Overview
WHY JUST CARRY OUT THE MISSION? OWN IT.
This bold, rugged multisport GPS smartwatch is tough enough to keep up with you, and it comes equipped with tactical-specific features, a built-in LED flashlight and solar charging to keep you going.
ENGINEERED FOR ENDURANCE
This ultratough multisport watch features a solar powered display and rugged 50 mm polymer case. It’s water-rated to 10 ATM and tested to U.S. military 810 standards for thermal, shock and water resistance.
DESIGNED TO DO YOU
With a design built for action and the features to support your tactical missions, this multisport watch is always ready for adventure. Plus, its bold styling clearly shows the world that you do things your own way.
GET MORE BATTERY OUT OF LIFE
Go longer than ever with solar charging with unlimited battery life in smartwatch mode1. Plus, power manager lets you extend battery life by controlling what settings and sensors draw power.
Stay on the mission until it’s done with unlimited battery life in smartwatch mode with solar charging1.
Tactical-specific features include night vision compatibility and more for field ops.
Military standard toughness means no holding back.
When it gets dark, the built-in LED flashlight helps keep you going.
Train your way with built-in sports apps at the wrist.
Understand your body better with 24/7 health monitoring.
Please call - 01669 621044 - and speak with one of our friendly GPS experts.
Buy and Learn from the experts - GPS Training.
- PLUS - Receive 12 months FREE access to the whole of our online GPS training - online resource worth £50.00
- PLUS - FREE ongoing support from our GPS training experts.
- PLUS - We supply you with a USB C Female to USB A Male Adapter (So that you can use the USB C supplied Garmin Charging Cable with a USB A plug)
-PLUS - All GPS watches are kept in stock and are sent out Royal Mail Special Delivery, so it will be with you the next working day.
Features
Stay mission-ready.
Solar Powered
Solar charging Power Glass™ lens extends battery life, producing 50% more energy than the Instinct® 2 Solar. Go longer with the potential for unlimited solar-charged battery life in smartwatch mode1.
BUILT-IN FLASHLIGHT
To help guide your way in low-light conditions, a built-in multi-LED flashlight provides variable intensities and strobe that matches your running cadence — plus a green light mode to help keep an eye on your immediate surroundings while operating at night.
NIGHT VISION COMPATIBILITY
Switch between daytime view and nighttime view with a screen designed to be read by night vision goggles.
STEALTH MODE
Go dark by enabling stealth mode to stop storing and sharing your GPS position and disable wireless connectivity and communication.
DUAL-POSITION FORMAT
Easily sync your location with others by seeing both the universal transverse mercator and military grid reference system on the same screen.
BALLISTICS CALCULATOR
Unlock the Applied Ballistics® calculator via the AB Synapse™ – Garmin app (unlock fee required) to access aiming solutions for long-range shooting in the field.
KILL SWITCH
If security becomes an issue, the kill switch wipes the device of all user memory.
JUMPMASTER MODE
Calculate high-altitude release points according to military guidelines while navigating to your objective once you’ve jumped.
TACTICAL ACTIVITY
See time, pace, time of day, elevation and your location in both coordinate types.
Track every adventure.
MULTI-BAND FREQUENCY SUPPORT
Receive and utilise multiple frequencies sent by navigation satellites, which enable improved user position accuracy.
ABC SENSORS
Navigate your next trail with ABC sensors, including an altimeter for elevation data, barometer to monitor weather and 3-axis electronic compass.
TRACBACK® ROUTING
Take the guesswork out of your return journey by using this feature to navigate the same route back to your starting point.
REFERENCE POINT
Keep track of a known place — such as your car or the trailhead — relative to your location, and easily find your way back to it.
Live connected.
Smart notifications
Receive emails, texts and alerts right on your multisport watch when paired with your compatible smartphone.
CONNECT IQ™ STORE
Download custom watch faces, add data fields, and get apps and widgets from the Connect IQ Store app on your compatible smartphone.
GARMIN PAY™ CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS
Breeze through checkout lines and selected transit systems with Garmin Pay contactless payments through participating providers.
SAFETY AND TRACKING FEATURES
When your multisport watch and phone are paired, your live location can be sent to your contacts manually or — during select outdoor activities — automatically with built-in incident detection2.
CALENDAR VIEW
Easily see your plans for the day with a dedicated calendar screen when paired with your compatible smartphone.
SYNC WITH THE GARMIN CONNECT™ APP
See your health and fitness information all in one place. The Garmin Connect app on your compatible smartphone is a thriving online community where people on the go can connect, compete and share.
Train your way.
