The Altimeter screen appears after pressing the ABC-button a few seconds and then pressing it shortly two times. The altimeter shows the current altitude in the right hand corner cirkel and shows the altimeter trend from the last 4 hours. It is shown in graphics and above it is the highest and lowest height shown in numbers. The information on the screen is very clear and easy to read and also hard to misinterpret. But don’t forget to read the chapter about the calibration of the altimeter below. The altimeter screen shows current altitude, the climb and decent. Shooting a in studio…. Barometer screen

At a launch presentation for the Instinct 2, Garmin said that unlimited battery life is a realistic possibility for someone like a lifeguard who works outdoors. Smartwatch and fitness features Smartwatch features The Garmin uses a pressure sensor inside the watch to register the air or barometric pressure. This pressure is used for the barometer – logical – and is also used for the calculation of the altitude. With the watch on my wrist, the lux meter next to it and walking with both facing the sun direction but not holding them perfectly in the sun, I measure about 30.000 lux. With a light meter on my wrist I measured how much sunlight hits the watch face when hiking. Battery life: up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS mode, up to 40 hours in UltraTrac™ battery saver mode A monochrome face might seem an odd choice when more and more smartwatches are arriving with bright color displays, but it makes a lot of sense for the Instinct 2. It uses far less power than an AMOLED display (like that of the Garmin Epix and Venu 2), and it offers more contrast than a color MIP screen (which was one of our few complaints about the Garmin Fenix 7).

So, the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical is a sports watch that measures and registers what we generally want. That is good. But what about its outdoor capabilities? Should be good since it is the TACTICAL version. GPS Although I do like the very nifty way of thinking of the Garmin Instinct series, I still feel more comfortable if I can tell the watch if the barometer should be in the lead or the altimeter. Well, I can choose them manually so there is no harm done; I can be in the lead. The best time to choose the Altimeter mode is when you are in the mountains and a lot of elevation changes are made. The barometer mode is best used in places where the change in pressure must be a result of barometric pressure changes like in my totally flat Netherlands. Storm or weather alarm I don’t have an opinion on the above except for the fact that I think Garmin takes the Instinct Solar Tactical serious. I am just not sure if ‘built to’ is something I would shout of the rooftops and maybe it should say ‘meets MIL-STD-810G standards’ or is ‘MIL-STD-810G certified’. Verdict

All Garmin Instinct watches allow you to receive smartphone notifications on your wrist (Image credit: Garmin) There’s no microphone, so you can’t take calls or use your phone’s voice assistant from your wrist as you can with the Garmin Venu 2 Plus, but if you own an Android phone then you can automatically reject calls with a text message. Like many of the watch’s more advanced features, that’s easy to set up and customize in the Garmin Connect app. Tactical-specific features include stealth mode, Jumpmaster, waypoint projection, dual-position GPS formatting and preloaded tactical activity As mentioned above, the main reason why I wanted to review the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical is because of the fact that it is able to be charged by the sun. The watch face is a small solar panel. Or in fact two layers of solar panels. The light gray area is a 100% solar panel that converts for 100% the sunlight into energy that is stored in the battery. The darker area is a 10% solar panel that is transparent for 90% because it sits on top of the display that displays all the numbers and symbols. As soon as sun rays hit the solar panel the watch starts charging. In the top left side of the screen a little circle – the Solar Intensity panel – shows the amount of sun that hits the Garmin. It is also possible to switch to a dedicated screen that shows how much light has been hitting the Garmin in the past hours. The solar intensity screen shows when and how much has been charged.The Barometer screen appears after pressing the ABC-button a few seconds and then pressing it shortly three times.The barometer screen looks very similar to the altimeter screen. In the right hand corner cirkel the current barometric pressure is shown. Left to the cirkel the lowest and the highest pressure are shown above each other. The bottom of the screen is occupied by the barometric pressure trend from the past 6 hours. Same remarks here as in the paragraph about the altimeter. The barometer screen shows the pressure change over a periode of time. Altimeter and barometer need to know One sensor that doesn’t make the cut is the pulse ox sensor that’s started to appear on Garmin’s watches and is actually available on the new Instinct Solar model. While it’s definitely a feature that hogs the battery, it’s one that would be useful to have at your disposal when you’re training or exploring at altitude. The Instinct – Tactical Edition GPS watch monitors your heart rate, activity and stress throughout the day, so you know how much you do — and how hard you’re working to do it. When you’re ready to train, we’ve got you covered with preloaded activity profiles for running, biking, swimming and more. It also has mission-specific training options, including Jumpmaster and a preloaded tactical activity. Let me start with a bold remark: I have never been a great fan of Garmin outdoor watches. And… Garmin is not to blame; I am a small guy with small wrists and the Garmins that I tried in the past were just too big for me. I liked their function, for sure. With the Garmin Instinct series the US-based brand totally changed the ballgame for me. About half a year ago I gave Garmin a call and asked if I could do a review on one of the Garmin Instinct models. First they sent me the Garmin Instinct Tactical. Because of the release of the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical I decided to go for that solar powered model. Garmin was so friendly to exchange the watches and I continued testing. The Garmin Instinct Solar is light and not too big so it fits smaller wrist super. Size and weight

On a sunny day the sun produces about 50-100.000 lux. With a lux meter I measured a couple of days outdoors and how much sun hits Garmin Instinct Solar. The 40mm Instinct 2 S we tested is leaner still at 13.3mm, and when placed on the scales it weighed 43g including the silicone band. Garmin’s quoted weight is 42g, but there’s always a little variability between devices. The compass screen shows the bearing when you open it and the bearing is clearly visible in large numbers in the right hand corner; the direction is also shown with N, S, E, W and everything in between. By pressing the GPS button a menu opens. In this menu I can calibrate the compass, change what the display shows – degrees or milliradians -, I can change the North Reference from True, Magnetic, Grid or to my own preference. This is good because now I can change to wherever I am on this planet and be accurate. Did you know that the magnetic North is not everywhere the same way and that it changes from year to year? That is why you should know how a compass works when you are going out. The compass on the Garmin Instinct Solar does what it needs to do.Watches in the Garmin Instinct range are designed to be tough and durable rather than flashy. All Instinct and Instinct 2 models come with a fiber-reinforced polymer case and silicone band – though you can replace this with a woven, leather or metal strap if you buy one separately. To take full advantage of the altimeter and barometer you need to know how the two technically work. If you don’t have time to browse through historic stats, that’s not an issue – the app will provide you with occasional ‘insights’ based on your lifestyle and workouts. For example, if you tend to take fewer steps on a Thursday, the app will nudge you to get outside and take a stroll before the day is out. The Camo edition doesn’t add any extra functions or apps, but has a camouflage patterned band and case.