Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS, Features Glonass and Galileo, Heart Rate Monitoring and 3-Axis Compass, Graphite

This model came out from Garmin at the same time I was starting to seriously want a device for a mixture of tracking activity, in my case most of which is outdoor oriented, like hiking and riding my mountain bike, plus I wanted to start exploring some physical data from a heart rate monitor as I get more active. When smartwatches first started becoming popular, I thought they were pretty stupid and redundant, and in my mind a teeny tiny 2" screen will never replace a phone screen which is small enough, especially for GPS navigation duty. However, the function of getting the sensors and GPS antenna in a more favorable location, plus heart rate monitoring, I could see the benefits of a smartwatch. I didn't like most of what was on the market until this unit. What I liked about this watch was it didn't have all the features and bloated interface to replace interacting with your phone for things a phone is best at. In some ways the Instinct is a throwback to older tech, but in a good way, the way anyone who has experience with GPS from the time it first became widely available for consumer use will appreciate. The interface will just make sense if you were used to the older devices. It does all the things you might want your phone to do, but a phone is not really suited to doing well. I disliked using my phone for tracking hikes and on my MTN bike because either the phone was safe in my pocket with a horrible view of the sky and where I couldn't see it, or I had it strapped on my handlebars where it could get knocked off. Or while hiking I had to pack it in my hands or strapped to my backpack in an awkward position. Not to mention if you use GPS on the phone and keep the screen on to see stats, it will hit the battery hard. With this, you can tuck the phone safely away but still see the info you want. This watch was the right combo of features for outdoor activities and activity tracking to get my attention and be a useful tool more than an expensive trinket. I did not wear any watch before buying the Instinct, and now I wear this most of the time for the last 2-3 weeks I've had it. While it lacks some features of more dedicated fitness devices, I got it mostly for what it did not have rather than what it did. Most criticism of this watch I read prior to purchasing clearly was because this watch has a niche and those folks didn't fit it. This is mostly for outdoor activities, it's simple, rugged, and doesn't do as much because it's made to do it's set of tasks well, and it's trade off is the things it does not do allow it to be smaller and use the battery more efficiently. You can read up on it's features and functions elsewhere, but a few things I will point out as exceptional. Some may harp on the old school LCD type display, but it's high contrast and the way the face catches ambient light extremely well makes it very easy to read. Actually I set the back light on 5%, it's lowest setting, because if it's so dark you need the back light, that is plenty to see it by. I like it's size, it's not huge feeling, and it's light. As I mentioned I did not wear a watch before this one, and I find it comfortable to wear despite a history of disliking things on my wrist. I had to get used to it yes, but it's not like having a rock strapped to your arm. Battery life has been great, using the GPS 2-3 times a week for an hour at a time pulls it down some but I still get over a week on a charge. I've yet to let it run down to the point it claims it needs charging, but so far I've yet to charge it in a period of less than 7 days. Definitely a personal preference but I also really like it's appearance. I got the Graphite colored one, it's not black but kind of a charcoal grey. It's not preppy looking or stylish, and that's what I'm going for. It does not give off that "oh look at me I'm athletic I have a fitbit" vibe, or look super snazzy and expensive, it just looks like a run of the mill boring watch if no one inspects it closely. For sure a more utility look, and for folks who would get the most out of this watch, that's probably perfect. Also will throw in there for my mountain bike, I later picked up Garmin's cadence and speed sensors, and they paired up effortlessly with the Instinct. GPS will cheat you distance on a bike especially and that is just the nature of the tech, I was getting some big discrepancies between the Instinct's recorded track and my wheel sensor bike computer. The trails I ride on frequently are a particular hardship for GPS anyway with heavy tree cover and tightly winding trails. With the speed sensor the difference is much smaller and I recommend it if you are going to use this on a bike. So far I've been very happy with the purchase and impressed with the device, enough to write this lengthy review, which I don't bother with often. (I did lean heavily on reviews deciding to purchase, so this is to help those like me.) If you fall into the niche this watch is intended to appeal to, I recommend it.

