The first thing to understand about Fight Club…err…MARQ Club, is that it’s oddly not about the price. Nor is it supposed to be a classical timepiece meant to hand down to your grandchildren. Just like people who buy a business class ticket across the Atlantic for 7 hours of flying at $4,000 don’t pass that down to their grandchildren in 20 years.
But more importantly, the second thing to understand about MARQ Club is that for the first time ever, the MARQ actually has a slate of new features and additional hardware that the Fenix doesn’t. Up till now, the MARQ series (and Chronos before it in 2016) was simply a ‘swankier’ Fenix. But it never had any truly unique hardware or features (save getting JetLag software features just barely earlier back in 2022). But certainly not unique hardware components. That pattern ends now, with Garmin giving good technical reason to ‘upsell’ the MARQ. This comes in the form of real-time ClimbPro *without* having loaded a course. Both for running/hiking/walking, as well as cycling. That’s a first for not just Garmin, but for any company to have route-less automatic ClimbPro. And Garmin has added additional features beyond that. But, again, more details in a second.
And ultimately, testing out these features and how the watch works day in and day out is what I’m here for. I’ve been testing both the new MARQ Gen3 Diver unit and the MARQ Gen3 Adventurer unit across a boatload of different activities. No really, an actual literal boatload. Boats were involved. Many times. Plus of course, things like running, cycling, diving, gym workouts, swimming, and plenty more.
Note that these two units are media loaner units. Also note that Garmin did hold a media event in Mallorca last month, though since I live in Mallorca I actually pedaled 15 minutes to said event and then changed in the parking lot, James Bond style. Point is, I didn’t take any money for travel or accommodations there, as always. I’m just gonna tell it like it is – the good, bad, and ugly. Though honestly, there’s not a lot of ugly here.
With that, let’s get right into it!
What’s New:
Comparing the MARQ Gen3 to the previous MARQ Gen2 is a bit overwhelming because the previous Gen2 unit was from 2022, and was essentially an Epix (non-Pro). In between now and then there’s been four iterations, once per year: Epix Pro, Fenix 8, Fenix 8 Pro, and now the Fenix 9. The MARQ Gen3 is based on the Fenix 9 series.
Thus, if I were to combine all of my ‘What’s New’ lists, it’d be hundreds upon hundreds of lines long to cover all the features. Instead, I want to focus on the biggest ticket items if you were coming from a MARQ Gen3. Then below that, the things that are unique going from the new Fenix 9 to the new MARQ Gen3 models. Make sense?
First, here are the biggest ticket items compared from MARQ Gen2 to MARQ Gen3:
– Upgraded 1.4” AMOLED display at 3,000 nits
– Fully borderless display design (meaning, no extra space between display and ceramic bezel)
– Added three-color LED flashlight to front of the unit
– Added LTE communication features (calling, texting, LiveTrack, etc…)
– Added satellite messaging features (for non-cellular areas, such as texting, Emergency SOS, weather)
– Added full scuba diving and free diving features (unit is fully depth-gauge certified to40m)
– Added microphone and full speaker support, including voice assistant, voice control, voice notes, phone calls from wrist, music playback via speaker, and more
– Added Gen5 optical heart rate sensor, including medically certified ECG & Afib detection
– Added all the Fenix 9 Software features, including Garmin Epic features, indoor rowing connectivity/features, Rucking expansion, Stamina features, Ski Erg features, Field Tools, and plenty more
– Added all the Fenix 8 Pro software features, including custom focus modes, calculator app, Evening Report feature, Running Economy, Running Tolerance, and numerous other Running & Triathlon Features
– Added all the Fenix 8 software features, including the new Fenix user interface, and eventually some months later a boatload of sport modes via firmware updates
– Added all the Epix Pro software features, including Endurance Score, Hill Score, shaded relief on maps, 30+ new sport profiles, faster charging speeds, RedShift mode, multiband GNSS/GPS
– Has full offline mapping and navigation features globally
From an LTE & Satellite messaging features standpoint, all of the following are included in all MARQ Gen3 units (unless sold in a country that doesn’t permit it):
– LTE Live two-way voice calls
– LTE LiveTrack (30-second sampling rate)
– LTE Voice Messaging
– LTE Text Messaging
– LTE Weather
– LTE & Satellite Emergency SOS
– LTE Location Check-Ins
– LTE Incident Detection & Assistance
– Satellite Messaging (basic texting)
– Satellite position/location check-ins
– Satellite Emergency SOS (via Garmin Response)
– Satellite updating of weather (new in the Fenix 9 Pro)
As I said, there’s just a ton of new features here. Next, and perhaps of more interest to folks, are the differences between the Fenix 9 Pro inReach to MARQ Gen 3?
In other words, you’re paying an extra few thousand dollars, aside from all the fancy/premium materials, what else do you get?
