In celebration of its 30^th anniversary, Garmin in introducing the MARQ Collection, a series of connected “tool watches” based on the company’s heritage in the aviation, automotive, marine, outdoor and sport markets. The MARQ Aviator, MARQ Driver, MARQ Captain, MARQ Expedition and MARQ Athlete are designed and engineered for those with a passion for flying, racing, sailing, exploring and sports performance respectively.

This is not your regular Garmin sports watch, in fact, each watch is built from titanium, combined with a domed sapphire crystal for scratch resistance. A premium strap or bracelet completes the look, allowing owners to match their style with Garmin’s interchangeable QuickFit strap solution.

The watches feature an always-on, sunlight-readable display, performance GPS and advanced sensors including wrist-based heart rate and pulse OX to track a wide variety of sport activities like running, cycling and swimming. As can be expected there’s also smartwatch functionality including built-in music storage, Garmin Pay, smart notifications and advanced activity tracking for everyday use. And for those on extended ventures, the battery life ranges from 12 days in smartwatch mode to 28 hours in GPS Mode and up to 48 hours in UltraTrac mode.  

MARQ Aviator

The combination of brushed titanium and a polished black ceramic GMT-bezel gives MARQ Aviator a very classic style. Garmin notes the MARQ Aviator comes with dedicated aviation features including maps with airport details and advanced safety features such as Direct-To-Navigation, Nexrad Weather Radar, a worldwide airport database and Garmin cockpit integration.

MARQ Driver

This watch comes pre-loaded with over 250 famous race tracks around the world and is of course is built for the car enthusiast. Garmin states that it reveals its true nature on the race track by featuring automated time keeping of a driver’s lap performance, auto lap splits, live delta time and or a track timer. The Track Timer lets the owner time monitor cars from the outlines of a race track.

MARQ Captain

For those drawn to the water, MARQ Captain features a rich nautical colour theme with a deep blue ceramic regatta timer bezel and a captivating innovative nylon strap. Garmin believes there are sailing features that should make a difference during a regatta, including virtual starting line, time to burn and tack assist. The watch face shows current wind speed, temperature and tide information at the homeport, letting the mariner decide if conditions are right for a day on the water.

MARQ Expedition

Inspired by vintage expedition instruments, the MARQ Expedition features a 360° compass bezel, analogue style barometric scales on its watch face and a vegetable tanned, Italian vacchetta leather strap. Created with the modern explorer in mind, MARQ Expedition features TOPO mapping, built-in auto calibrating altimeter, barometer and compass. MARQ Expedition is compatible with the inReach Mini satellite communicator. 

MARQ Athlete

This watch is perhaps closest to Garmin’s regular offerings, since its the MARQ Athlete includes advanced running dynamics to further track workout stats, measure progress and fine-tune form. With sensors for various biometrics, athletes can gain additional insights as to their body’s performance.

At to when Garmin’s latest smartwatches will be available in South Africa, and the cost of purchasing these, it unfortunately remains unknown since Garmin South Africa is still awaiting stock to arrive. However, if you under any type of illusion that it would be cheap, think again. They are going for between $1 500 and $2 500 Stateside.