This is my second iteration of this watch. First one I had lasted about a month and the battery would not hold a charge for more than 24 hours. Called Garmin and they fixed me right up with a new watch; no questions asked. With that being said, the watch does exactly what I need it to without all the fancy colors of today's smartwatches. I need it to track my sleep, workouts, hikes, and general daily stats. It does all that seamlessly. The app is very good as well and customizable to show only the things that matter without all the extra clutter. This is the best smartwatch I've owned, and I've had apple, samsung, and fitbit watches/trackers. The battery life on all of those were more or less subpar (+/- 3 d days). This watch gives me a solid 10 days with my normal routines. If I'm using more of the GPS rich features, I get about 8 days - which anything more than a week is great IMO. The only nitpicky complaint I have about it are the buttons. They start of very tactile and you know that when you press it, you will get a response from the watch. After about two months, that tactile feedback diminished and makes it a little more difficult to get a response from the watch. Its still functioning perfectly, but I would prefer more durability from the buttons. Additionally, I've gone through two wristbands in just under two years of use. Based off the silicone material of the bands and the type of punishment I put this watch through, I wont fault the gear. Replacements can be easily found on Amazon for fairly cheap and replacing the band wasn't tough at all. Overall, a great watch at a good price with awesome features and wonderful customer support!

It's okay, but lacks in a couple of areas. It seemed to have so many settings when I first started digging into it, and felt a bit daunting, but after a few days the watch itself ended up being a rather simple interface, even more streamlined than the Garmin Connect app itself (could use a little work). I haven't really dug too far I to the gps yet, though on a recent hike I was able to log my vehicle location at the trailhead. And while I had no concerns of getting lost, I did check to see if the watch occasionally to see if it was taking me back the correct direction and it seemed to be. Overall, I'm not disappointed. With that said, the sleep tracker is absolute garbage, which was also a big reason why I got the watch. For some reason, it shows that I fall asleep way earlier than what I do every single night. Like if I go to sleep at 11, it'll say that I went to sleep at 9-930. Also, I had to turn the "move alert" off because it made 0 sense. Id be out working in the yard and washing my truck and the move alert would go off, I'd be out walking my dog and the move alert would go off, then sometimes I'd be sitting at my desk working for hours and no move alert. The final thing is that occasionally the watch will just stop tracking everything and there will be gaps in my daily statistics (heart rate, stress, etc). I've caught it a few times in the middle of those gaps, and it tells me I need to "check the fit," then does a 30 second measuring countdown where I have to remain still, then will say "check fit" again. All in all, those things have happened multiple times over the past month or so, but it's still not a huge issue and still seems to be a pretty solid watch. I will recommend it based on the included features at the price point, though there are a few things that could use improvement. I am also a fan of it being understated and not appearing to be a wrist tablet like most smart watches out there. EDIT: One year later and this watch is awesome. I changed my review from 4 to 5 stars. I rarely take it off, only to charge. After getting use to the setting and some of the quirks, ive grown to realize how robust this thing is. I wear it in the shower, i wear it swimming in chlorine, salt, and freshwater. I also use it to find my phone a lot. I have managed to use the GPS on several occurrences, including something as simple as finding where i parked. While the GPS does not show a "Google" maps type of display, it is very effective when finding your way back to where you came. I know there is a 2nd version that came out, and while that is tempting, I have become so use to this version, im hesitant about moving on. The only downside is that i have several Omegas, Longines, and other vintage watches which now get minimal usage, unless there is a need to "dress for an occasion." The prior "Issues" i referenced are insignificant at this point, and while i may have been initially "let down" by certain features (or lack thereof), I have adapted to the watch and highly recommend it. Ive had no more issues with the heartrate sensor losing contact, and have had absolutely no problems with the watch over the past year. The battery life is extremely long, like 2 weeks or more, since i dont "fidget" with it as much as i use to when i first got it. One last thing...idk what the "crystal" is made out of, but I've put this watch through a lot and there isnt a SINGLE scratch on it, not even a small micro scratch. The watch looks entirely brand new. Edit again: so, 3 year update. It's still a great watch and has held up amazingly; however, like most any battery powered device, the battery life has started to diminish. I would often go weeks without needing to recharge, now I'm recharging it every 7 days. Not a huge issue at this point, just the nature of the lithium beast. Everything else is still flawless.