– Upgraded 128GB of internal storage (versus 64GB on the Fenix 9 series)
– Added Worldwide Topographic maps pre-loaded (Fenix 9 is essentially your local continent, and rest you download as needed)
– Added on-device real-time ClimbPro for pedestrian & cycling activities *WITHOUT* a route loaded (Fenix 9 requires a course)
– Added on-device address navigation such as 123 Maple Street (the Fenix 9 can go to POI, but not an address)
– Added Predictive search via the keyboard showing suggestions
– Added Lume Mode, mimicking night lume on a watch
– Added slate of MARQ-only watch faces, including unique calendar ones
– Expanded use of ‘Styles’ feature, increasing customization of watch faces
– Expanded color scheme option, increasing color scheme of watch faces
– All the individual watch vertical features (e.g. flying features for the Aviator unit, extra diving features for Diver, etc…)
Of note for the realtime ClimbPro piece, a big part of why they have the extra storage is to enable this scenario. In order to pull this off, they have to pre-cache all of these climbs, which is a mind-boggling amount of pre-caching. We see that today on the cycling-only side within the Garmin Edge units. But obviously once you add every tiny goat-path of a trail out there in the world, that gets massive.
The only downside is that at present that feature has been slightly delayed, and isn’t yet available for me to test. It sounds like this is a matter of days away, and not months or such. I’ll update things accordingly here, once that happens.
Next, there are a few super-specific hardware differences, aside from all the premium materials, that I want to call out:
– The buttons on MARQ have actual mechanical clicking, while still being induction buttons for waterproof reasons. This is different from the Fenix 9 where the buttons are induction, and the ‘click’ is done through the vibration motor. Here, it’s actually a mechanical system outside the case of the watch, within the button.
Also, here you can see the sealed case design of MARQ Gen3 (and Fenix 9):
– All MARQ units have a full ceramic bezel, and within that, the coloring is ‘baked’ all the way through. Meaning, on the Diver for example, the blue you see is actually fully blue, so even if it scratches, it’s still blue. The white lettering you see (in the case of Diver) is etched out, and then filled with ink.
– The MARQ Gen3 series has a different charging cable. It’s a magnetic one that snaps to the back of the unit. It’s different than the also-unique MARQ Gen2 cable, because the optical HR sensor and case design is different, and wouldn’t have been compatible. Oh, and it’s a braided cable.
– All MARQ units except the Athlete also get a secondary silicone band in the box, for athletic wear (e.g. to not have substantial water damage the leather band). The Athlete edition is already such a band.
Ok, now, there are also per-model unique things, but the above covers the across-the-board changes. With that, let’s dive into the models.
The Models – An Overview
Next up are al the models. I know this section might be a bit long, but we’re ultimately talking about six different models. Each of these models aligns to a different top-end unit within the Garmin watch lineup. For example, Golfer aligns to Garmin’s Approach lineup. Commander aligns to the Tactix lineup, Aviator to Quatix, Diver to Descent, and Athlete/Adventurer to Fenix.
Here are the MARQ Gen3 models and their pricing:
MARQ Athlete: $2,500USD/2,550EUR
MARQ Adventurer: $2,700USD/2,750EUR
MARQ Golfer: $2,800USD/2,850EUR
MARQ Diver: $3,100USD/3,150EUR
MARQ Commander: $3,100USD/3,150EUR
MARQ Aviator: $3,100USD/3,150EUR
Note that, as a quick starting-point reminder, all units:
– Have a full Grade 5 titanium case (which is harder than the Fenix 9 titanium level, which is Grade 2)
– Have a full ceramic bezel
– Have both induction-sealed buttons (the case has no holes for the buttons), as well as full tactical mechanical click
– All watch faces are available to all MARQ models
With that, let’s get straight into each model and some additional details.
MARQ Athlete:
This is effectively the ‘base’ model, and is essentially features the same software features as a Garmin Fenix 9 series, plus the extra MARQ things noted above. But it doesn’t have other-category extra features like you’ll see on the Aviator (flying) or Golfer (golfing) models.
Still, there are some hardware differences here:
– $2,500USD/2,550EUR
– It’s a full titanium case
– Your VO2Max & Recovery Time are shown on the bezel, in the upper left/bottom left, tied to the watch face
– It has so-called ‘AMP Yellow’ accents
– It has the integrated silicone band
I’ve gotta say, I just wish this model was prettier. Or more specifically, didn’t have yellow on it. I get that’s a personal choice (in the same way I like the orange accents on Fenix). But to me, the yellow just feels kinda dated here. But again, my wife would argue my fashion trends are often dated as well. Still, I sometimes feel like the point of the Athlete model is to convince you to buy a better-looking MARQ model.
MARQ Adventurer
Meanwhile, over to the Adventurer, this one might be my favorite looking model, tied with the Diver. On the regular though, I think the Adventurer is where I’d be if I were to sacrifice a few years of ice cream budget for a MARQ watch.
Like the Athlete model, this unit doesn’t have any specific extra software features over an existing Fenix 9 Pro inReach, instead, it’s still about materials.
– $2,700USD/2,750EUR
– Has a 360-degree compass on bezel
– Has a sunburst brushing effect on bezel
– Has machined notches for N/S/E/W marking on bezel
– Has micro-knurled buttons
– Band is vegetable-tanned Italian full-grain leather on the outside, but has an HNBR hybrid strap on the backside to minimize against light sweat damaging the leather
I’ve been using this model for my dryer actives, occasionally switching to the silicone band for any sweatier activities. I was kinda curious how far I could push the hybrid band piece. In my case, I did two workouts with the leather/hybrid band. One was an easy 90-minute trail run on a windy day where basically I was sweating, but not massively so. Still, after that I could see some slight areas of color change on the band.
I think this is where, once you had a bit more light sweat, the whole band would be the same darker leather color and life is grand again.
Meanwhile, I did an hour or so gravel bike ride where it was low intensity, and no negative change there. As Garmin noted, long-term with occasional rain or such this would probably age could nicely. Otherwise, I’d switch to the silicone strap for other workouts.
