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In-depth Review of the Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete

Following the announcement of the new Garmin MARQ 2 watch collection yesterday, something we covered briefly here, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on the MARQ 2 Athlete in the series. The MARQ Athlete from 2019 was easily the collection’s most popular design, setting its sights on those with a love of health, wellness and training. We expect the same to be said for the new MARQ II, MARQ 2 or MARQ Gen 2 Athlete – whatever you choose to call it! And so, the model is the very first we have chosen to review in-depth. Here goes…

FITNESS FEATURES

Since the Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete is aimed at those with a love of all things fitness, we should probably start by giving you a run down of its core training features. It offers much of the same spec as its predecessor including preloaded sports app for trail running, track and field, swimming, running, cycling, hiking, rowing, skiing, golf, surfing, indoor climbing and many more. There’s also animated workouts, Garmin Coach, suggested daily workouts, performance metrics and the popular race time predicator which judges your overall fitness level and predicts a finish time for a race. A new app is the training readiness feature which from the moment you wake up gives you a score based on your sleep quality, recovery and training load so you know how hard you can train that day.

Another app is the running power mode which gives you a continuous measurement on your wrist of the power you apply during a course. It’s worth noting this works only with the Garmin Running Dynamics Pod or the HRM Pro Plus heart rate monitor paired to the watch. HRV Status gives you an in-depth analysis of your health, training and recovery performance while the real time stamina function makes its way from the Fenix 7 onto the Garmin MARQ II Athlete, giving you instant access to your current energy levels. This is great for runners who often find themselves exerting their energy too quicky.

The Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete also boasts the Health Snapshop function, the classic wrist based heart rate monitor, Pulse Ox sensor and the PacePro feature which helps you keep pace during a run, swim or cycle. There’s also sleep tracking, hydration tracking, stress detection and the Body Battery Energy which ultimately uses all the data from the above to tell you when your body is ready to begin an activity and when it may need some time to rest. Lastly, perfect for travellers, the Garmin MARQ 2 watch debuts a new jet lag feature. This gives you guidance on light exposure, sleep scheduling and exercise so you can get your body used to its new time zone quicker than normal.

CASE, DISPLAY & STRAP

One of the biggest selling points of the new Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete watch is the introduction of the AMOLED touchscreen display. This follows the launch of the EPIX 2 earlier this year which also utilised the crisp readability of AMOLED. Believe us when we say the 390 x 390 pixel resolution is a huge upgrade on the original MARQ Athlete and it makes reading the mass of features within effortless. The display is protected by domed sapphire crystal glass and enclosed within a lightweight 46mm grade 5 titanium case. The case is then paired with a brushed DLC titanium bezel decorated with VO2 max and recovery time markers and a breathable, black silicone strap. We’re also promised a 100 metre water resistant rating.

LOCATION FEATURES

Whether you are someone who finds themselves travelling and training in new places all the time or someone who prefers to workout across more difficult terrain, the Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete has you covered with some fantastic location features to keep you a safe route from home. New to the design is a technology Garmin calls SATIQ which works alongside the conventional multi-band GNSS to ensure improved positioning accuracy. We’re also told this will help maximise the device’s battery life over time – but more on that later. There’s also a new Netfork Maps Guide to work alongside the TopoActive mapping so that you can orient yourself along trails easier, seeing past the next bend. As always, there’s ABC sensors to help you navigate your route with an altimeter for elevation data, barometer to monitor weather and 3-axis electronic compass for direction. The Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete still delivers ski slopes maps, ClimbPro and acclimation.

BATTERY LIFE

With up to 16 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, the Garmin MARQ II Athlete effortlessly trumps the original with an additional 4 days. This is made even more impressive when you learn of the power-hungry nature of an AMOLED display. In smartwatch mode with energy saving, you can push this up to 21 days and while using GPS, you can expect up to 42 hours of battery life.  The watch also ensures up to 14 days in GPS Expedition mode.

SOCIAL FEATURES

For rest days, the Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete remains your right-hand man with incredible smart notifications to keep you in touch with friends and family. Receive emails, texts, and alerts right on your watch when you pair it with a compatible Android or iOS smartphone. The smartwatch also comes equipped with the Garmin Pay contactless payment solution so you can breeze through checkout lines and pay for your shopping with a simple swipe of the wrist. Lastly, the fitness tracker comes with storage for all your favourite music including access to streaming apps like Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music as well as storage for up to 2,000 songs.

Its safe to say the Garmin MARQ 2 Athlete is a nice step up from its 2019 counterpart and if we had to guess, it’s going to be a popular choice for those looking for their next luxury smartwatch. If you’d like to learn more about the Garmin MARQ Athlete Gen 2 and to shop the full range of MARQ 2 watches for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.