If you want a watch that will still be going even after your puny human body is done and dusted, then the Garmin Instinct 3 Tactical is the watch to outlast you.
Garmin has just unveiled the latest in its Tactical line-up of Instinct wearables as its toughest and most feature rich yet.
This watch is made to be tough with a bolted construction using a metal-reinforced bezel and fiber-reinforced polymer case housing a scratch resistant screen. All of which is built to MIL-STD 810 thermal and shock resistance standards and is good for 100 metres under water. So military spec then.
One feature that Garmin is getting lots of love for is its built-in LED lighting modules on its watches and this is featured on this unit in both its smaller 45mm and larger 50mm versions.
The screen is available in either a bight and color rich AMOLED that’s good for a 24 day battery life, or a solar edition with MIP display that can go for “unlimited time” – in watch mode at least.
A new activity mode comes with this watch, called Rucking, which is designed for those carrying a weighted pack – allowing for more accurate data based on what’s being carried while training.
Tactical features are also included which cover the likes of Stealth Mode which can turn off wireless communications but still collect data like distance travelled or biometrics – only without recording location data.
This continues with the Kill Switch, which is a single button press to wipe the device’s memory so all potentially sensitive data – like GPS and health data – are erased immediately.
There is also a Night Vision Goggles (NVG) mode which dims the display making it just visible to the owner but near invisible to nearby people.
A very military specific feature is the Applied Ballistics solver, at a charge, which offers wind and elevation data to help offer how they might affect gun and bullet profiles.
This military and privacy focused smartwatch is out now priced at $499.99 for the MIP and solar edition at 45mm, or at 50mm with AMOLED it’s a $599.99 price.