MARQ Golfer:
Next is the Golfer edition; this ‘Pine Green’ color scheme unit aligns most closely to the features of the Approach S72 unit, though minus two features that require additional hardware. From a MARQ hardware standpoint, notable differences here are:
– $2,800USD/2,850EUR
– 18-hole indicator in white detailing on bezel (aligned with software in the display)
– White detailing on the buttons
– Jacquard woven tri-color band/strap
– Ceramic end links
– All Approach S72 Software features including Virtual Caddie, Putt Break, and Biometric data aligned to each shot on the hole (e.g. first shot vs at the hole, vs transition between holes). However, it does not have the S72 ‘Swing Metrics’ and ‘Driving Range Mode’ features, as those require additional hardware.
MARQ Aviator:
This model aligns with Garmin’s D2 Mach 2 unit in terms of software features. From a hardware standpoint, this unit has:
– $3,100USD/3,150EUR
– Mirror-polished black ceramic bezel
– 24-hour UTC on outside of bezel, they selected UTC vs GMT, as aviation uses UTC
– Italian calfskin padded leather strap
– Strap has a deployant clasp system
– All software features from the D2 Mach 2, including full aviation airspace maps, avionics connectivity to Garmin cockpit systems, Morning Report with flight conditions integration (including IFR condition states).
MARQ Diver:
This watch replaces what was the MARQ Captain last time, focused purely on boating. Now with diving being part of all MARQ editions, the MARQ Diver is a bit of a blend between the Garmin Descent product and Garmin Quatix products, but in MARQ form. The difference though, is that this doesn’t have the added wireless air integration on the dive side that the Descent products have, but it does have the DiveView maps, as well as all the boating bits from a Quatix series device.
Additionally, the following notes:
– $3,100USD/3,150EUR
– 60-minute (up to) quick timer on watch face
– Silicone dive bracelet with deployment clasp and 15mm micro adjustment
– Has Dive Readiness feature
– Has NDL Aware Depth Metrics
– Has Apnea Hunt Mode
– Has Gauge Mode
– Has full global DiveView maps (including depth and dive sites)
– All Quatix Sailing & Boating features except the ‘Boat Mode’ (which is different than the Boat profile, as Boat Mode essentially does some prioritization pieces with the settings).
– Has boating/marine Autopilot Heading hold (with compatible Garmin boat equipment)
This is the second model that I used, mainly when diving as well as out boating. I’ve got more thoughts on that down below. Do note though that from a dive functionality standpoint, outside of the added DiveView maps, all of the MARQ units otherwise have the same dive features, as those come from the Fenix 9 series (well technically, started with the Fenix 8 series).
As I noted earlier, this would probably be a close tie for my next-favorite unit in terms of color-scheme. It looks really nice out on the water, or even with the right outfit. Obviously, given the blue look, it won’t be for everyone, but dang, it really shines when the light hits it right.
MARQ Commander:
The unit is essentially tacking the Tactical features from the Garmin Tactix series watches, and then blending them into a Fenix 9 variant. As with the Quatix and D2 pilot series, there aren’t yet Fenix 9 variants of those watches or the existing Tactix watches. So this is filling the gap at the high-end price point.
Here’s the differences:
– $3,100USD/3,150EUR
– Matte carbon gray DLC bezel (no polished or glossy surfaces)
– 24-hour UTC Military Time Bezel etchings
– Jacquard woven camouflage 3-color weave pattern
– Has all Tactix 8 tactical features, including: Applied Ballistics Solver, Stealth Mode, Night Vision Compatible, Xero C2 Compatibility, Stealth Mode, and Kill Switch (which purges data)
I did actually wear this one for about half a day. As with most Garmin Tactix watches, this one kinda depends on what you’re looking for.
This one stands out the least out of the group in terms of the ‘swankiness’ of it. It feels very understated, to the point that I’m not entirely convinced most people would realize it’s a $3,000 watch. Obviously there are some very nice touches, such as the Jacquard woven strap, but again, to each their own.
The Box:
Here’s just a quick look at the box itself. This is a bit of a ‘step down’ from some of the metallic boxes of the past, though Garmin basically said that folks found the past packaging a bit wasteful. This one finds a good balance between being quite elegant, but also totally recyclable.
Inside the box you’ll essentially find your watch, the extra silicone band for sports (except in the Athlete model), the braided charging cable, and then some paper stuffs you won’t read.
Speaking of which, here’s that charging cable:
And you can see how it snaps on:
The simple reason you don’t see this for every Garmin device, is that each device would require a different charging cable for each case design, including optical HR sensor bump, etc…
With that, let’s get into basic usage.
The Basics:
In this section, I’m going to run through the general basics of the MARQ Gen3 unit. This applies to all the MARQ Gen3 models and is virtually identical to that of the Fenix 9 units. Thus, I’ll do a bit of a truncated version of my deeper ‘Basics’ section found on my recent Fenix 9 In-Depth Review here.
Starting off with the user interface, the MARQ users the standard Garmin 5-button layout, in combination with a full touchscreen. As with other Garmin touchscreen devices, you can choose whether or not you want the touch enabled at both a system level, as well as a per sport level (for example, perhaps not while sailing, but you do want it for running).
