Launched in 2019, the original Garmin MARQ Aviator watch left you feeling fully equipped for the cockpit, giving the Garmin Delta series (the brand’s only other premium GPS aviator smartwatch) a healthy bit of in-house competition. Now advancing on their aviation technology further, Garmin have announced the second-generation Garmin MARQ Aviator 2 watch, a luxury smartwatch designed for those whose desire for adventure is unyielding and whose passions for aviation need to be reflected in premium materials and technologies.
AVIATION FEATURES
Like before, the new Garmin MARQ 2 collection provides a smartwatch for almost every type of wearer. While the MARQ 2 Athlete sets its sights on fitness gurus, the MARQ 2 Captain on boaters and the MARQ 2 Adventurer on outdoor explorers, the Garmin MARQ 2 Aviator is aimed at those that spend much of their life in the cockpit. As such, there’s no shortage of aviation features found within, some of which are entirely new to the device and some which we have seen before. One of the latter is the direct-to navigation feature which allows you to navigate directly to a location or waypoint in the worldwide aeronautical database. You can also use this feature to find the activate a path to the nearest airport.
An innovative piloting feature on the Garmin MARQ II Aviator watch is the Moving Map which lets you pan and move the map with your finger, tap on waypoints for more info and see the NEXRAD radar1 overlaid on your route. Another new technology is the Jet Lag Advisor. When you find yourself crossing time zones, the watch will give you guidance on how best to minimize the effects of jet lag, offering advice on light exposure, sleep and exercise. You’ll also get full access to aviation weather reports including METARs, TAFs and MOS2, to see winds, visibility, barometric pressure and more as well as a Meteogram feature so you can see MOS forecasts for specific airports. The HSI course needle is perfect for keeping on track as is the barometric altimeter which gives you a vibration alert when you reach an altitude where supplemental oxygen may be required.
Like it’s predecessor, the Garmin MARQ Aviator Gen 2 smartwatch boasts a flight plan transfer feature which lets you move your flight plan from the Garmin Pilot smartphone app to your watch so you can see the full list of waypoints directly on the wrist. There’s also the familiar Pulse Ox sensor so you can monitor your body’s oxygen levels, flight logging so you can track your flight on take off and automatically transfer flight info to your flyGarmin account and an airport information app which gives you everything you need for landing including runway orientation, lengths and airport frequencies. Lastly, the Garmin MARQ Aviator 2 watch comes with several alert features so you can get notifications on new METAR and TAF reports, airport conditions and an Emergency Mode can be activated for viewing your best glide speed, estimated glide distance and glide time during an engine-related issue.
CASE, DISPLAY & STRAP
The Garmin MARQ series has always been largely defined by its use of premium materials, something lacking in their more affordable collections. The Garmin MARQ 2 Aviator smartwatch is actually the most expensive device in the new MARQ 2 series because of its lightweight titanium bracelet – while all other models feature leather, rubber or fabric straps. The bracelet is breathtaking though and suited to the aviation aesthetic of the watch. It pairs with a matching grade 5 titanium case which measures to 46mm in diameter and a black ceramic insert bezel decorated with a white 24 hour bezel for reading the GMT complication.
A new feature for the Garmin MARQ 2 Aviator is its display, now AMOLED rather than memory-in-pixel (MIP) for even crisper readability and brightness. This upgrade is fantastic, giving us a higher pixel resolution of 390 x 390, brighter colours, deeper blacks and improved responsiveness. The AMOLED touchscreen is protected by domed sapphire crystal glass for additional scratch resistance. The Garmin MARQ 2 Aviator case is completed by a 100 metre water resistant rating.
FITNESS & LOCATION FEATURES
Despite being tailored to pilots, the Garmin MARQ II Aviator smartwatch boasts just as many features for the air as it does on land. There’s everything you could possibly need for your fitness journey including a wrist based heart rate monitor, respiration tracking, stress tracking, hydration tracking, advanced sleep monitoring and several features for reviewing your health and overall body battery. You’ll get preloaded sports apps for every activity you can think of including access to golf maps and ski maps, animated workouts, Garmin Coach, a visual race predictor, PacePro technology and a new real time stamina function which tracks and manages your exertion to help you avoid overexerting at the start of your run or cycle. A couple of new features for navigating include SatIQ technology which works alongside the multi-band GNSS satellite systems to give you superior positioning accuracy in any environment while also optimising the device’s battery life. There’s also TopoActive Europe maps now preloaded with additional maps downloadable over Wi-Fi.
BATTERY LIFE
Another huge advantage on the Garmin MARQ Aviator Gen 2 watch over its predecessor is the battery life. While the original MARQ Aviator promised up to 12 days in smartwatch mode, the MARQ 2 Aviator guarantees up to 16 days in smartwatch mode. We’re also promised up to 21 days in Battery Saver Mode, up to 42 hours of battery life in GPS mode and up to 14 days in GPS Expedition mode.
SOCIAL FEATURES
The Garmin MARQ Aviator 2 smartwatch keeps you connected to loved ones while you’re in the air with smart notifications for emails, texts, and alerts and you can listen to your favourite music in the cockpit with access to streaming apps like Spotify, Deezer and Amazon Music alongside storage for up to 2,000 songs. When on land, you can make the most of the Garmin Pay feature which lets you pay contactless with the watch. There’s also several safety and tracking features which let you send your live location to your emergency contact and for situations where you may not be able to do that, there’s built-in automatic incident detection.
If you’d like to learn more about the Garmin MARQ Aviator Gen 2 watch 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.