BUILT-IN SPORTS APPS
Do whatever you love with preloaded activity profiles for running, cycling, swimming, strength training, indoor climbing, skiing, snowboarding, golf, yoga, Pilates and more.
OBSTACLE COURSE RACING
Track your performance during obstacle course events — with split times recorded between running and obstacle sections while you race. After manually recording splits during your first loop, you can focus solely on the race from there as splits will be automatically recorded. Then, review your stats after the race.
HIIT WORKOUTS
This activity profile tracks your HIIT workouts, including AMRAP, EMOM, Tabata and custom. Set the number of rounds, work/rest intervals and more.
VO2 MAX
Train smarter with VO2 max, an indicator of how you can expect to perform. It even accounts for changes in performance that could be caused by heat or altitude.
Daily suggested workout
View your entire week of daily suggested workouts, which adapt after every run or ride to match your performance and recovery as well as the races coming up in your Garmin Connect smartphone app calendar.
recovery time
After each workout, recovery time lets you know when you’ll be ready for another hard workout. It even accounts for training intensity and factors such as stress, daily activity and sleep.
MTB DYNAMICS
Track the details of every ride with mountain biking metrics plus specialised Grit® and Flow™ measurements that rate trail difficulty and how smoothly you descend, giving you a score to beat next time.
Know your body.
WRIST-BASED HEART RATE
Get heart rate3 data along with alerts if your heart rate stays too high or too low while you’re at rest. Gauge how hard your heart is working during activities.
SLEEP SCORE AND ADVANCED SLEEP MONITORING
Get a full breakdown of your light, deep and REM sleep stages3. View it all on a dedicated widget that includes your sleep score and insights.
MORNING REPORT
Receive an overview of your sleep, recovery and training outlook as soon as you wake up — alongside HRV status and weather. You can even customise your report to show you what you want to see.
BODY BATTERY™ ENERGY MONITORING
Optimise your body’s energy reserves, using heart rate variability, stress, sleep and other data to gauge when you’re ready to be active or when you may need to rest.
PULSE OX
For altitude acclimation or sleep monitoring, a Pulse Ox sensor4 uses light beams at your wrist to estimate how well your body is absorbing oxygen.
HRV Status
Gain a deeper understanding of your overall health, training and recovery through heart rate variability, while you sleep, based on technology developed by our Firstbeat Analytics™ team.
Specs
What You'll Love |
|
| Sleep Score and Insights |
 |
|---|---|
| Battery life (smartwatch mode) | 40 days / Unlimited with solar |
| Daily Suggested Workouts |
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| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation |
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| LED flashlight |
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| Garmin Pay™ |
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| Multi-band GPS |
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| Training Readiness |
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| Training Status |
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| Watch display type | Monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) |
| Solar charging | |
| Water rating | 10 ATM |
General |
|
| Strap material | Silicone |
|---|---|
| Lens material | Power Glass™ |
| Bezel material | Fibre-reinforced polymer |
| Case material | Fibre-reinforced polymer |
| QuickFit™ watch band compatible | yes (26 mm) |
| Physical size | 50 x 50 x 14.5mm Fits wrists with a circumference of 145-228 mm |
| Weight | 67 g |
| Display Size | custom, two-window design; 27 x 27 mm (1.1″ x 1.1″) |
| Display Resolution | 176 x 176 pixels |
| Battery life | Smartwatch: 40 days unlimited with solar* GPS: 60 hours; 145 hours with solar** All Satellite Systems: 40 hours; 65 hours with solar* All Satellite Systems + Multi-Band: 27 hours; 36 hours with solar** Max Battery GPS Mode: 150 hours; unlimited with solar** Expedition GPS Activity: 60 days; unlimited with solar* Battery Saver Watch Mode: 100 days; unlimited with solar* *Solar charging, assuming all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions **Solar charging, assuming use in 50,000 lux conditions |
| Charging method | Garmin proprietary plug charger |
| Memory/history | 64 MB |
Clock features |
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| Time/date |
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|---|---|
| GPS time sync |
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| Automatic daylight saving time |
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| Alarm clock |
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| Timer |
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| Stopwatch |
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| Sunrise/sunset times |
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Health & Wellness Monitoring |
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| Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second) |
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|---|---|
| Daily Resting Heart Rate |
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| Abnormal Heart Rate Alerts | Yes (high and low) |
| Respiration Rate (24x7) |
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| Fitness Age | Yes (in app) |
