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Garmin 010-02064-00 Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch with GPS, Features Glonass and Galileo, Heart Rate Monitoring and 3-Axis Compass, Graphite
$168.70
Last updated on June 17, 2024 1:00 am Details
$168.70
Stefan Huber –
Gefahrenhinweis bzgl. krebs- und ergbutschädigender Stoffe, die in der Beschreibung keineswegs genannt werden.
Sowas ist bei einer Fitnessuhr dieser Preisklasse schlichtweg inakzeptabel.
Uhr geht mit großer Enttäuschung zurück.
Clayton –
LATEST UPDATE AT BOTTOM (5/11/2020)
What a frustrating activity tracker/smart watch journey I have been on. Nothing seemed quite right for what I was looking for. I am an avid outdoorsman who likes to hunt, backpack, hike, bike, and occasionally run. Things that are extremely important to me are an accurate altimeter, barometer, and GPS.
I first purchased the Fenix 3 HR. The watch was impressive in the beginning and I thought I had found the one. The issue turned out to be the altimeter. It was not accurate at all. I then waited for the Fenix 5. Same damn issue. Altimeter was worse than the 3. When I contacted Garmin, they told me to put the watch in warm soapy water. While this did seem to temporarily reset it back to normal, I continued to experience the same issue. As much as I would like to put my watch in a warm glass of soapy water every night, I decided to pass. The 5 plus eventually came out and appeared to solve these issues. But then…..Garmin realeased the Instinct.
This watch (so far) has really impressed me. It is so light weight and comfortable. The Fenix watches, while premium, are a bit large and heavy to wear. You truly forget you are wearing this watch. The features are great. It has absolutely everything I need. I’m not a triathlete and could care less about some of the measurements the Fenix gives you. Some have commented on the grainy display. I completely disagree. I would liken it to E Ink from a kindle. It truly is a pleasure to look at and is extremely clear and readable. I love that it is black and white.
The keys and apps are very responsive. The menus are so much faster than the Fenix. You can really whip through the widgets and settings to get where you want. The buttons are excellent and I have yet to accidentally press one while bending my wrist.
I am still testing the accuracy of the GPS tracking and ABC sensors but so far it is looking great. I really can’t say enough about this watch. Knock on wood, it seems like a great model from Garmin that will feel a niche hunting/outdoors market. I will provide an update in a month after more usage.
-UPDATE-
I’ve now had this watch for a few weeks and have taken it on several hunting trips. I am truly impressed with this watch. I cannot emphasize enough how comfortable and light this watch is. Owning and wearing heavier watches over the years, I think I forgot how nice it is to wear a watch that you forget is attached to your wrist. I hated wearing my Fenix watches to bed. Too bulky and would dig into my wrist. Tracking appears to be very accurate. Attitude has been accurate for daily use and when you are tracking an activity.
What I Love About This Watch:
-Comfortable & Lightweight
-Responsive Menus
-Screen Visibility is Exceptional
-Accurate ABC Sensors and Tracking
-Recessed Buttons Avoid Accidental Presses
-Battery Life Has Been Great
I really only have a couple complaints or rather suggestions to improve the watch. When you lock the keys (which you don’t have to too often because of recessed buttons), in order to unlock the watch, you hold any button for a short period. I wish Garmin would lengthen the amount of time it takes to hold the button. It takes about .5 seconds to unlock currently and that can be accidentally done pretty easily. This is really a minor complaint though. The screen is an unknown material or proprietary to Garmin. I do wish it was a Sapphire display but I put a screen protector on it and you truly cant tell there is one on the face. My last suggestion is I wish the battery indicator showed a percentage as opposed to the 5 bars in a battery indicator. Again, its a minor gripe but it would be nice if they changed that.
Please ask me questions. Id be happy to answer. I’ve done a disturbing amount of research on these watches over the years and believe I have finally found the perfect watch for my needs. I’ve used all Fenix watches and a Suunto Traverse Alpha. This watch is my favorite.
UPDATE 5/11/2020
Still an absolutely great watch. This watch is on my wrist every single day. It is still extremely comfortable. I have had a couple issues that I will address:
-My “Back” button started to give out on me around July 2019. It is a very commonly pressed button on the watch. Luckily the watch was still under warranty. Garmin replaced the watch no questions asked and quickly. A+ to them on their customer service. If it had gone out after the warranty period though, I would most likely be SOL. I believe it is a one year warranty.
