| CALENDAR | |
| WEATHER | |
| CONTROLS SMARTPHONE MUSIC | |
| FIND MY PHONE | |
| FIND MY WATCH | |
| VIRB® REMOTE | |
| SMARTPHONE COMPATIBILITY | iPhone®, Android™ |
| PAIRS WITH GARMIN CONNECT™ MOBILE | |
Safety and Tracking Features |
|
| LIVETRACK | |
|---|---|
Tactical Features |
|
| STEALTH MODE | |
|---|---|
| NIGHT VISION MODE | |
| DUAL GRID COORDINATES | |
Activity Tracking Features |
|
| STEP COUNTER | |
|---|---|
| MOVE BAR (DISPLAYS ON DEVICE AFTER A PERIOD OF INACTIVITY; WALK FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO RESET IT) | |
| AUTO GOAL (LEARNS YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL AND ASSIGNS A DAILY STEP GOAL) | |
| CALORIES BURNED | |
| FLOORS CLIMBED | |
| DISTANCE TRAVELED | |
| INTENSITY MINUTES | |
| TRUEUP™ | |
| MOVE IQ™ | |
Gym & Fitness Equipment |
|
| AVAILABLE GYM ACTIVITY PROFILES | Strength, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor Rowing and Yoga |
|---|---|
| CARDIO WORKOUTS | |
| STRENGTH WORKOUTS | |
| AUTOMATIC REP COUNTING | |
Training, Planning and Analysis Features |
|
| HR ZONES | |
|---|---|
| HR ALERTS | |
| HR CALORIES | |
| % HR MAX | |
| % HRR | |
| AUTO MAX HR | |
| HR BROADCAST (BROADCASTS HR DATA OVER ANT+™ TO PAIRED DEVICES) | yes (using ANT+) |
| GPS SPEED AND DISTANCE | |
| CUSTOMIZABLE DATA PAGES | |
| CUSTOMIZABLE ACTIVITY PROFILES | |
| AUTO PAUSE® | |
| INTERVAL TRAINING | |
| ADVANCED WORKOUTS | |
| DOWNLOADABLE TRAINING PLANS | |
| AUTO LAP® | |
| MANUAL LAP | |
| CONFIGURABLE LAP ALERTS | |
| CUSTOM ALERTS | |
| AUDIO PROMPTS | |
| FINISH TIME | |
| VIRTUAL PARTNER | |
| RACE AN ACTIVITY | |
| COURSE GUIDANCE | |
| TOUCH AND/OR BUTTON LOCK | |
| HOT KEYS | |
| AUTO SCROLL | |
| ACTIVITY HISTORY ON WATCH | |
| PHYSIO TRUEUP | |
Running Features |
|
| AVAILABLE RUN PROFILES |
Running, Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running, Trail Running |
|---|---|
| GPS-BASED DISTANCE, TIME AND PACE | |
| CADENCE (PROVIDES REAL-TIME NUMBER OF STEPS PER MINUTE) | |
| RUN WORKOUTS | |
| FOOT POD CAPABLE | |
Outdoor Recreation |
|
| AVAILABLE OUTDOOR RECREATION PROFILES |
Hiking, Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing, Snowboarding, XC Skiing, Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Jumpmaster, Tactical |
|---|---|
| POINT-TO-POINT NAVIGATION | |
| BREAD CRUMB TRAIL IN REAL TIME | |
| BACK TO START | |
| TRACBACK® | |
| ULTRATRAC MODE | |
| ELEVATION PROFILE | |
| DISTANCE TO DESTINATION | |
| BAROMETRIC TREND INDICATOR WITH STORM ALERT | |
| TRAIL RUN AUTO CLIMB | |
| VERTICAL SPEED | |
| TOTAL ASCENT/DESCENT | |
| FUTURE ELEVATION PLOT | |
| COMPATIBLE WITH BASECAMP™ | |
| GPS COORDINATES | |
| SIGHT 'N GO | |
| AREA CALCULATION | |
| PROJECTED WAYPOINT | |
| SUN AND MOON INFORMATION | |
| XERO™ LOCATIONS | |
Cycling Features |
|
| ALERTS (TRIGGERS ALARM WHEN YOU REACH GOALS INCLUDING TIME, DISTANCE, HEART RATE OR CALORIES) | |
|---|---|
| COURSES | |
| AVAILABLE CYCLING PROFILES |
Biking, Indoor Biking, Mountain Biking |
| RACE AN ACTIVITY | |
| SPEED AND CADENCE SENSOR SUPPORT (W/SENSOR) | |
Swimming Features |
|
| AVAILABLE SWIM PROFILES |
Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
|---|---|
| OPEN-WATER SWIM METRICS (DISTANCE, PACE, STROKE COUNT/RATE, STROKE DISTANCE, SWIM EFFICIENCY (SWOLF), CALORIES) | |
| POOL SWIM METRICS (LENGTHS, DISTANCE, PACE, STROKE COUNT, SWIM EFFICIENCY (SWOLF), CALORIES) | |
| STROKE TYPE DETECTION (FREESTYLE, BACKSTROKE, BREASTSTROKE, BUTTERFLY) (POOL SWIM ONLY) | |
| DRILL LOGGING (POOL SWIM ONLY) | |
| BASIC REST TIMER (UP FROM 0) (POOL SWIM ONLY) | |
| "REPEAT ON" REST TIMER (POOL SWIM ONLY) | |
| POOL SWIM WORKOUTS | |
|
Posted on May 11 2021
I have a Garmin fenix3 sapphire and wear it daily. Considering the current model is a 6, You can tell I’ve had it for a long time now. No scratches whatsoever on the sapphire crystal, and I use this thing. Whitetail to backcountry elk this thing is a must have for me. It links with my inreach and I can read texts from my wife in the field without getting the inreach out. The newer model has topo maps with tracking that links to the inreach. I like that functionality because it would allow me to navigate to a waypoint w/o pulling out my phone or inreach. If Garmin could link to my OnX, navigating from point to point would be even more efficient. Last note, having this thing for @4years or so Garmin has never abandoned supporting the watch in order to force me to buy another. That I really appreciate. They have added some functionality with updates that affect my battery life, but in the field I still get a week or more out of it.
Loved this review,,,going to look into that garmin , i liked that you could go two weeks on a charge .
I currently have the apple watch in titanium , I am a bricklayer and we eat watches up ,after 1 year in the mud ,sand , rain ,acid washing bricks , banging up against scaffolding , it looks like brandnew!
But i have to charge it every day when i come home , so i can track sleep at night . Looks like i might be wearing two watchs soon ,, lol thx again , Randy , (new subscriber)