The screen on the MARQ is a 1.4” 3,000-nit AMOLED display, and is 36% larger than the Gen2 MARQ, and 2.5X brighter than the Gen2 MARQ. It’s also a fully borderless display, whereas the Fenix 9 series has a secondary border between the display and the bezel. As one who lives on a sunny Mediterranean island, I have had zero issues seeing the display in the brightest of sunny days on the water. And inversely, no issues with the display at night.
In fact, speaking of at night, if enabled (it’s off by default), you can have the watch emulate a lume mode. This can be enabled in the Display settings (same place as Color Shift), and can be either automatic at a certain time (such as 2 hours before bedtime, or after sunset), or just manually enabled.
Personally, I don’t find this look super awesome. But again, as with most style things, to each their own. I find the stock watch faces so good, that this kinda kills the vibe a bit. As a reminder, it’s not on by default.
Anyway, as noted there’s a bunch of watch faces you can choose from.
Additionally, for each watch faces, there’s additional styling and color options you can set:
Next, down from there are all your widgets and widget glances. You can customize which ones to display and the ordering. The world is your oyster here. Within that you can open any given widget for more details about the metrics behind it. This could be steps, sleep, barometric altimeter, training load, Training Readiness, or many other metrics.
All of this information is of course synced to Garmin Connect, Garmin’s cloud platform as well as mobile app. You can access it on your smartphone, or a desktop computer. By default your watch will sync via Bluetooth to your phone. But it also can sync via both WiFi or USB cable.
The MARQ supports smartphone notifications like most other wearables, and on Android you can do basic replies as well as see photos/images sent to your phone (on your watch). Whereas on iOS, you can’t yet reply to messages (due to historical Apple limitations), nor can you see images yet. Though those restrictions have recently eased in the EU, so perhaps soon it’ll be enabled on Garmin devices.
In terms of battery life, you’re going to see similar stats to the Garmin Fenix 9 series for the 47mm units. Thus, in my case, I’ve been getting roughly 4-6 days of battery for the units I’ve been using, in an always-on display configuration with 1-2 hours of GPS time per day on average. If you turn on gesture-based display (which is the default, btw), then you’re likely going to 2-3x the battery life, up to about 15 days of battery between charges.
Finally, all MARQ Gen3 units now have an LED flashlight. In this case, it’s the same trim-color flashlight just launched on the Fenix 9, which includes a white LED at four brightness levels, and then a red and green LED mode. This is a real LED on the front of the unit:
And the throw of the light is roughly the same as a smartphone flashlight. Now flashlights on the front of watches might sound a bit Inspector Gadgety, but as any Garmin owner will (happily) tell you, it’s a game changer for just silly night tasks. Sure, you can use it in a tent on the side of a cliff. But it’s simply just something I use every night for getting something in a kid’s room in the middle of the night, getting around an unknown hotel room at 3AM, or finding something under a couch.
Ok, with that, we’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s shift into some of the sports features.
Sports Features:
Next up I’m going to do a quick look at the sporting features. Keeping in mind that again, this is a full Garmin Fenix, which is typically considered Garmin’s flagship sport watch, and further is considered the most in-depth sports watch on the market today. Even Garmin’s competitors wouldn’t try and argue that.
As with the previous section, I go even deeper on this in my Fenix 9 in-depth review (breaking out bits like mapping, navigation, training load, etc…). But for here, we’ll keep things a bit more streamlined.
To access a sport mode, you’ll tap the upper right button, which opens up the app menu for both sports and other apps (other apps include satellite messaging, voice commands, voice calling, Music etc…).
From here, you can pin your favorite sports to the top, as well as sift through your favorites (or find ones you want to do):
Within this realm, you’ve got literal boatloads of sports you can do. Here’s the sport modes seen on the Athlete and Adventurer models. Other models, may have slightly additional sport modes. For example, the Diver model has an additional ‘Gauge’ diving profile. And the Aviator would have flying modes, the Commander has some additional tactical apps/modes, etc…
Again, here’s the starting point that all units have:
Run, Track Run, Treadmill, Virtual Run, Indoor Track, Walk Indoor, Trail Run, Ultra Run, Hike, Walk, Adventure Race, Bike, Road Bike, Bike Indoor, MTB, eBike, eMTB, Cyclocross, Gravel Bike, Bike Commute, Bike Tour, BMX, Strength, Rucking, Golf, Mountaineering, Bouldering, Fish, Hunt, Disc Golf, Horseback, Expedition, ArcheryX, Obstacle Racing, Inline Skating, Pool Swim, Open Water, Triathlon, Mixed Session, Swimrun, Cardio, Mobility, HIIT, Yoga, Pilates, Treadmill, Elliptical, Stair Stepper, Row Indoor, XC Ski Indoor, Climb Indoor, Bouldering, Floor Climb, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Jump Rope, Cow Tipping, Scuba Dive, Apnea Dive, Snorkel, Ski, Snowboard, Backcountry Ski, Backcountry Snowboard, XC Classic Ski, XC Skate Ski, Snowshoe, Ice Skating, Snowmobile, SUP, Kayak, Row, Surf, Kiteboarding, Windsurf, Snorkel, Whitewater, Boat, Sail, Sail Race, Sail Expedition, Wakeboard, Wakesurf, Water Ski, Tube, Soccer/Football, American Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, Cricket, Lacrosse, Rugby, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Ultimate Disc, Gaming, Tennis, Pickleball, Padel, Racquetball, Squash, Badminton, Table Tennis, Platform Tennis, ATV, Snowmobile, Overland, Motocross, Motorcycle, Meditation, Breathwork, Jumpmaster, Track Me, Tempo Training (Golf)
Once you’ve selected a sport mode, you’ll see a pending screen that’ll get GPS satellite lock (assuming outside), as well as heart rate lock. Further, if you’ve got accessory/sensors paired, it’ll go off and find those.