With that being said, I do use this watch heavily. It is worn 24/7-365. All things considered it has held up extremely well. At the new price point, I still think it is an amazing watch for the price.
-My other issue, and I stated it earlier in the review is the lock feature on the watch. Its great that you can lock the screen but it is extremely easy to unlock simply by bending your wrist and hitting a button. This could be a simple software fix. They just need to extend the amount of time required to press a button to unlock. It doesn’t happen that often but if it does during an activity, it can be extremely frustrating.
This will be my last update for the watch. It has been an amazing watch well worth the price for me and I will buy another whenever this one dies. I hope Garmin continues to offer and improve this watch. It checks all the boxes for my needs.
JulianMaurice –
I was looking for a GPS watch and it was a toss up between this, the Garmin Fenix 5 or the Suunto Traverse. I chose this due to the price and some of the great reviews it’s been receiving on YouTube. I think I made the right choice. Imagine the Garmin Fenix with all the flashy bits stripped back and just the essential functions left in.
This is a product that does most things really well and some things pretty badly. The things it does well are the elements that revolve around hiking and walking outdoors. It has some advanced features that are genuinely helpful when out on the trail or up a mountain.
GPS Functionality-
Amazingly this watch has virtually replaced my handheld GPS device. Even though it doesn’t have maps, the route can be clearly seen on the screen in bright sunlight or dark cloud and you will feel a buzz as soon as you veer off course. The arrow will point you in the right direction and you will feel a buzz as soon as you’re back on course. We are only talking less than 10meters off course, so it’s really accurate. Furthermore when you are following a route you get lots of very important and life-saving information, like End of route ETA and sunset time. Essential when hiking in winter. The only time I’ve had to refer back to my handheld is when a route double backs on itself, as it can be confusing to work out on the watch. I recommend planning routes using OS MAPS amazing mobile or online apps and then imported into Garmin Basecamp. Avoid Garmin’s Explore app as it’s glitchy and sadly lacking in functionality.
Sensors –
Most of the information the watch gives you from the sensors seems accurate apart from the step count. Altitude, barometer, temperature all seem okay.
User interface and experience-
If you like flashy graphics then you’ll be disappointed, but if you like simplicity and functionality then the user interface is perfect. It’s easy to work with and the fact that the watch has buttons means you can navigate through the functions with gloves on, which is a huge advantage over a touchscreen. The watch itself is very light so you forget you’re even wearing it most of the time.
Battery life
The battery life is good. If you just use it as a watch it’ll go a week or two without needing a charge. With the GPS on expect the watch to last a day of hiking, charging is also very fast, so even if it runs out of juice you can easily replenish using a small power pack when taking a coffee break.
Now for the negatives…
Most of the negatives surround Garmin’s software which is why I have given this watch 3 stars. Garmin really needs to simplify and update their accompanying software for their devices as the whole ecosystem is a mess.
For the instinct you have 3 pieces of software, yes 3 that you need to get your head around if you want to use the watch to it’s full potential. Furthermore the mapping apps -Explore and Basecamp are just awful and take a lot of trial and error before you can be sure to trust that your watch has the correct maps loaded and they actually work.
Garmin’s accompanying Explore App is sadly missing some essential features that Hikers tend to rely upon, namely GPX import/export and the ability to send your planned routes to friends and family via text or email. The app is also be a bit glitchy, I’ve spent ages planning routes only to find that they can’t sync with the watch so I tend to use Garmin’s antiquated Basecamp app on the PC as it’s more reliable and has all the functionality I need, but it looks and feels like it was designed in the 1990’s.
Sadly Garmin don’t seem to want to deal with the sorry state of their Apps so that significantly lowers the score on this watch as there are apps for the Apple Watch like WorkOutDoors that actually works so much better than anything Garmin have. That’s crazy considering Garmin manufacture hardware.
