Garmin’s latest watch is ridiculously expensive, but I still want it
Did you think the best Garmin watches were already too expensive? You haven’t seen anything yet.
Garmin’s ultra-premium line of smartwatches, the Marq series, is Garmin’s foray into both style and substance. Rather than going for rugged G-Shock-style adventure watches like the Instinct range, or going for a more conventional smartwatch aesthetic like the Venu or Garmin Vivoactive 5, the Garmin Marq line shares a design ethos with premium analog watches, where each model has a specific theme.
For example, the Garmin Marq Aviator features weather reports for specific airports (great for pilots), while the Marq Captain model looks like a classic dive watch and has a regatta timer on the bezel.
The Marq Adventurer is a premium smartwatch with a 360-degree rotating compass bezel, as well as all of Garmin’s other premium adventure features, including topographic map support, all-day blood oxygen monitoring for altitude acclimatization, and advanced GPS capabilities. Normally, the case and bezel of the Marq Adventurer Gen 2 are composed of grade 5 titanium, but a recent release from Garmin has made the case and rotating bezel of the Marq Adventurer from Damascus steel.
Damascus steel is known for its incredible durability and distinctive wavy design. Described as “forged from the finest materials on earth”, the Garmin Marq Adventurer (Gen 2) Damascus Steel Edition, to give it its full title, looks absolutely sublime.
It comes with a hybrid leather and FKM rubber strap to match the ultra-premium case, which features Garmin’s classic five-button design. This will all set you back an eye-watering $3,100 / £2,799 / AU$5,500.
This has to be one of the most beautiful smartwatches, with that wavy pattern of Damascus steel made using blacksmithing, that I have ever seen. Forget the price: I still want one. Longtime readers may know that I love it when analog and digital design languages meet to create something unique: that’s why I’m one of the few people I know who really loved the smart Casio G-Shock aesthetic of the Garmin Instinct Crossover. But the Marq Adventurer (Gen 2) Damascus Steel Edition is on another level, and for three grand I hope so.
There doesn’t seem to be a big difference in functionality between Garmin’s other premium offerings, like the Garmin Fenix 8, but Garmin already knows that the internals are quality: you’re paying for a smartwatch that looks like it could be on the wrist hear from Indiana Jones, only with current generation smarts. It may look timeless, but this watch certainly does not belong in a museum.