It’s in the settings here they you can do structure workouts, load up a course to navigate, as well as change any number of data fields and settings. Each sport mode has it’s own data pages you can configure, with your own data field customization.
Now, I will briefly note one of the MARQ Gen3 unique features is the ability to do an ‘Address Search’ on-device. The existing Fenix 9 series allow you to lookup points of interest (e.g. a landmark, restaurant, etc…) and navigate to it. But here you can actually type a street address in:
And then with that, you’ll see the other MARQ-unique feature, which is the ability to use predictive text completion (seen at the top):
After you’ve entered in an address, you can navigate to it. Of course, most people are probably gonna load a route instead, or use the map to find a spot, or so on. All of which work exactly the same as past units. With the MARQ Gen3, you’ll get the faster map rendering (including panning and zooming) that came with the new faster processor on the Fenix 9 Pro series.
Ok, with all that sorted, off you go to start navigating and doing your activity.
One of those features is ClimbPro, which will automatically show climb data as you start ascending. However, with the MARQ Gen3, a big ticket new feature coming is the ability to get ClimbPro details without having a course loaded. Up till now, every past Garmin wearable has required a course be loaded in order to see the climb details. But now, that’ll happen automatically like it occurs today on Garmin’s cycling Edge devices (for cycling). But having it for both cycling and hiking/running/walking on the watch will be a super handy change for those of us that don’t always bother to create a course for things.
In any case, I had no issues in terms of daily usage during workouts. This included road bike and gravel bike rides, trail runs, track run workouts, road runs, some gym workouts, indoor trainer rides, as well as the boating and dive activities I’ll dive into later.
At the end of a workout, you’ll see all your stats consolidated into some summary pages:
And then likewise all of this is available in Garmin Connect too.
You’ll also get all of your Training Load & Recovery metrics, by way of Acute Load (for Training Load), as well as the umbrella Garmin Training Readiness feature. Training Readiness looks at not just your training load, but also your sleep, heart rate variability, stress, and more.
And just to be clear, buying a $3,000 watch does not exempt you from the right of passage that is Unproductive. Fear not, I successfully unlocked that for a day:
Ultimately, when it comes to all of the sports features here, they remain top of the line within not just the Garmin lineup, but also the industry. I’m super eager to try out the real-time ClimbPro features once those hit. Stay tuned for that down the road (hopefully not far down said road).
LTE & Satellite Connectivity:
The Garmin MARQ Gen3 includes LTE & Satellite messaging connectivity on all models, unless bought in a handful of countries where such connectivity is legally restricted. In those countries, there is a version without LTE & Satellite connectivity.
From a Garmin standpoint, both of these features are more about keeping in touch with close friends and family, rather than your boat repair guy calling you on WhatsApp. Meaning that for LTE for example, it doesn’t share your existing phone number, nor do you even get a phone number for people to call. Instead, calling routes through the Garmin Messenger app, which your friends/family must have. Likewise for satellite messaging, which is even more limited.
Still, I find the LTE functionality mostly just useful for LiveTracking purposes (it’ll automatically start a LiveTrack session and send my friends/family a link). My wife uses it on her Fenix 9 when she’s out running long at night by herself (she hates running with a phone).
The features are divided into two sections, LTE and satellite. When it comes to LTE features, Garmin offers the following features over their LTE network, via LTE-M (which requires lower power as an ecosystem, including voice calling over LTE-M):
– LTE Live two-way voice calls
– LTE LiveTrack (30-second sampling rate)
– LTE Voice Messaging
– LTE Text Messaging
– LTE Weather
– LTE & Satellite Emergency SOS
– LTE Location Check-Ins
– LTE Incident Detection & Assistance
In addition, they also offer satellite text messaging; more on that in a second. Notably, the watches are cross-region compatible due to LTE-M. Meaning, you can use your European model in the US for LTE-M (and satellite), and vice-versa.
Next, for the satellite features, these are more focused on updating status and asking for emergency assistance. Unlike LTE, which just works in the background, all of these features require holding a watch out in front of you to maintain a specific orientation towards a satellite (this is the same with Apple, Google, and others).
– Satellite Messaging (basic texting)
– Satellite position/location check-ins
– Satellite Emergency SOS (via Garmin Response)
– Satellite updating of weather (new in the Fenix 9 Pro)
And then finally, when it comes to the launch of the Fenix 9, Garmin also added a few more things at the same time that are largely tied into the Garmin Messenger app. These aren’t actually dependent on the Fenix 9, but I figured I’d mention it here:
– Added new Garmin Locate feature within Garmin Messenger app
– Added ability to see athlete heart rate, pace, distance, elevation information in Garmin Messenger App
Ok, so with that covered, note that none of these LTE or inReach pieces are free long-term, despite all of their competitors offering the satellite pieces for free. Getting things set up requires setting up an account within Garmin’s inReach platform. This gives you 30 days free, after which it is $9.99/month for unlimited LTE stuffs, and emergency-only Satellite bits. Beyond that, there are additional fees for satellite check-ins/texts that I’ll cover below (or, a higher-priced plan).
