Garmin’s Instinct 2 series of rugged smartwatches are ready for adventure
They’re great outdoors
Garmin has updated its Instinct smartwatch line, which is aimed at outdoor adventurers who need a wearable capable of taking a beating from the elements.
The Instinct 2 Series is available in two sizes: the standard 45mm bezel variant and a smaller 40mm bezel option on the new Instinct 2S. Beneath the scratch-resistant glass is a new high-res display, and like its equally rugged predecessor the Instinct 2 remains built to military standard 810 for thermal and shock resistance, and is also waterproof up to 100m.
Battery life, meanwhile, is up to four weeks of continuous use in smartwatch mode, and if you opt for the Instinct 2 Solar you get pretty much unlimited juice provided you can give the watch up to three hours of good sunshine each day. Manage your expectations on this little island of ours, then.
All Instinct 2 watches offer Garmin’s full suite of wellness features including sleep tracking and sleep score, as well as stress and heart rate monitoring. Pre-loaded sports apps and activity tracking are bolstered by a new multisport feature that allows users to transition between different activities while continuing to view their total time and distance.
Colourways include Electric Lime, Poppy and Neo-Tropic, and the Instinct 2 Series is also available in three purpose-built editions. Surf can track watersport activities like surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding, Tactical offers features such as Kill Switch and Stealth Mode, and the Graphite and Mist Camo Editions let you blend into your surroundings, be they jungle or carpark.
And as if all of those options weren’t quite enough, you can also use Garmin’s Your Watch, Your Way program to customise your Instinct 2 with different bands and bezels, with more than 240 different design combinations available.
The Garmin Instinct 2 Series is available now, with prices starting at £299.99.
Matt Tate
Contributor 