I bought this watch in 2019. It was truly built to last. The battery capacity has not lessened; I only need to charge it once every 12 to 14 days. It has taken many knocks and hits but appears otherwise unblemished. The display is clean, attractive, and easy on the eyes. The contrast between the text and background is sharp, making it easy to read in nearly all lighting conditions and the time is discernible to me when I'm not wearing my glasses - an important qualifier. The only weakspot is the rubbery wristband and the loops that hold the slack. I have had to replace the band twice, but the loops broke more often and I had to find and purchase an aftermarket version that is more durable. I don't consider that a big deal so long as the timepiece continues to function as designed. This watch is all function and no fluff...a total workhorse. I have no interest in replacing it with something newer but instead hope that it lasts forever. ...Best watch I have ever owned.

I bought this watch because my last Fitbit quit charging after a year and so use. Granted I used it hard the week before hiking 70+ miles at Philmont but it was the last straw of paying close to $200 for a watch that only worked for about a year/year and a half. I have several Garmin GPSr units and all work flawlessly despite heavy use and long term use so I thought I'd try a Garmin watch. The watch was simple to set up with my phone, and with the work website that gets me the discount on health care for tracking my steps/workouts. The buttons are a bit confusing, and the workout function is confusing. It doesn't show anything to say it's working. There a sideways triangle and if you push the button again it shows a square, but only after you press the button, and one is pause and one is running but even though I assume the triangle means it's running it doesn't seem that is always the case. Other than that this is a rugged watch and holds a charge a lot longer than the Fitbit Charge 5, even with the GPSr enabled. I like that it does track my route when I turn on the walk workout (when I get it on correctly) and then shows me the map on my phone. I haven't used it yet but it's cool it allows you to track and track back when walking with the GPSr, shoot coordinates, and project waypoints. I am sure I will use these features once I get used to the watch.

After 2 months of use the Garmin Instinct still exceeds my expectations. There are many great reviews for the Garmin Instinct watch that I could confirm and I am not going to reiterate them here. Given the many different products that are available in the market I would like to share the reasons why I decided to buy it and I hope the list of my decision criteria helps others to make their decision. I am enjoying many outdoor activities and I am regularly going for day hikes. I was looking for an outdoor watch with functions that are necessary for orientation etc. When I started to look for an outdoor watch I was overwhelmed with the offers. After reading many tests, reviews and technical descriptions I ended up with two great watches that seemed to address my needs. I decided to buy the Garmin Instinct for several reasons: 1. It is relatively small compared to other watches. My wrist is not that big and wearing a too large watch outdoors will lead to situations when the it gets caught. The Instinct wears very well in this regard. 2. It is light. Hiking long hours and wearing a heavy watch makes me feel uncomfortable. I am still amazed how light it is. I do not feel it when I wear it. 3. It is water resistant up to 333ft. This gives me the confidence that there is no risk of getting into the situation of a heavy rain or taking a short swim. Of course this watch is not for diving. This is a peace of mind criterion and I am happy I made the right choice. 4. It has a functional design. This criterion is less important and I was struggling with this when I started the search for the most suitable watch. I am a watch fan and and I have a selection of very valuable mechanical watches. Naturally, I was attracted to analogous looking watches that were made of sturdy steel cases. But for hiking this design might not be the best and I am glad I made the right choice for me. I like the idea that the watch is built with military grade materials. Some criticize the design but I became to love it for what it is an outdoor watch. Of course it does not replace my other watches. 5. It is a smart watch and offers many functions. Te GPS function is reliable and worked so far in all conditions I used the watch. I love the Back to Start function. To the day I have not used them all and I bet I will not use all functions in the future. But I have used the essential functions for hiking and I am very happy what the watch has to offer. I cannot think of more. And, I did not look for a color screen showing a map on the watch. This would not make sense for the relative small size. When I made the decision to buy this watch I had some concerns that turned out to be unfounded. One issue was the glass. It does not have a crystal glass display. As a watch fan this concerned me and I bought an after market glass protector which works perfect and gives me the peace of mind. The other concern I had was the case and I learned that it does not have to be always steel and the watch does not have to be produced by an established watch maker. Overall, I would buy the Instinct again. It is a great companion for hiking activities.