| Body Battery™ Energy Monitor |
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| All-day Stress |
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| Relaxation Breathing Timer |
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| Breathwork |
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| Sleep | |
| Hydration | Yes (in Garmin Connect™) |
| Women's Health | Yes (in Garmin Connect™) |
| Health Snapshot | |
Sensors |
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| GPS | |
|---|---|
| GLONASS | |
| Galileo | |
| Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor | |
| Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor | |
| Barometric altimeter | |
| Compass | |
| Gyroscope | |
| Accelerometer | |
| Thermometer | |
Daily smart features |
|
| Connectivity | Bluetooth®, ANT+® |
|---|---|
| Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps) | |
| Smart Notifications | |
| Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only) | |
| Morning report | |
| Calendar | |
| Weather forecasts | |
| Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile | |
| Battery Saver - customisable low power watch | |
| Controls smartphone music | |
| Find my phone | |
| Find my watch | |
| VIRB® camera remote | |
| Smart trainer control | |
| Compatible with Garmin Connect™ Mobile | |
| Smartphone compatibility | iPhone®, Android™ |
Activity profiles |
|
| Gym | Strength, HIIT, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor rowing |
|---|---|
| Multisport | Triathlon |
| WELLNESS | Walking, Pilates, Yoga |
| INDOOR RUNNING | Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running |
| Outdoor running | Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running |
| Outdoor recreation | Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Hunting, Horseback Riding, Archery |
| Cycling | Biking, Road biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel biking, Bike commuting, Bike touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking |
| Swim | Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming |
| On the water | Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Surfing, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Fishing, Boating, Sailing, Sail Racing, Water Skiing, Sailing Expedition, Whitewater, Snorkeling |
| Motor sports | Motorcycling, Overlanding, Motorcrossing, ATVing, Snowmobile |
| Racket sports | Tennis, Pickleball, Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Padel |
| Snow & Winter | Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Ice Skating, Snowshoeing |
| Sport profiles | Basketball, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Football, Lacrosse, Rugby, Ultimate Disc, Cricket, Softball, Baseball |
| In the ring | Boxing, Mixed martial arts |
| Other activity profiles | Jumpmaster, Tactical |
Safety and tracking features |
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| Incident Detection during select activities | |
|---|---|
| Assistance | |
| LiveTrack | |
Tactical features |
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| Stealth mode | |
|---|---|
| Night vision mode | |
| Dual grid coordinates | |
| KILL SWITCH | |
| XERO™ Locations | |
| Ballistics solver | Yes (unlock required) |
Gaming Features |
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| Gaming activity | |
|---|---|
| GameOn™ app compatible | |
Activity tracking features |
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| Step counter | |
|---|---|
| Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it) | |
| Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) | |
| Calories Burned | |
| Floors climbed | |
| Distance travelled | |
| Intensity minutes | |
| TrueUp™ | |
| Move IQ™ | |
| Garmin Connect™ Challenges app | Yes (optional Connect IQ app) |
Fitness equipment/gym |
|
| Cardio workouts | |
|---|---|
| Strength workouts | |
| HIIT workouts | |
| Yoga workouts | |
| Pilates workouts | |
| Automatic rep counting | |
Training, planning and analysis features |
|
| Customisable screen(s) | |
|---|---|
| Downloadable training plans | |
| Course guidance | |
| HR Zones | |
| HR Alerts | |
| HR Calories | |
| % HR Max | |
| % HRR | |
| Recovery Time | |
| Auto Max HR | |
| HRV Status | |
| HR Broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices) | Yes (using ANT+) |
| Respiration Rate (During Exercise) | |
| GPS speed and distance | |
| Customisable activity profiles | |
| Auto Pause® | |
| Interval training | |
| Advanced workouts | |
| Power Modes - customisable in-activity battery settings | |
| HRM running pace and distance | |
| Auto Lap® | |
| Manual lap | |
| Configurable lap alerts | |
| Heat and Altitude Acclimation | |
| VO2 Max (Run) | |
| VO2 Max (Trail Run) | |
| Training Load | |
| Training Effect | |
| Training Effect (Anaerobic) | |
| Primary benefit (Training Effect labels) | |
| Customisable alerts | |
| Audio prompts | |
| Finish time | |
| Virtual partner | |
| Race an activity | |
| Auto multisport activities | |
| Multi-sport | |
| Touch and/or button lock | |
| Hot keys | |
| Auto scroll | |
| Activity history on watch | |
| Physio TrueUp | |
| Unified Training Status | |
Running features |
|
| GPS-based distance, time and pace | |
|---|---|
| Running dynamics | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Vertical oscillation and ratio | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Ground contact time and balance | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Stride length (real time) | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute) | |
