Garmin Instinct Custom Watch Face
Several of Garmin’s latest watches offer support for apps, music and other smart features. They can also be personalized by downloading and installing custom watch faces, which completely change the way the main display looks.
Some of the Garmin smartwatches that support custom watch faces include Fenix 6, Forerunner 235, Vivoactive 3, Forerunner 45, Forerunner 245 and Forerunner 945. If you’d like to check whether or not your device is supported you can visit Garmin’s ConnectIQ storefront.
Like much of Garmin’s downloadable content, the watch faces are created by third-party developers. You can browse, download and rate them via ConnectIQ. More are added to the store regularly, so it’s always good to check back and see what’s new.
To use the connected features of the Instinct device, it must be ™ ® ™ ®.
You can also download apps, widgets, and other updates via ConnectIQ depending on the device you own. Almost any of Garmin’s wearables can be enhanced by adding new device apps or custom data fields, which allows the watch to track more than it does natively. A Garmin Approach golf-themed watch, for example, can be used to track hiking specific stats, or display a star-chart, merely by installing new content.
- The Instinct doesn't support ConnectIQ, at all. You won't be getting new watch faces. As was mentioned in another reply, a 128x128 screen isn't really conducive to an analog face.
- This is a quick video to show you all of the watch faces available for the Garmin Instinct Solar Watch (non Tactical version). Thanks for watching, for more.
That being said, one of the best ways to spruce up your watch is to install custom watch faces. You can find new faces that display way more than just the time, like sports stats, calendar details and even custom graphics — there’s a Super Mario themed watch face!
To help you get started, here are some of the best Garmin watch faces you can download right now:
25. Duck Hunt
Remember the classic Nintendo game Duck Hunt? That’s precisely what this watch face is, an animated rendition. When you look at your watch the animation plays, showing an endearing Muttley giggling as ducks fly overhead.
There are no stats displayed, just the time and date so this watch face is best when you don’t care to see your data or metrics.
Compatible Devices: D2 Bravo/ Titanium / Charlie / Delta / Delta PX / Delta S, Descent MK1, Epix, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR
24. CarbonAnalog
If you want a simple analog watch with a carbon-fiber style design then CarbonAnalog is a good choice. Right now, not many devices are supported. Hopefully, the developer will add more soon.
Compatible Devices: D2 Bravo, D2 Bravo Titanium, Fenix 3, Fenix Quatix 3, Fenix Tactix Bravo, Fenix 3 HR, Fenix Chronos
23. Energy Face
If you want a clean e-ink style watch face that doesn’t use a lot of battery, check out Energy Face. It also displays a huge selection of personal stats and info, like Bluetooth status, alarm, and moon phases. It also has several configurable fields.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / Forerunner 230 / 235 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Music
Energy Face at ConnectIQ
22. Simply Late!
This watch face offers a rather unique take on the modern watch. All that’s displayed is the current hour with a progress indicator to tell you what part of the hour you’re in. Data is also displayed nicely at the top. It’s meant for anyone who likes to see the current hour at a glance, but nothing more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR
21. Divinity
Like skulls? Want one on your watch face alongside the date and time? Then check out Divinity, an official watch face from Garmin.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivolife
20. GearMin
The GearMin watch face is an absolute beast, displaying just about every stat and personal detail your watch can track. It’s for data lovers and always active people, specifically those that want quick access to all important stats. You get elevation, current location, date and time, total steps, goal progress, Bluetooth status, notifications, heart-rate, alarms, an activity graph and much more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
19. Classic Collection
The best thing about this watch face is it’s a bundle that includes several classic designs inspired by real watches. All of the faces feature analog clock designs, of which there are seven. There are a variety of configurable colors, backgrounds, clock hands and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S
18. DividedTime
Want a plain style watch that displays the current time and date, with plenty of configurable options? Look no further than DividedTime. It offers a wide range of color options for the foreground and background. You can also remove everything extra for an incredibly clean style.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
17. Infinity
Infinity mimics traditional analog watches by display hour, minute and second hands. In the background is an infinite array of cubes, which is where the name comes from. At the north side of the face is the battery level and the south side has total steps. It looks great, works great and is definitely one to grab.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
16. RunningPro
This watch face has another analog-style design, except it displays running and activity stats in the background. You can see battery levels, current weight, altitude, calories burned, total steps, data, moon phase and more.
Compatible Devices: All D2, Forerunner 645 / 645 Music / 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5
15. Clock32
This watch face has a stylish, digital design with the time and date in the center and a progress bar around the edges. It supports multiple color configurations and displays a ton of extra details. You can see heart-rate, total steps, notifications, alarms, Bluetooth status, battery level and much more.