I went from a Fitbit Ionic (which I still have and love) to this Garmin Instinct. My main priorities in a fitness device/tracker are: 1) unconnected GPS so that I can track and map my outdoor exercises without having to bring my phone with me, 2) being able to see time info and certain stats at first glance, and 3) battery life. Additional functions which are also important to me: 1) sleep tracking, 2) heart rate monitoring, 3) comfort of fit/size/shape, etc. 4) stat tracking, and 5) App functionality. I purchased this in early Dec 2019 and have worn it mostly non-stop (this review is mid-Mar 2020). This device is amazingly light weight. At the beginning of our fitness tracking relationship, I often forgot I was wearing it. I've used it for walks, runs, Ultimate Frisbee games, and hikes and it's perfect for my expectations. The Garmin Connect app provides stats that include (from memory): heart rate, pace (speed of motion), tempo (speed of steps), distance, auto lap times (by mile) AND gives you the ability to overlay some of those graphs with each other. Meaning you can open up your heart rate graph and then turn on one of those other metrics to overlay as a line so that you can compare your pace at those times when your heart rate was peaking or leveling off. Nice function, there. I have not measured the exact number of days I charged the device against activities, but it feels like I haven't charged this Garmin Instinct more than ten times since purchasing - and to reiterate, for the most part I wear this 24/7 and take it off to shower or charge only. My activity rate lets me go a week or two between charges (daily walks or runs, weekly Ultimate Frisbee games, a few hikes per month). If I decide to lock that down to specifics, I'll update this. But until that point, rest assured that I don't have to charge this every couple of days like most other trackers, even when I'm more active. The monochrome screen is amazing, and can be viewed easily during bright sun. It can also be viewed in the dark without killing your night vision like a smart watch screen. I'm guessing this helps the battery life to be so awesome. The button(s) placement work well, and I have not "accidentally" pressed them by doing other exercises like pushups, etc. It took me a little bit to figure out the functions of each button, but once I got that it wasn't difficult to navigate through the options. There are still tons of functionality that I have not yet explored, such as: - Tracback Routing which allows you to mark a start point, and then have the watch navigate you back to it. - connecting to Garmin's dog trackers (Alpha and Astro) for tracking and remote training; not in my wheelhouse. - Tracking swim activities or the auto rep counting for gym/fitness equipment. - Using it with the Garmin Golf app, and connecting to their pre-existing course database while playing. - I also understand that you have the ability to manually create activities and/or profiles, but have not explored this yet, either. Overall, I am still extremely happy with the Garmin Instinct, and would recommend this to anyone considering a fitness tracker purchase.

So here's a quick review after owning this for a couple of weeks. The fit is excellent, as is the battery life. I tend to charge this every few days when while I'm in the shower, but the battery will easily last 10-14 days if you're not going crazy with the GPS use. In my case, it's never been below 4 out of 5 bars even after 4 days and a couple of hour-long GPS sessions. I'm definitely happy on this front. The screen is legible and easy to read, and I like that you can configure it to show the information you want. You can customize your "everyday" watch face, and you can scroll through different screens for things like heart rate, calorie count, steps, intensity minutes, floors climbed, weather, notifications, etc. Additionally, you can customize the display screens for EACH type of workout individually, allowing you to monitor the information you deem the most important for that type of workout. You can also configure whether you want the backlight to come on when you raise your wrist, not at all, only upon wrist raise while in a workout activity, etc. There's a ton of configurability here. In my opinion this is not a "smartwatch" in the sense that you're not going to be using it to access FaceTwitChat or whatever your app of choice is. You're not going to surf the web or use it to make phone calls. Rather, I'd classify it as a fitness tracker, and in that it does a very good job. If your needs are based around tracking your activity, workouts, hikes, runs, sleep, etc. and don't need (or want) more than that then the Instinct is definitely worth a look. Why not 5-stars then? Well, the watch itself is very good but the app / software could be improved. On one hand, you can get a TON of data about your workouts. But on the other you can't even input your food to track calories against what you've burned that day. Instead you have to link it to something like MyFitnessPal. I'd prefer to have it all in one app. I think Garmin could take some tips from Fitbit here. With Fitbit's app you have fitness tracking and food logging all integrated. It's also a little tougher with the Garmin to quickly look at trend data for things like steps, calories burned, intensity minutes, etc. over the last week / month / year. You have to dig down into the menus a bit and the interface just isn't as clean. Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase, though I do feel the price point is just a tad high. But I've been torn between something overly simple (Fitbit) and more than I need (Apple Watch) and I feel this is almost right in the sweet spot of what I want. It's durable, waterproof / workout proof, legible, and configurable and isn't loaded with a bunch of stuff I'm never going to use.

