Garmin today expanded its presence in India by launching its premium luxury watch collection called the Marq. The new collection includes four different models, namely the Marq Driver, Marq Athlete, Marq Aviator, Marq Captain, and the Marq Expedition. The watches sport always-on, sunlight-readable display panels and come with GPS support. There are also preloaded features such as built-in storage for music, Garmin Pay integration, smart notifications, and daily activity tracking. Additionally, Garmin has provided wrist-based heart rate and Pulse Ox2 sensors.
The latest range of Garmin Marq watches come with up to 12 days of battery life in the smartwatch mode. There are also GPS mode and UltraTrac mode with a single-charge battery life of up to 28 hours and 48 hours, respectively. The watches are also compatible with Garmin’s QuickFit solution that allows users to switch between multiple wrist straps and bracelets.
Preloaded with over 250 global racetracks, the Garmin Marq Driver is designed for racing enthusiasts. The smartwatch has features such as auto lap splits, live delta time, and a track timer. Particularly, the time tracker feature on the Marq Driver lets users time cars at the race track and calculate their average speed.
The Marq Driver comes with a hybrid bracelet that has a titanium shell on the outside and a soft silicone inner material to deliver a premium look and feel. Also, the smartwatch has a carbon grey Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coating on top to resist scratches. It is touted to withstand a high vibration environment alongside resisting wear and tear.
For athletes, Garmin has the Marq Athlete that is made of titanium and comes with a silicone band. The watch offers advanced running dynamics, including V02 max and recovery time scale — available on the bezel. The running dynamics are also designed to further track workout stats, measure progress and fine-tune form. Athletes can also utilise the inbuilt sensors to view insights based on their performance and understand how well they are able to absorb oxygen.
The latest collection includes the Garmin Marq Aviator for pilots and aviation enthusiasts with an aviation-inspired luminous swept-wing design and a multi-link titanium bracelet. The watch is touted to be a perfect for in-flight wear. It is designed with a classic monochromatic scheme and includes aviation maps as well as safety features such as the NEXRAD Weather Radar, airport information, and Garmin cockpit integration.
Garmin has provided a mirror-polished 24-hour GMT bezel to help pilots quickly check two other time zones in addition to the current time. The preloaded watch face also showcases the airport code.
The Garmin Marq Captain, on the other hand, is targeted at mariners. The watch comes with advanced nautical and smart features, including a regatta timer bezel, coastal charts, and tack assist. There is also a port conditions watch face that displays the current wind speed, temperature and tide information to help mariners decide whether they should spend the day on the water or avoid drowning to water.
Garmin has also brought the Marq Expedition for modern explorers. The watch has features such as TOPO mapping, a built-in altimeter, barometer, and compass. Similarly, it has a ClimbPro function that is claimed to offer real-time information on current and upcoming climbs such as gradient, distance, and elevation gain.
The Garmin Marq Expedition is compatible with an inReach Mini satellite communicator. There is also wireless unit-to-unit connectivity to let users remotely control the inReach Mini device to send and receive messages directly from their wrist.
Crafted from vegetable-tanned Italian Vachetta leather, the Marq Expedition has a soft finish with a waxed stitching to offer sealed-in protection from moisture and fraying. The watch also boasts a subtle embossing on the back.
On the pricing front, the Garmin Marq Driver carries a price tag of whopping Rs. 2,36,990, while the Garmin Marq Athlete will be available at Rs. 1,41,990, Garmin Marq Captain at Rs 1,74,990, and the Garmin Marq Expedition at Rs. 1,65,990. All the smartwatches will go on sale through the Garmin online store in India as well as through offline stores in Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Noida.