| Running power | |
| Grade-adjusted pace | |
| Performance condition | |
| Lactate threshold | Yes (with compatible accessory) |
| Run workouts | |
| Trail run auto climb | |
| Race predictor | |
| Foot pod capable | |
| Run/Walk/Stand detection | |
Golfing features |
|
| Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green) | |
|---|---|
| Yardage to layups/doglegs | |
| Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course) | Manual |
| Digital scorecard | |
| Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit) | |
| Garmin AutoShot™ | |
| Auto CourseView updates | |
| Green View with manual pin position | |
| Hazards and course targets | |
| Round timer/odometer | |
| Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory) | |
| Pairs with Garmin Golf app | |
| Tournament legal | |
Outdoor recreation |
|
| Point-to-point navigation | |
|---|---|
| Breadcrumb trail in real time | |
| Back to start | |
| TracBack® | |
| UltraTrac mode | |
| REFERENCE POINT | |
| Elevation profile | |
| Distance to destination | |
| Barometric trend indicator with storm alert | |
| Vertical speed | |
| Total ascent/descent | |
| Future elevation plot | |
| GPS coordinates | |
| Sight 'N Go | |
| Area calculation | |
| Projected waypoint | |
| Sun and moon information | |
| Wind meter compatible | |
| Expedition GPS Activity | |
| Tides | |
| Tides Glance | |
Cycling features |
|
| Courses | |
|---|---|
| Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor) | |
| Race an activity | |
| Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories) | |
| FTP (Functional Threshold Power) | |
| MTB Grit & Flow | |
| Advanced cycling dynamics | Yes (in app) |
| Compatible with Vector™ and Rally™ (power meters) | |
| Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar) | |
| Compatible with Varia™ lights | |
| Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor) | |
| Power meter compatible | |
Swimming features |
|
| Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | |
|---|---|
| Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories) | |
| Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only) | |
| Drill logging (pool swim only) | |
| Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only) | |
| "Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only) | |
| Auto rest (pool swim only) | |
| Time and distance alerts | |
| Countdown start | |
| Pool swim workouts | |
| Underwater wrist-based heart rate | |
| Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim) | |
Kid activity tracking features |
|
| Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app | Yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app) |
|---|---|
Security Information |
|
| Security updates until at least (YYYY-MM-DD) | 2025-04-12 |
|---|---|
In the box
In the Box
- Instinct 2x Solar Tactical Watch
- Charging/data cable
- USB C Female to USB A Male Adapter (So that you can use the USB C supplied Garmin Charging Cable with a USB A plug)
- Quick Start Guide
Only from GPS Training you also get:
- A guide to registering your watch with Garmin
- 12 months FREE access to the whole of our online GPS training - online resource (worth £50.00)
Video
FAQ's
Is my smartphone compatible with this device?
The Instinct 2x Solar is compatible with smartphones using Bluetooth® wireless technology.
More info here - compatible smartphone.
Can you pair this watch with the new inReach Mini2 Satellite communicator?
Yes you can pair the Instinct 2x Solar with the inReach Mini2 , you can then receive message alerts from the inReach mini2 on the screen of the Instinct and also control sending messages and SOS alerts directly from the watch.
What is the Battery life on a Garmin Instinct 2x Solar Tactical Watch ?
Smartwatch: 40 days unlimited with solar*
GPS: 60 hours; 145 hours with solar**
All Satellite Systems: 40 hours; 65 hours with solar*
All Satellite Systems + Multi-Band: 27 hours; 36 hours with solar**
Max Battery GPS Mode: 150 hours; unlimited with solar**
Expedition GPS Activity: 60 days; unlimited with solar*
Battery Saver Watch Mode: 100 days; unlimited with solar*
*Solar charging, assuming all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions
**Solar charging, assuming use in 50,000 lux conditions
Can I send a GPX file to a Garmin Instinct 2x Solar Tactical Watch to follow as a course ?
Yes you can transfer GPX files to the Garmin Instinct 2x Solar Watch using either the Garmin Connect App or Garmin Explore App, you can then follow these courses on the Garmin Instinct Watch to Navigate with.
What is the Weight if the Garmin Instinct 2x Solar Tactical Watch ?
The Garmin Instinct Watch weighs 67g
Can you display different watch faces on the Garmin Instinct 2x Solar Tactical Watch ?
Yes the Garmin Instinct watch offers six unique watch faces, with a colour inverted option for each. Additionally, each watch face has the ability to customize what data or symbols to display.
What is the difference between the Garmin Instinct 2x Solar Tactical v the none Tactical model?
-The tactical edition has a Green flash light mode.
- The tactical edition has Night Vision mode which is designed to be read while wearing Night Vision goggle.
- Stealth mode that disables wireless communication and shared GPS positioning instantly. If necessary, the "Kill Switch" deletes all user data from the watch instantly.
- Jumpmaster mode helps you plan your release point based on wind and airplane speed & help with desired landing spot,