Compatible Devices: All D2, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR
14. Time Flies
This watch face has a slick, analog and digital clock design with “rich customization options” and support for several detailed stats like data, Bluetooth status, and battery level.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
13. DigiSport
This watch face closely resembles the Nike face available on the Nike+ edition of the Apple Watch. The time is displayed on the right, and three circular icons sit on the left. The icons can be customized, allowing you to choose what’s displayed. Most of the options are unlocked by buying the premium version for $1.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
Garmin Instinct Custom Watch Face Complications
12. Lachesis (Light)
This animated watch face displays illuminated neon colors around the edges and places the time right in the center. There are four color schemes: coral pink, sunset orange, ocean green and sand grey. Extra info displayed includes calories burned, battery level, data and total steps.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
11. SkyTracker
If you want to see weather data, SkyTracker is the right watch face. It will show the temperature and weather conditions for your current location. It also displays battery level, heart-rate, mobile notifications, time and data. Additional options are available to unlock, too, like new colors and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, All MARQ, Rey, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
10. ActiFace
If you want as much information on your small watch display as possible, then ActiFace is the right choice. It shows time and date, daily goal progress, total steps, mobile notifications and heart-rate. It also displays a useful activity history graph that shows the distance you’ve traveled and the total calories you’ve burned along the way.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920 XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
9. Gigantus
This watch face puts the time front and center in large, bold print. Various stats are displayed around the time, including heart-rate, Bluetooth status, alarms, activity details and more. You can also change the display colors by choosing from several presets.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music
Gigantus at ConnectIQ
8. Sport Master
Another official Garmin watch face, Sport Master is for all the active folks out there who want to track their progress in real-time. Time is displayed in both digital and analog formats. Additional details include calories burned, total steps, distance traveled, date, battery level and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivolife
7. NoFrills
If you want something that has no frills, this watch face is the one to grab. The time sits front and center in a beautiful, bold font. As you progress towards your daily goal the numbers fill up with water. Additional stats are displayed around the edges including heart-rate, date, alarms, Bluetooth status, notifications and battery level.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, Epix, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920 XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Rey, Venu, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
6. Ha Long Bay
Another animated watch face, Ha Long Bay adds a beautiful boating scene. Stats include total steps, battery levels, Bluetooth on, and time and date. It’s minimal, but it looks great and leaves plenty of open space to see the animation.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, Epix, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
5. JBlack
If you want a clean watch face that’s packed to the brim with info, JBlack is your best bet. It shows alarms, battery levels, BT status, the current moon phase, total steps, and, of course, the time and date. Plus, if you make a small donation to the developer who created it, you can unlock a few other features too like heart-rate or sunrise and set times (to clarify, the watch already shows this info via settings but a donation adds support to the home screen).
Compatible Devices: D2 Delta / Delta PX / Delta S, Descent MK1, Forerunner 645 / 645 Music, 935 / 945, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, All MARQ
4. Crystal
Want as much information on-screen as possible, yet in an attractive way? Crystal is your type of watch face. It was named the winner of “Best New Watch Face” at Garmin’s 2019 Connect IQ Developer awards. It shows a variety of stats and info, and there are three configurable data fields including heart-rate, battery level, and mobile notifications.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Darth Vader, Descent MK1, First Avenger, ForeAthlete 735XTJ, Forerunner 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 45 / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT/ 935, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, Garmin Swim 2, All MARQ, Venu, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR, Vivolife
3. Movement
Made by Garmin, Movement is an excellent watch face in style and function. There’s a rainbow style UI, with various metrics placed around the face. You can see elevation, battery levels, a music equalizer, along with time and date. You can also change the colors to personalize the face if you like.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, Forerunner 245 / 245 Music / 645 / 645 Music / 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivolife
2. Line
Line takes a unique approach to display metrics and time info on screen all at once. As the name suggests, a line separates the time and date from personal stats. There are multiple configurations so you can swap the layout to be side-by-side or top-bottom. You can change the display colors. The information shown includes calories burned, battery life, weather, heart-rate, mobile notifications, alarms and more.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, Captain Marvel, All D2, Descent MK1, Epix, ForeAthlete 230J / 235J / 630J / 735XTJ / 920XTJ, Forerunner 230 / 235 / 245 / 245 Music / 630 / 645 / 645 Music / 735XT / 920XT/ 935 / 945, All Fenix 3, All Fenix 5, All Fenix 6, Fenix Chronos, All MARQ, Vivoactive, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivoactive 4 / 4S, Vivoactive HR
1. My Watch
My Watch takes the number one spot because of how functional it is. It doesn’t look bad either, especially with how the minor details are displayed. The time takes front and center, and you get a wide variety of stats and info including heart-rate, activity time, altitude, temperature, moon phases, and much more. There are also two styles, light and dark, and none of the features are locked behind a paywall or donation requirement.