From there, you’ll see a menu option on your watch that shows the different connectivity status options, in terms of how and when it leverages both LTE & satellite. Essentially, you can leave it on Auto, force it off/on, and any number of combinations within that.
One of the things I’ve learned over the past year is that this is pretty handy if you actually don’t care about LTE connectivity; it’s best to just set it to ‘Satellite Only’, which means to essentially shut off LTE on the watch entirely, and just use my phone connection. Since the Satellite messaging pieces require a bunch of knowingly manual steps, it’s not something that can happen in the background anyway.
I dive into all the nuances of the LTE & Satellite features in both my Fenix 8 Pro & Fenix 9 Reviews (with a sprawling LTE & Satellite section). This includes voice calling, transcription of voice messages automatically, and plenty more.
That said, in terms of satellite messaging, which requires no cellular nearby, probably one of the most notable things you’ll need to do first is to pair it up to the Garmin Messenger app on your phone. You don’t need this app again once you’ve done this one. But if you don’t, then all your Messenger contacts won’t sync to the watch. Sure, Emergency SOS will work just fine, but otherwise you won’t be able to send messages to friends/family. Honestly, this just seems super clunky to me. I totally understand all the Garmin technical reasons behind the scenes for this, but I simply don’t care Garmin, figure it out. It shouldn’t be this clunky for any user.
In any case, with that said, note that currently satellite messaging coverage is essentially limited to Europe and North America. And within that, not quite all regions. Here’s a map of it:
Assuming you’re within coverage range, you can open up the Messenger app on your watch, which allows you to select pre-canned messages (both Garmin ones, and ones you can customize), as well as simply type a message out. Likewise, you can also use the Garmin Messenger app on your phone (connected via Bluetooth) to type out messages far faster.
Once that’s done, you’ll choose to send. For this you’ll stick your arm out in front of you, and it’ll give you instructions on orienting your body and wrist accordingly. In my testing with the MARQ Gen3 models, all messages sent within 30 seconds, even including through some light tree branches.
Lastly, as you’d expect, there are the Garmin SOS features, leveraging Garmin’s Response Center, for emergencies. You can access that via the controls menu, which then gives you 10 seconds to cancel it, in case it was accidentally activated. As with the other features, it’ll first try via LTE, then satellite.
Ultimately, I find the Garmin satellite feature handy on Garmin watches. Sure, my phone already has some sort of satellite messaging capability, but I might not always have my phone. And in my case I live barely 2-3 minutes out my front door into no-cellular areas of empty wilderness. Further, as many divers have pointed out, having a way to reach a dive boat after you surface can be handy, especially for drift dives, if the party has broken up a bit. And knowing that’ll work even without cellular can be clutch.
Scuba Diving & Boating:
Now in my case, I had both a Diver unit and an Adventurer unit. Practically speaking, all units support scuba diving & free diving, just like the Fenix 9 units (and since the Fenix 8 units). However, the Diver also has additional integration with Garmin marine systems that the Fenix doesn’t have (but the Fenix cousin, the Quatix series, does have).
The Diver also has a few extra diving features that the Fenix 9 doesn’t have. They are:
– Full Coverage preloaded DiveView Maps
– Dive Readiness Feature
– NDL Aware Feature
– Gauge Mode
The DiveView maps in particular show you depth (both for diving as well as boating), and then also show you nearby dive sites.
So, let’s briefly run through the dive features first. As a brief aside, while digging into a few things, I stumbled upon Garmin’s Dive features technical explainer site, which is surprisingly comprehensive in terms of explaining all their features and the specific science behind it. Note that not all features are on the MARQ Gen3 (for example, features tied to air integration). But if you’re into dive geekery, I thought it was kinda neat.
Anyway, for this post I’ll focus on scuba, simply because that’s what I did the last few weeks (I’ve got some free-diving coming back up again in a few weeks). To stat you’ll select a Dive type (e.g. Scuba), and then open it up. One of the options you have though is for it to automatically engage the moment you go 1.5m deep in the water. In any case, by opening it up first, you’ll get your GPS lock, which is then recorded as the entry/exit points in your dive log.
Here you can customize any settings you want about the dive. This includes water type, tank settings, conservatism preferences, etc… Further, you can change your data field configurations to show specific metrics you want to see (or don’t want to see). Again, the MARQ Gen3 doesn’t support air tank integration like their Descent units. I do feel like for the Diver model specifically, this is a bit of an odd omission. I get from a technical conformity standpoint that would have likely opened up an entire manufacturing can of worms for Garmin, but isn’t that the point of a $3,000 watch called ‘Diver’? That’s precisely when that can should be opened up.
In any case, with all that sorted out, off into the water you go. The moment you get down into the water, it’ll start tracking the dive. You’ll see your metrics automatically. In my case I didn’t enable ‘Big Numbers’ mode, but you can do that to make these numbers bigger/easier to see. One of these days I’ll get good at taking underwater shots of watches. Today was not that day.
As with Garmin’s other dive-certified units, I had no issues with it automatically tracking my dive metrics throughout my dives. It works exactly in-line with a Fenix 9 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 4 I had on all my dives. All of which are fully certified depth gauge dive computers down to 40m. Remember that’s the certification level of the depth gauge, the actual watch, from a case standpoint, is certified down to 100m.
