The best Garmin watches for life in the military

The spec sheet for Garmin’s tactix 7 series of watches reads like Homer’s ‘Odyssey.’ You could spend all day learning about all the features and capabilities — and I encourage you to do so. At the very top of the lineup is the tactix 7 Pro Ballistics Edition equipped with software from Applied Ballistics that can provide sight adjustments based on detailed information about your weapon, ammunition, and real-time environmental factors.

I got my hands on the tactix 7 at the time of release, and it felt a lot like the tactix Delta that preceded it. Inside, however, there are subtle changes that make a big difference. For starters, the watch runs much more efficiently now. Combine that with improved solar technology, and you can expect significantly improved battery life. The massive, full-color display is also a touchscreen now. It even works when wet, and you can disable the function if you’d rather stick to button operation.

One new feature I liked even more than I expected was the built-in flashlight. The small multi-LED light can be programmed to activate one of four white light settings or a green light with a double-tap of the top right button on the watch’s bezel. The fact that you can choose a specific mode rather than cycling through them is important in the field. At one point, I spent a few nights on a boat without plumbing. Every time I had to get up in the night and walk to the harbor bathroom, it was nice to have a flashlight so I didn’t have to fumble around for one in the darkness. I also appreciated the green light that didn’t ruin my low-light vision.

The real question is whether or not the tactix 7 is worth the pile of money you’ll have to shell out to get one. Objectively, it is; but that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. The other watches on this list are a better value for people who want fitness apps and basic navigation. This is an extreme piece of gear built for extreme challenges. If you have ambitions of traveling the world by land, air, and sea, this might very well be the best investment you make.

If the tactix 7 is the F-35 of the military watch world, bristling with technology and futuristic capabilities, the Instinct 2 is the humble UH-1 that really does most of the work. I guess that makes this Solar Tactical Edition like the UH-1Y Venom; a modern evolution of a classic piece of gear.

This watch was meant to be used and abused. Rather than a big, flashy, full-color display, it presents essential information (in a customizable format, of course) on a black and white screen that’s easy to read at a glance. The polymer housing barely takes up more room than a normal watch. The strap is the most comfortable I’ve worn. The buttons are big enough to use with gloves and the desert tan will look fantastic in uniform.

The brains of this watch are shared with several other Garmin watches. You’ll get multiband GNSS navigation, location data in Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) and latitude/longitude formats, and sport-specific interfaces for whatever kind of exercise you’re into. Daily convenience features include notifications from your phone, calendar alerts, and contactless payment. Solar versions of the Instinct 2 benefit from battery-enhancing solar charging, and the Tactical Edition boasts military-minded capabilities like night-vision compatibility, stealth mode, and a kill switch that can erase all data in seconds.

Sure, this watch is all polymer; there’s no stainless steel. The lens is Power Glass instead of sapphire crystal. And the screen feels like a downgrade after using Garmin’s fancier offerings. But at its core, this is a purpose-built tool destined for the battlefield. It’s far more capable than the price tag suggests, and it’s possibly the best value in military watches today. Any time a piece of gear is good enough for the high-speed, low-drag guys and affordable enough for the average service member, it’s a win in my book.

Locating, closing with, and destroying the enemy by GPS watch is great — so is navigating to an Instagram-perfect campsite in a national park — but a lot of you just need a watch that can keep up with your daily workout. Garmin has you covered because the Forerunner 245 series was built to bring out your best on a budget. This one can be synced to your phone via Bluetooth to access your favorite playlists.

The price may be entry-level, but the features are assuredly not. Training aids include adaptive programs developed by professional coaches, sport-specific interfaces, biometric data collection and graphs, and GPS accurate enough to track distance traveled, pace, and interval splits. The Forerunner 245 can even determine the ratio between your stride’s length and height to help you perfect your form. The Training Load function will let you know when to push harder and when to take a break with the Recovery Time advisor.

For most of us, music is an integral part of our workouts. The Forerunner 245 Music can be synced to your Spotify, Amazon Music, or Deezer account to keep your favorite playlists at your fingertips while you exercise. If you want to go fast and light without your phone, you can store up to 500 songs on the watch itself. When you’re done, use touchless payment to grab a drink without carrying your wallet.

Considering what you get with this watch, it’s a pretty remarkable training tool. There’s a reason professional athletes work smarter rather than harder, and so can you with hard data gathered from your workouts. This Garmin watch is a great, value-heavy option for everyday wear and your exercise routine.

The fenix 7 is a far cry from the mighty tactix 7, but you would probably never notice the difference. Unless you’re truly extracting every last bit of performance from the tactix 7 in an austere, remote location, the fenix 7 will probably do everything you need it to.

Rather than a spy gadget or wartime intelligence tool, think of this Garmin watch as the perfect companion for recreational adventure. Its multi-band GNSS support provides pinpoint accuracy using GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellite systems (like many other Garmin devices). The big, full-color touchscreen display is a serious upgrade over previous generations and makes navigating with the watch’s map much easier.

Like the tactix 7, the fenix Sapphire Solar benefits from an extremely durable sapphire crystal and impressive solar charging. While heavy GPS use will quickly drain any watch’s battery, it is possible to get several weeks out of a charge with any amount of solar charging (which you can monitor using the lux graph). Naturally, the fenix 7 boasts a long list of features including biometric sensors, topographic maps, a virtual training assistant, and the ability to track your performance over time.

The fenix 7 is an adventure watch most people aspire to. It’s rugged, intuitive, packed with technology, and can do even more when paired with Garmin apps and expansion features via Bluetooth. It wasn’t designed from the ground up for use in a combat zone, but it’s entirely capable of chasing horizons on your own time. For a lot of people, this will be the sweet spot of capability and cost.