I've had this watch for years now and it's been effective. Hence why I'm writing this review years later. This watch is rugged. I mountain bike with it, I golf with it, I play soccer with it, I swim in the ocean with it and not once have I found any wear to the actual body of the watch. The strap did give out just a couple months ago, but you can find replacement straps (off brand) on Amazon that work great and for cheap. To be frank, I don't know how accurate the heart rate monitor is, but through watches you can never be 100%. The GPS works fantastic both during workouts and for backtracking hikes. The compass I find can be quite weird. I'll reporting North and it won't exactly read that. The battery's fantastic -typically lasts 14 days wearing everyday sleeping with it every night. The Garmin app is the user friendly and I love how it tracks sleep and sleep cycles and body battery. For the price, I would much rather this watch over an Apple watch despite the fact that you can't send typed messages on Garmin. Note that this watch does not work with the Garmin golf app. There are several other cool features that this watch can do. It can find your phone. You can select individual workouts for it to track your movements. You could send brief text messages. It even gives you weather including sunset and sunrise. It tracks your steps and calories burned. Overall, it is so worth the price. Highly, highly recommend.

Ho acquistato questo orologio approfittando di un’offerta davvero vantaggiosa, ma lo conoscevo già perché lo utilizzo da diversi anni e posso dire con certezza che è uno dei migliori acquisti che abbia mai fatto su Amazon. La costruzione è solidissima: i materiali trasmettono subito una sensazione di robustezza e resistenza, perfetti per un uso quotidiano ma anche per attività all’aperto o sportive. Dopo anni di utilizzo, non mostra segni di cedimento, né graffi rilevanti o difetti di funzionamento. È stato sottoposto a pioggia, sbalzi di temperatura e urti occasionali, ma continua a funzionare alla perfezione. La batteria è un punto di forza assoluto. Anche dopo tanto tempo, mantiene una durata notevole, molto superiore alla media di prodotti simili. Non devo ricaricarlo spesso e questo lo rende estremamente pratico, soprattutto in viaggio o durante escursioni lunghe. L’altimetro è discreto: non sempre precisissimo al metro, ma comunque utile per avere un’idea generale delle variazioni di quota. Per il resto, tutte le funzioni sono affidabili e reattive, con un’interfaccia semplice e intuitiva che non ha mai dato problemi. In sintesi, è un prodotto eccezionale per chi cerca qualità, durata e prestazioni nel tempo. Nonostante piccoli margini di miglioramento, rimane una vera bomba: robusto, efficiente e praticamente indistruttibile. Assolutamente consigliato!

Simple and reliable. had it for three years now. Running in the jungle, Kayaking and swimming with it. It never let me down. My colleague has the more expensive Garmin and it stopped working after a year. But I do avoid having it exposed to the sun too long, I rinse the sweat and sault after use and I am careful not to knock it with hard objects. However it is my daily watch as well, so, great product. I had Sunntos before, they were good but they always end up with elevation problems. My Garmin is half the price and after over 3 years I still love it. There is a reason for that. They have a great market making aviation instruments. Well what is good for airplanes is certainly good for me.