Once I started to surface, it’ll automatically notify me of my safety stop, and track that. Further, if I ascended too fast at some point, it’ll also have notified me of that too.
After I reach the surface, it’ll start a countdown timer to end the dive automatically. Assuming you raise your wrist above the water, it’ll also track the exit point (via GPS). This is then saved within the dive log.
These logs are accessible via the Garmin Dive app, which pulls from your Garmin Connect account. You can update additional dive log details here, as well as add photos/etc…
In the case of the Garmin MARQ Diver, it actually has a few extra features the Fenix 9 doesn’t have, such as Diver Readiness. This is essentially like Garmin’s Training Readiness, except it also looks at your historical dive data, to see whether or not you dive frequently enough that your body can adapt to the dives quickly. Further, it gives you warnings not to do hard workouts afterwards (just like you also get No-Fly warnings like on the Fenix).
Additionally, when it comes to planning a dive, the extra and included depth maps will show you depth, but also show you dive sites.
You can view this by using the Dive Planner option, which lets you lookup nearby Dive Sites:
Meanwhile, on the boating side, I’ve been using it a bit there, though none of the boats I have access to have Garmin marine equipment on them, so I couldn’t use the autopilot/connected features. If someone would like do donate a fancier boat to me, I’d be happy to ensure compliance.
Instead, I mostly used it from the standpoint of course/speed/etc, as well as checking depth using the marine maps that show depth information:
Note that I did have an odd quirk where, when in a boating profile, the land-based TopoGraphic maps aren’t enumerating correctly. In this case I see the marine maps for the watery portions, but the land portions aren’t properly showing anything except blackness. In talking to Garmin, this is already fixed in a firmware update that’ll likely land in my device in the coming days.
In any case, I do feel like it’s worth mentioning one other quirk, which is around the anchor alarm feature. Perhaps it’s just me being new to Garmin’s implementation of this feature, but frankly, it doesn’t make much sense the way it’s implemented. For those not familiar with boating, an anchor alarm is essentially a GPS-based geofence that you enable so that if your anchor drags and you start drifting, then it’ll sound a loud/annoying alarm to let you know. You can set it on Garmin Quatix watches, Fenix watches, and probably some others.
However, where this kinda falls apart is that you have to end your current boating activity entirely. You can’t merely pause it, or ‘Resume later’. Thus, if you’ve sailed somewhere where you want to anchor for a bit (perhaps a couple hours) before continuing on, you can’t set the anchor alarm without ending that activity. In the hiking world, that’d be akin to being forced to end your hike merely cause you wanted to pause for a few minutes to have lunch.
Now some might argue that you’d normally use this feature when anchoring for the day, going into night. Except that ignores the marine reality here: If you’re anchoring for the night, it’s extremely likely your boat already has an anchor alarm feature built into it. Whereas, inversely, if you’re boat lacks cabins (more of a day craft), then it’s more likely you don’t have an anchor alarm built into it, and thus the benefit of the watch feature.
In my case, the boats I go out with are more for day-use. I just want to ensure when I’m on anchor that I’m not dragging anchor into the rocks. This weekend was a great example of that with a bit of swell, but trying to anchor as close as possible to the shore, to minimize that swell.
Anyway, I know this is a first-world problem, and it seems like one that’s been around a long time. I just can’t decide whether nobody bothers to use the feature, or just shrugs and assumes it’s always this way. Or maybe Garmin Marine products just need more ‘me’ in their life reviewing them to point out these weird issues.
Nonetheless, setting all that aside, I had no issues with the marine or scuba feature I did use.
GPS & Heart Rate Accuracy:
The MARQ Gen3 shares the same Garmin ELEVATE Gen5 optical heart rate sensor as numerous other watches before it, including the Garmin Fenix 9 Pro series. Further, it shares the same GPS components and antenna design as the Fenix 9 Series. Though, Garmin did note they used different nano-molding technology to deal with the layers associated with the antenna design and case on the MARQ series, allowing them to achieve a thinner design than normal bonding found on the Fenix 9.
Nonetheless, I still checked the accuracy of the heart rate and GPS systems across numerous workouts, both inside and outside, and across different sport modes. So, let’s just run through some of those.
First up, we’ve got an interval workout from a few days ago:
As you can see, it’s basically spot-on with the chest strap, so kudos there.
Looking at the GPS track for that, the area was relatively easy, but it was also loop after loop after loop, so any inconsistencies would be easy to see.
Specifically on the turns, where here it nailed each one exactly where I was each time (on the deserted road). The COROS Pace 4 Pro was slightly offset.
After that I’ve got a trail run I did. Starting off on the heart rate side of things, things look good here, except for one brief spike, which I believe it tied to a short/steep downhill section. Basically, classic cadence lock where the heart rate locks onto your running cadence/footsteps. This is mildly interesting to me, because I run this steep hill at least once a week, and this is the first time I’ve seen Garmin’s Gen5 optical HR sensor trip-up on it.
In any case, looking at the GPS side of things, from a wider standpoint, things look pretty solid:
Looking at section in a ravine with trees, no issues. All the units are all reasonably close, within a few meters of each other:
And likewise, later along some cliffs coming back up a trail, no issues. As with the rest of the run.
