Luxury smartwatch enthusiasts rejoice as Garmin have just announced the release of the Garmin MARQ 2! The design follows the success of the original MARQ line-up from 2019 and delivers a slew of much-appreciated upgrades including a touchscreen AMOLED display, an improved 16-day battery life and new features like a jet lag advisor, multi-band GNSS with SatIQ™ technology and preloaded TopoActive maps with NextFork™.
On its release three years ago, the Garmin MARQ collection made history as the smartwatch brand’s most expensive design yet but warranting its price tag, the series delivered some of the best smartwatch technology we’d ever seen. It debuted features like the coveted PacePro technology and improved several of the fitness and running apps originally found on the Fenix 5. We were also treated to a no-expense-spared exterior with cases engineered from lightweight titanium joined by ceramic bezels, sapphire crystal glass and high-end leather, rubber or metal straps. The Garmin MARQ watches were easily just as suited to the gym and the outdoors as they were to formal occasions.
Improving on this even further is the second generation of Garmin MARQ watches, suitably named the Garmin MARQ 2 or MARQ II. The collection currently reveals five key models: the Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete, MARQ 2 Adventurer, MARQ 2 Aviator, MARQ 2 Captain and MARQ 2 Golfer. Like before, each model is tailored towards a specific wearer and offers its own bespoke design and host of features aimed at their respective environments. Give us time and we’ll be reviewing each of the new Garmin MARQ 2 watches in detail but for now, here’s all the key features added to the new luxury smartwatch.
Starting with their exteriors, the new Garmin MARQ 2 watches maintain the same 46mm titanium-crafted architecture with carbon-coated or ceramic bezels and high-performance rubber, leather or metal straps equipped with Garmin’s QuickFit® mechanism. New to the design however is a stunning AMOLED touchscreen display, which just like that recently unveiled on the Garmin EPIX 2, is protected by domed sapphire crystal glass. The display is full-colour and beautifully crisp, making reading the mass of data and functionality on the touchscreen dial effortless. We’re also warranted a 390 x 390 pixel resolution.
Each Garmin MARQ 2 watch also boasts an upgraded battery life. Previous editions promised a 12-day battery life, something still incredibly impressive for a smartwatch of this stature. The new MARQ II however now delivers a 16 day battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 42 hours in GPS mode. This is made all the more impressive when you understand the power-hungry nature of the AMOLED display. There’s also a battery life of 21 days in Battery Saver Watch Mode, 75 hours in Max Battery GPS and up to 14 days in Expedition GPS mode.
As for new features, the Garmin MARQ 2 smartwatches come with a new jet lag advisor which is designed to help you minimise the effects of jet lag after travelling. It gives you guidance on light exposure and combines stats from your sleep schedule and exercise to help you feel more settled in your new destination. Another new feature is NextFork™ which works alongside the preloaded TopoActive maps to help you navigate hiking trails and see beyond the next turn. On top of that, the multi-band GNSS system now pairs with a new SatIQ™ technology which according to Garmin delivers the best positioning accuracy in any environment while also optimizing the device’s battery life.
For more information on the new Garmin MARQ 2 watch collection and to shop it for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. And as mentioned, we will be reviewing each of the Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete, MARQ 2 Adventurer, MARQ 2 Aviator, MARQ 2 Captain and MARQ 2 Golfer watches in full soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that on the Horologii website here.