Compatible Devices: Approach S60, All D2, Descent MK1, Forerunner 645 / 645 Music / 935, All Fenix 5, Vivoactive 3 / 3 Mercedes-Benz Collection / 3 Music, Vivolife
Because the Garmin Instinct Solar can draw power from the sun, you may never need to charge it.
The Garmin Instinct Solar smartwatch’s looks won’t inspire poets. It also won’t complement your evening wear at a fancy dinner party. That’s the point. With its hefty fiber-reinforced polymer case, recessed glass face, and chunky buttons, the watch feels like a muscular rebuke of the sleek, minimalist fitness trackers produced by other companies. This burly fitness watch is built for adventure.
Released in 2018, the original Garmin Instinct watch was a popular, durable fitness tracker with a deep feature well. The first Garmin Instinct watch offered fitness tracking, health monitoring, exercise challenges, as well as outdoor GPS and mapping. The Instinct Solar watch, as its name suggests, adds the company’s innovative solar charging tech, which allows it to run almost endlessly without the need for a wired charger. Still, its appeal goes well beyond its longevity. In addition to advanced sports and fitness tracking, the Garmin Instinct Solar includes advanced navigation features and typical smartwatch Bluetooth connectivity with an iPhone or Android device.
Garmin Instinct Solar Design
I was surprised by how comfortable the Garmin Instinct Solar watch felt on my wrist. Despite the fitness watch’s relatively large size—45 mm in diameter, 15.3 mm thick, but only 53 grams—I barely noticed it after a week of use. I wore it on jogs, to the gym, while packing to move to a new apartment, and on the job as a professional cameraman. The latter is particularly important to me; I’m already lugging all sorts of camera gear, I don’t want something hanging off my wrist that distracts me when I’m trying to shoot. Plus, I never knew previously how much of a workout I was getting on set; it was nice to learn that my job gives me a passable excuse to skip the gym.
The basic silicone watch band packaged with the Instinct Solar fit my average-sized wrist comfortably, but it trapped a lot of sweat. Thankfully, the Garmin watch uses quick-release pins to make it easy to swap out bands and there are plenty of replacement options to choose from. Garmin and other third-party manufacturers offer them in a variety of materials like leather, nylon, and plastic. There are plenty of color options as well. I even found people making and selling compatible custom watch bands on Etsy.
You can buy the Garmin Instinct Solar in five different colors; the review sample was a dark gray called “Graphite.” The face has button names printed in white on the edge of the watch’s glass. Secondary functions appear molded into the bezel and painted black. My only complaint is that the black lettering on the dark grey plastic is nearly impossible to read without holding the watch up close to my eyes. However, the buttons are large enough to find without searching. Once I had memorized the basic user interface, navigating functions became much faster—and I didn’t need to squint.
I grew up in the ’80s with old Casio solar watches that wasted about 30 percent of the face’s real estate on photon-gathering panels. Whatever buttons the watch had were crammed in like passengers on a crowded subway car. Garmin avoids this problem by collecting solar energy through what the company calls “Power Glass,” which sits behind a scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla shield (you can read more about how it works here). The clever design has a matte finish that you won’t even notice after a few days.
While the Garmin Instinct Solar isn’t ugly, it’s also not shy about its rugged nature. It pairs with a fancy suit or dress like wine pairs with Pop Rocks. But since when does that matter in a sports watch? This exercise tool is built tough to withstand your workout or a no-holds-barred afternoon on the field. It laughs at sweat, wipes clean after hiking through the mud, and won’t run out of power when you decide to run a super marathon through the desert—or spend a long weekend working in your garden. Even after a few weeks of rigorous testing, our review unit didn’t look any worse for wear.
Setting Up this Garmin Smartwatch
Setting up the Garmin Instinct Solar smartwatch was simple and fast. While the watch comes with a partial charge out of the box, you’ll still need to fully charge it by plugging it into a power source via the included multi-pin USB cable. I had to supply my own outlet adapter. The charging cable physically plugs into the watch instead of relying on the familiar magnetic wireless charging found on other popular smartwatches like the Apple Watch. The direct connection isn’t as convenient, but it is faster.
Once charged, I was surprised at how easily the watch guided me through set-up. Clear prompts lead me step-by-step through the process, which took roughly 10 minutes. The free Garmin Connect app for your iOS or Android phone and then make sure Bluetooth is activated. The watch syncs up quickly. Once linked, the Garmin Instinct Solar asks for biometric data, including your height, weight, and stride length (I had to double-check all three) in order to better establish exercise routines, set goals, and track activities.