I did however see both the Garmin Fenix 9 & MARQ Gen3 struggle a bit from a barometric altimeter standpoint here. That section where they split apart from the Apple Watch & COROS unit isn’t correct. I was standing there on a cliff edge taking photos, and you can start to see the Garmin units separate. I don’t know whether that’s a barometric altimeter issue, or a terrain locking issue (perhaps thinking I was off the cliff). Either way, first time I’ve seen it on any Garmin unit in many years.
Now let’s look at an outdoor run I just did last night. Nothing crazy, but nice and sustained through some high building areas. First, looking at the heart rate, we can see nothing of note there (I used a silicone band here):
And then on the GPS side, at a side level, nothing of note here:
Looking at some tall building areas with taller hotels, as well as under building with a swimming pole above me (for real, it’s like half a football field long), the MARQ handles well there. Though, is slightly in the buildings a few meters at a different point earlier for a few seconds. This was with the default GPS settings (which is SatIQ).
Ultimately, I’m seeing performance here that matches the Garmin Fenix 9 series, which is industry-leading in terms of GPS accuracy as well as elevation accuracy. And then further, from a heart rate standpoint, I also see similar performance to that, which tends to be among the best in the industry as well.
(Note: All of the charts in these accuracy portions were created using the DCR Analyzer tool. It allows you to compare power meters/trainers, heart rate, cadence, speed/pace, running power, GPS tracks, and plenty more. You can use it as well for your own gadget comparisons; more details here.)
Garmin MARQ Odds & Ends:
I don’t know where to put these things, but I went to a media presentation about the watch, and I thought these tidbits were interesting, and likely wouldn’t otherwise seen the light of day within the general fancy-watch media crowd. Not because they aren’t covering things in detail, but just because I suspect they’re focused on other areas. Anyways, in no particular order:
-Uploads per year: There are “approximately 6 million MARQ workout/activity uploads per year” currently to Garmin Connect (from Gen1/Gen2), as part of the far larger “billions” of workout/activity uploads each year to Garmin Connect from all Garmin users
– Fenix 1 Users: There are still some 4,000 active Fenix 1 users uploading to Garmin Connect daily. While this isn’t MARQ, Garmin’s point is that people do indeed use these watches for upwards of a decade. There’s nothing wrong with it in a few years, aside from consumerism driving you to buy a new model.
– Increase in retailers: They’ve had a 4x increase in MARQ retailers since MARQ Gen 2 launched. Note that there is a huge slate of requirements to be a MARQ retailer, just like any other luxury watch brand would have. For example, you generally won’t find MARQ watches on Amazon. Though sometimes they find their way through random distribution or small resale quirks.
– Increase in sales: They say they’ve had “8x the amount of sales turnover” since MARQ Gen2. Meaning, there’s clearly demand for this product. Given we’re on the 4th generation of it now (assuming you include Chronos as the first generation), Garmin wouldn’t be sticking around if it wasn’t making them money. Garmin has very clear internal rules around financial ROI/marins.
– Driving new Garmin customers: They noted that 50% of MARQ customers are new to Garmin in terms of wearable or sports products (they might have boat or aviation gear however in their cockpits).
– The Lack of Metal Bands: You’ll notice there are no metal bands for MARQ Gen 3, just like there are no metal bands for the Fenix 9 Pro series. This is due to the LTE & Satellite antenna communication components in the current design. It sounds like their hope long term is to be able to engineer some solution in future hardware. This should have no meaningful impact on GPS accuracy or other features.
– The most popular MARQ activities. When it comes to existing owners and what they’re uploading to Garmin Connect, here’s the current breakout:
That’s it, I’m out of interesting tidbits at this point from the media briefings that I didn’t already include elsewhere.
Wrap-Up:
Writing a review for a watch like this is tricky. There’s a simple reality that for a large portion of the population, this watch will seem like a waste of money. But the same could and would be spent on photography gear, I and many other photographers buy. A $2,000 lens on a $2,000 camera body, and that’s just one lens (a lens that I managed to flood the other day, costing me another $1,000 in repairs…sigh). Sure, that gear will last many years, but as Garmin pointed out with their Fenix 1 metrics above, people can and do still use these watches long term (more than a decade in that case).
And now finally with the MARQ Gen 3 units, Garmin has a watch that doesn’t lag (far) behind their premium Fenix watches. Instead, the opposite – it’s finally a watch that tops the Garmin lineup with all the features of a Fenix and then a slate of additional hardware and software features. Whether or not it’s worth the price Garmin sets is somewhat an aside; it’s that there’s finally not a caveat on it being a subpar watch feature/spec-wise but with fancy materials. Now, it’s both.
In terms of my usage, overall I had very few bugs over the last near-month with it. And all the items I did identify (mainly around mapping) are slated to be fixed in a firmware update in the near term. Of course, Garmin hasn’t yet released the real-time ClimbPro features, so those will have to wait to see how they shake out. You can of course still use the existing course-based ClimbPro as I did, without issues.
As for whether or not I’d buy one? If I were to buy one, I’m almost certain it’d be the Adventurer, despite the slightly added features of the Diver. But those features aren’t really make-or-break for me. But at the same time with me testing watches as my job, this just wouldn’t get as much use as it would for someone who puts it on their wrist 24×7. Therefore, it’s hard for me to justify spending the money (especially with all the other toys on my list to buy). But unlike in the past, at least I could see the path to a case in front of the accountant (my wife). Albeit, it’d still probably get rejected – but at least not because she doesn’t find them good looking. She does. Which, is a pretty big step in getting something approved.
With that – thanks for reading!
0 Commentaires