Garmin Instinct 2 Solar - Tactical Edition

Features

NIGHT VISION COMPATIBILITY
Switch between daytime view and night time view with a screen designed to be read by night vision goggles.

STEALTH MODE
Go dark by enabling stealth mode to stop storing and sharing your GPS position and disable wireless connectivity and communication.

DUAL-FORMAT GPS
Dual-format GPS coordinates with latitude and longitude references offer unparalleled situational awareness.

KILL SWITCH
If security becomes an issue, the kill switch wipes the device of all user memory.

JUMPMASTER MODE
Calculate high-altitude release points according to military guidelines while navigating to your objective once you’ve jumped.

TACTICAL ACTIVITY
See time, pace, time of day, elevation and your location in both coordinate types.

Track every adventure.

MULTI-GNSS SUPPORT
Whether you’re hiking, mountain biking, trail running or skiing, you’ll have access to multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) to track in more challenging environments than GPS alone.

ABC SENSORS
Navigate your next trail with ABC sensors, including an altimeter for elevation data, barometer to monitor weather and 3-axis electronic compass.

TRACBACK® ROUTING
Take the guesswork out of your return journey by using this feature to navigate the same route back to your starting point.

REFERENCE POINT
Keep track of a known place — such as your car or the trailhead — relative to your location, and easily find your way back to it.

Live connected.

SMART NOTIFICATIONS
Receive emails, texts and alerts right on your multisport watch when paired with your compatible smartphone.

CONNECT IQ™ STORE
Download custom watch faces, add data fields, and get apps and widgets from the Connect IQ Store app on your compatible smartphone.

GARMIN PAY™ CONTACTLESS PAYMENTS
Breeze through checkout lines and select transit systems with Garmin Pay contactless payments through participating providers.

SAFETY AND TRACKING FEATURES
When your multisport watch and phone are paired, your live location can be sent to your contacts manually or — during select outdoor activities — automatically with built-in incident Detection2.

CALENDAR VIEW
Easily see your plans for the day with a dedicated calendar screen when paired with your compatible smartphone.

SYNC WITH THE GARMIN CONNECT™ APP
See your health and fitness information all in one place. The Garmin Connect app on your compatible smartphone is a thriving online community where people on the go can connect, compete and share.

Train your way.

BUILT-IN SPORTS APPS
Do whatever you love with preloaded activity profiles for running, cycling, swimming, strength training, indoor climbing, virtual running, golf, yoga and more.

HIIT WORKOUTS
This activity profile tracks your HIIT workouts, including AMRAP, EMOM, Tabata and custom. Set the number of rounds, work/rest intervals and more.

VO2 MAX
Train smarter with VO2 max, an indicator of how you can expect to perform. It even accounts for changes in performance that could be caused by heat or altitude.

DAILY WORKOUT SUGGESTIONS
View your entire week of daily suggested workouts, which adapt after every run or ride to match your performance and recovery as well as the races coming up in your Garmin Connect™ smartphone app calendar.

RECOVERY TIME
After each workout, recovery time lets you know when you’ll be ready for another hard workout. It even accounts for training intensity and factors such as stress, daily activity and sleep.

BACKCOUNTRY SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING
These activity profiles now automatically distinguish between descending and climbing. So you can hit start on your first run and leave your multisport smartwatch tracking all day long.

MTB DYNAMICS
Track the details of every ride with mountain biking metrics plus specialised Grit™ and Flow™ measurements that rate trail difficulty and how smoothly you descend, giving you a score to beat next time.

WRIST-BASED RUNNING POWER
See how much power you’re applying to the trail or the road so you can manage your effort and fine-tune your training. No accessory required.

Know your body.

WRIST-BASED HEART RATE
Get estimated heart rate3 data along with alerts if your heart rate stays too high or too low while you’re at rest. Gauge how hard your heart is working during activities.

STRESS TRACKING
Heart rate variability is used to calculate your stress level score, so you can see if you’re having a calm, balanced or stressful day.

SLEEP SCORE AND ADVANCED SLEEP MONITORING
Get a full breakdown of your light, deep and REM sleep stages. View it all on a dedicated widget that includes your sleep score and insights.

BODY BATTERY™ ENERGY MONITORING
Optimise your body’s energy reserves, using heart rate variability, stress, sleep and other data to gauge when you’re ready to be active or when you may need to rest.

PULSE OX
For altitude acclimation or sleep monitoring, a Pulse Ox sensor4 uses light beams at your wrist to estimate how well your body is absorbing oxygen.

FITNESS AGE
This feature uses chronological age, your weekly vigorous activity, resting heart rate and BMI to estimate if your body is younger or older than you are. Get tips to lower your fitness age.

INTENSITY MINUTES
Track how many minutes of vigorous activity you’re getting, when you earn them and during which activity. You can even view them as a data field during timed activities.

HYDRATION TRACKING
Log daily fluid intake as a reminder to stay hydrated. When auto goal is enabled, you’ll even see estimated sweat loss after an activity, and your goal will adjust accordingly.