Key Features of the Garmin Instinct Solar
The Garmin Instinct Solar watch delivers a lot of information via its monochrome memory-in-pixel display. It lacks some of the fancy visual tricks found on watches with full-color screens, but that’s almost a relief. The display is clean, bold, sharp, and you can read important information at a glance without having to interrupt your activity. It has an adjustable backlight for use at night. Garmin also makes it easy to customize the watch face to fit your tastes. I like a very simple arrangement with time and date that I can read quickly. But, if you hike, maybe you want to see sun-up and sunset (vampires will like that, too, I’d imagine). Those counting steps can create a face that includes that information.
While simplicity is a nice benefit, maximizing battery life provides the primary motivation for the monochrome face. Garmin says that the watch never needs to be charged off its cord if it’s used for at least three hours in direct sunlight each day. I certainly found this to be true; the only times I needed to charge it were when I was stuck inside at the editing bay.
Switching between active apps and widgets is easy using the Garmin’s up/down buttons to change screens. However, the “instinct” in the Instinct Solar’s name doesn’t quite refer to its user interface, which isn’t as intuitive as it could be. It sometimes took me a while to find the function I wanted and many of the widgets contain their own set of submenus. There were definitely times when searching for a particular setting was almost as much of a workout as any of the activities I had planned. But with use, the system made more sense and I eventually found it fairly quick to navigate the watch’s interface. Expect at least a slight learning curve.
Movement and activity tracker
Garmin Instinct Custom Watch Face Apps
This GPS fitness watch tracks a wide range of athletic activities—like biking, paddling, hiking, walking, hunting, and rafting—and it even has a triathlon mode. It offers a few different running options, including outdoor running, indoor track running, and trail running to meet whatever challenges you set for yourself. Not just focused on monitoring its own power reserves, the Garmin Instinct Solar’s sensors also work together to optimize what Garmin calls your “Body Battery.” Wellness monitoring includes heart rate, stress, sleep, and blood oxygen levels, and there’s even a Virtual Trainer to help you develop exercise routines that fit your lifestyle. Ultimately, it’s at least one step beyond what you’d expect from a do-it-all smartwatch like the Apple Watch.
Like all Garmin smartwatches, the Instinct Solar syncs with the Garmin Connect app. If you own multiple Garmin watches, you can select the one you want active in the app with the touch of a button. The app shines when it’s tracking your activities. My wife and I went for a bike ride around town and the watch told me not only my heart rate, how many calories I burned, and other biometric stats, but it also gave me an extremely accurate map of where we rode. It measured elevation and ambient temperature as well—information that would be extremely useful if I were training for bike races.
I really enjoyed “TracBack” routing, which kept track of me as I walked through a large, urban park. It generated a map that helped me get back to where I started, and then made it easy to retrace my steps with my wife to show her some of the sites I found. No surprise that Garmin produces a watch with excellent GPS, and the watch connects to GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS systems to cover you anywhere on the planet.
Online competition keeps things interesting
The Garmin Connect app opened the door to an online community and, once connected, I found people to challenge me, cheer on my successes, and provide helpful fitness tips. It’s easy to link up with friends. I found one of mine from college, and we spent two days seeing who could wrack up more steps. The friendly competition provided great motivation no matter how lazy I felt.
Other online tools include something called Garmin Coach, which provides customizable training via videos made by noted running experts. You can set race goals—whether you’re a beginner or experienced runner—as well as personalized training plans. It’s easy to access these online features, and I was impressed by Garmin’s app-based user interface.
Keep your phone in your pocket
The Garmin Instinct Solar watch connected seamlessly to my iPhone 12 Mini, which I lovedbeing able to leave in my back pocket most of the time. I set the watch to vibrate whenever a new message came in and, with a flick of my finger, I could access Spotify to advance through songs on my playlist. This was particularly useful when I was on a shoot and my hands were full. In short, it handled the day-to-day smartwatch stuff well, which isn’t always a given with some of the more fitness-oriented wearables. That’s especially true with devices that don’t offer any screen at all, like the Fitbit Flex 2 or the Amazon Halo.
Who should buy the Garmin Instinct Solar?
Fitness trackers have become essential gear for athletes, people concerned with health, or anyone living an active lifestyle. The Garmin Instinct Solar watch builds on the original Instinct watch and provides a host of features at a price in line with feature-rich smartwatches (though a little less than fashion-forward flagship models). Sure, it’s far more practical than stylish, but its ability to operate endlessly with no need for a charging cable will more than make up for that with adventurous types. Campers and hikers, or people who work outside for a living, can rejoice at the freedom they feel with this Garmin watch while pausing every once in a while to check a notification or change a song.
Brian S. Hawkins is a journalist and documentary maker who focuses on technology and pop culture. He has contributed product reviews and recommendations to Popular Science since early 2020.