Tracks not Routes
Garmin has 3 ways of creating and saving routes – You have a ‘track’ and a ‘route’, you also have an ‘Activity’ this is really confusing and compounded by the fact that the Instinct watch can handle tracks but not routes, though it won’t tell you until you get to your hole location and the watch just doesn’t load your Map/Course/Activity/track (whatever they want to call it) This is infuriating as there really is no explanation as to why there is a difference and sometimes their own software gets confused and makes a total mess of things when you try to work with routes. My advice, just work with tracks, not routes. Garmin are seriously letting their product down by producing such bad software.
Final verdict –
Now I’ve lived with the watch for few months and I’ve worked out how to use the apps and software, I can honestly say that it has become an essential piece of hiking kit. I wear it every day and really enjoy owning and using it.
Sandan Kenpo –
The Garmin Instinct is really great, but maybe not as “fancy” as some might want. First of all, as a reference, I already own the Garmin Fenix 5 plus… meaning I have the “fancier” version of the Instinct. But the ruggedness of the Instinct, and the fact that it totally reminds me of the screen on the old Fitbit Surge is why I like it! Think about it… take the Fitbit Surge’s super-readable (always-on) square face… and wrap a round rugged bezel around it… throw in Garmin Fenix functionality… and what’s not to like?!? LOL. And if you read in the online reviews that it reminds reviewers of a Casio g-shock watch… they’re right! And that’s the other reason I like it. Drop the Instinct, bang it on a wall, take it in any environment… and still get the Garmin accurate GPS, heart rate, stress and sleep tracking?… excellent!
Warwick A. –
I’ve been looking for a smartwatch for ages that is durable enough to take a few knocks, is reasonably priced and doesn’t look like you’re carrying a brick on your wrist. This one does all that perfectly!
I honestly love this watch, the battery lasts ages, even in GPS navigation mode, it’s packed full of features that are actually useful (like the navigation and the ability to control Spotify) and yet it looks like a normal watch.
The lack of a touchscreen is a god send as it doesn’t go nuts when it starts to rain and it means I don’t have to worry about it breaking every time I knock it – which is quite a lot due to my job.
The Garmin Connect app that goes along with it is great. Easy to use, informative and let’s you create routes which you can send to the watch in advance and navigate using waypoints – super easy to do and very effective.
The Garmin Explore app is also worth downloading if you do a lot of walking on footpaths etc as it lets you create routes using an OS style map and send these to the watch, as well as letting you use the app to navigate with more topographic detail offline.
All in all, a great watch supported by great apps!
Travis –
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.
Edlbauer Stefan –
Anfangs war ich begeistert – an sich eine TOP-Uhr mit einer Akkulaufzeit von 14 Tagen (ohne Tracking usw.).
Leider ist nach nur ca. 2 Monaten die Akkulaufzeit auf 3-4 Tage gefallen (auch wieder ohne Tracking usw.).
Lt. Verkäufer soll ich mich an den Garmin-Support melden da er nicht mehr zuständig ist.
Bei Garmin hängt man ewig in der teuren Support-Leitung und erreicht niemanden…
Sehr schade weil ich die Uhr aufgrund der langen Akkulaufzeit gekauft habe.
Jetzt liegt sie meist mit leerem Akku in der Ecke. Viel Geld für nichts.
Meine Empfehlung:
Kauft die Uhr um ein paar Euro teurer in einem Laden- dann habt ihr jemanden der sich im Problemfall kümmert.
DAVIDE.C. –
A tutti i possessori del suddetto orologio, faccio presente che SERVE AD OGNI AVVIO LA TARATURA DELL’ALTIMETRO con i valori di riferimento locali per avere un costante dato. ALTRA COSA IMPORTANTE, il valore altimetrico è influenzato dal barometro pertanto potrebbe verificarsi una variazione dell’altezza in base anche alle variazioni di pressione atmosferica. PER ULTIMO: per avere una massima precisione satellitare, attivare sempre GPS+GLONAS questa doppia triangolazione satellitare vi porta ad avere una massima precisione, consumerà un pochino di più ma la precisione è assoluta. attivate la tracciatura solo per addentrarvi in sentieri o aree sconosciute, nel caso vi perdiate, la tracciatura vi riporterà al punto di partenza. tale prodotto consideratelo un aito nelle incognite montane…e non uno smartwatch
per ulteriori info sono a Vostra disposizione sia per questo che per garmin outdor