It seems like Garmin is upping their outdoor game if one looks at their latest release. The Instinct is not meant to fit with skinny jeans and won’t feel comfortable parked around a boardroom table. This GPS watch wants to be outside in the dirt. It contains pretty much everything you want from a hardcore outdoor watch, constructed to military standards (MIL-STD-810G) for thermal, shock and water resistance (rated to 100 meters), and coming in a fibre reinforced polymer case. Garmin notes it’s built with a chemically-strengthed and scratch-resistant display, plus, the fully-vented silicone bands include two independent, removable keeper loops to ensure a secure fit.  

Just as important is the tracking that Garmin include, which offer multiple global navigation satellite systems support, covering GPS, GLONASS and Galileo. It sometimes happen that if you venture off the beaten track, you get lost. Not with the Instinct, which includes TracBack that takes you back on the route to the start of your run/hike.

Through the heart rate monitor, the Garmin Instinct can monitor daily activity, stress, sleep and other wellness data, with this and other info syncing with the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone. It wouldn’t be a sport watch these days if it doesn’t include wrist-based heart rate measurement, with Garmin throwing in a 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter for good measure. Of course there’s also smartwatch functionality included to help receive smart notifications like texts, emails and other alerts.

According to Garmin, the Instinct features a battery life of up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS mode, and up to 40 hours in UltraTrac battery saver mode.

For the ability to have this bad boy on your wrist you will need to dock up R6 200, with the Garmin Instinct available in three colours - Graphite, Tundra and Flame Red. Check it out in action below.