Ich habe die Garmin Instinct nun seit Anfang Januar in Gebrauch. Getestet habe ich sie in folgenden Situationen: - Laufen - Schwimmen Indoor (Meerwasserschwimmbad) - Schwimmen Outdoor (Atlantik/Madeira) - Einige Wanderungen in flachem Gebiet - Einige Wanderungen in schwierigem GPS-Gebiet (alpin, Schluchten, Stadt, Wald, usw.) - Mountainbiken in flachem Gelände - Einfache Spaziergänge Fazit bis jetzt: Die Uhr ist absolut wasserdicht (Tauchen konnte ich nicht testen), robust und einfach zu tragen. Im flachen Gelände zeichnet sie Tracks und Höhenmeter ziemlich genau auf. Trainingsfunktionen sowie etliche andere Zusatzfunktionen sind mir weniger wichtig und dazu möchte ich keine Bewerung abgeben. Aufgefallen ist mir, dass die Instinct in sehr schwierigem GPS-Gelände hier und da mal die Orientierung kurzzeitig verliert (Abweichungen vom eigentlichen Trail), was aber selbst Geräten wie Garmin Oregon etc. passieren kann. Testgelände war hier Madeira im Gebirge bzw. auf diversen Levadawanderungen durch etliche Tunnel und durch enge Schluchten. Für ein Gerät dieser Größe macht sie ihren Job aber auch dort durchaus gut. GPS Signal wird sehr schnell gefunden, so das man auch zügig starten kann (hatte ich bei verschiedenen Oregon Geräten schon anders, da kann es durchaus mal über eine Minute dauern). Einziges Manko meinerseits ist die fehlende Funktion um z.B. OSM-Karten einzubinden und im Display anzeigen zu lassen, aber das war mir vor dem Kauf bewusst und kann also hier keinen Kritikpunkt darstellen. Für den Preis und für meine Ansprüche eine super Outdoor-/Smartwatch. Update 12.04.2020: Ich hatte die Instinct zum Tracken bei einer 46 km Wanderung am laufen, zum Vergleich auch das Garmin Oregon 600t auf selbiger Strecke: Beide Geräte lieferten in etwa gleiche Werte was Tracklänge angeht. Lediglich die Höhenunterschiede weichen bei beiden ab, kann aber auch am Gelände liegen (bin am Fördesteig gewandert, da sind kaum Höhenmeter zu messen). Nach ca. 9,5 Std. GPS-Tracking hatte die Instinct immer noch 3/5 Balken Ladung. Eine sehr gute Leistung wie ich finde! Update 28.04.2020: In den letzten Wochen und Monaten kam die Instinct auch bei einigen MTB-Touren zum Einsatz. Im Vergleich dazu trackte auch immer mein seit Jahren erprobtes Garmin Edge 200 am Lenker mit. Auch hier ist es so, dass die Instinct meist schneller den aktuellen Standpunkt ermittelt hat, d.h. sie ist schneller startklar. Zum Biken ist es natürlich sehr viel angenehmer das Edge 200 am Lenkrad immer im Blickfeld zu haben, aber die Instinct ist ja nun mal fürs Handgelenk erdacht worden. Auch hier lieferten beide Geräte in etwa gleiche Werte bzgl. Tracklänge ab. Die Instinct zeigt meistens einige Meter mehr an, was aber auch den gelegentlichen Pausen geschuldet ist in denen das Edge 200 auf 'Autopause' am Bike steht und die Instinct jeden gegangen Meter während dessen weiter misst. Der Vergleich im Hinblick auf Höhenmeter kann eigentlich nicht erfolgen, da das Edge 200 keinen barometrischen Höhenmeter hat und die Auswertung selbiger nur zu Hause über die individuell verwendete Software erfolgen kann. Wertet man aber beide Aktivitäten z.B. über Komoot etc. aus, liefert die Instinct zumeist weniger Höhenmeter. Auch hier habe ich einen super Eindruck und kann die Instinct nur empfehlen bzw. bereue den Kauf nach wie vor in keinster Weise.

I used to have apple watches series 1 and 4. I am using this Garmin for one month now and I am very amazed by the quality products. It has all the cool stuff I used to like with Apple Watch and which are really useful: - watsapp messages, all notifications mirrored from an iPhone - call and ID notification, though you cannot speak through the watch (which honestly I hardly never used) - music control from the watch (any app, Spotify, Deezer, music app) so you can change a song and control the volume in a shower or from your sofa In addition it is better: - battery life, this is really great not to charge it for 8 to 10 days in my experience and usage, especially if you travel for 2 / 3 days, no need to bother for a charger, - stronger, no worries if any shock while doing outside activities, - time is always on display (no need to lift the harm), - water and shockproof, can go deep and in the sea, - strong / rugged design - internal sensors (temperature, altimeter). Of course it has no coloured / touch screen, so you have to do everything with the buttons but honestly it is less fragile / sensitive and i prefer it like this. It sometimes loses Bluetooth connection, but I restart it and it is fine. It restart very fast anyways (20s).