Specs

 

What You'll Love
Sleep Score and Insights	Yes
Battery life (smartwatch mode)	Smartwatch: Up to 28 days/Unlimited with solar
Daily Suggested Workouts	Yes
Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation	Yes
Garmin Pay™	Yes
Training Readiness	Yes
Training Status	Yes
Watch display type	Monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Solar charging
Water rating	10 ATM

General
Strap material	Silicone
Lens material	Power Glass™
Bezel material	Fibre-reinforced polymer
Case material	Fibre-reinforced polymer
QuickFit™ watch band compatible	Yes (22 mm)
Physical size	45 x 45 x 14.60 mm Fits wrists with a circumference of 135-230 mm
Weight	53 g
Display Size	Custom, two-window design; 0.9″ x 0.9″ (23 x 23 mm)
Display Resolution	176 x 176 pixels
Battery life	Smartwatch: Up to 28 days/Unlimited with solar* Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 65 days/Unlimited with solar* GPS: Up to 30 hours/48 hours with solar** Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 70 hours/370 hours with solar** Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 32 days/Unlimited with solar* *Solar charging, assuming all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions **Solar charging, assuming use in 50,000 lux conditions
Charging method	Garmin proprietary plug charger
Memory/history	32 MB

Clock features
Time/date	Yes
GPS time sync	Yes
Automatic daylight saving time	Yes
Alarm clock	Yes
Timer	Yes
Stopwatch	Yes
Sunrise/sunset times	Yes

Health & Wellness Monitoring
Wrist-based heart rate (constant, every second)	Yes
Daily Resting Heart Rate	Yes
Abnormal Heart Rate Alerts	Yes (high and low)
Respiration Rate (24x7)	Yes
Fitness Age	Yes
Body Battery™ Energy Monitor	Yes
All-day Stress	Yes
Relaxation Breathing Timer	Yes
Breathwork	Yes
Sleep	Yes
Hydration	Yes (in Garmin Connect™)
Women's Health	Yes (in Garmin Connect™)
Health Snapshot	Yes

Sensors
GPS	Yes
GLONASS	Yes
Galileo	Yes
Garmin Elevate™ wrist heart rate monitor	Yes
Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor	Yes
Barometric altimeter	Yes
Compass	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes
Thermometer	Yes

Daily smart features
Connectivity	Bluetooth®, ANT+®
Connect IQ™ (downloadable watch faces, data fields, widgets and apps)	Yes
Smart Notifications	Yes
Text response/reject phone call with text (Android™ only)	Yes
Morning report	Yes
Calendar	Yes
Weather forecasts	Yes
Realtime settings sync with Garmin Connect™ mobile	Yes
Battery Saver - customisable low power watch	Yes
Controls smartphone music	Yes
Find my phone	Yes
Find my watch	Yes
VIRB® camera remote	Yes
Smart trainer control	Yes
Compatible with Garmin Connect™ Mobile	Yes
Smartphone compatibility	iPhone®, Android™

Activity profiles
Gym	Strength, HIIT, Cardio and Elliptical Training, Stair Stepping, Floor Climbing, Indoor rowing
Multisport	Triathlon
WELLNESS	Walking, Pilates, Yoga
INDOOR RUNNING	Treadmill Running, Indoor Track Running
Outdoor running	Running, Outdoor Track Running, Trail Running
Outdoor recreation	Hiking, Indoor Climbing, Bouldering, Climbing, Hunting, Horseback Riding
Cycling	Biking, Road biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel biking, Bike commuting, Bike touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross
Swim	Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming
On the water	Stand Up Paddleboarding, Rowing, Kayaking, Surfing, Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Fishing
Racket sports	Tennis
Snow & Winter	Skiing, Snowboarding, Backcountry Snowboarding, XC Classic Skiing, Backcountry Skiing, Snowshoeing
Other activity profiles	Tactical, Obstacle Course

Safety and tracking features
Incident Detection during select activities	Yes
Assistance	Yes
LiveTrack	Yes

Tactical features
Stealth mode	Yes
Night vision mode	Yes
Dual grid coordinates	Yes
KILL SWITCH	Yes
XERO™ Locations	Yes

Gaming Features
Gaming activity	Yes
GameOn™ app compatible	Yes

Activity tracking features
Step counter	Yes
Move alerts (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it)	Yes
Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal)	Yes
Calories Burned	Yes
Floors climbed	Yes
Distance travelled	Yes
Intensity minutes	Yes
TrueUp™	Yes
Move IQ™	Yes
Garmin Connect™ Challenges app	Yes (optional Connect IQ app)

Fitness equipment/gym
Cardio workouts	Yes
Strength workouts	Yes
HIIT workouts	Yes
Yoga workouts	Yes
Pilates workouts	Yes
Automatic rep counting	Yes

Training, planning and analysis features
Customisable screen(s)	Yes
Downloadable training plans	Yes
Course guidance	Yes
HR Zones	Yes
HR Alerts	Yes
HR Calories	Yes
% HR Max	Yes
% HRR	Yes
Recovery Time	Yes
Auto Max HR	Yes
HRV Status	Yes
HR Broadcast (broadcasts HR data over ANT+® to paired devices)	Yes (using ANT+)
Respiration Rate (During Exercise)	Yes
GPS speed and distance	Yes
Customisable activity profiles	Yes
Auto Pause®	Yes
Interval training	Yes
Advanced workouts	Yes
Power Modes - customisable in-activity battery settings	Yes
HRM running pace and distance	Yes
Auto Lap®	Yes
Manual lap	Yes
Configurable lap alerts	Yes
Heat and Altitude Acclimation	Yes
VO2 Max (Run)	Yes
VO2 Max (Trail Run)	Yes
Training Load	Yes
Training Effect	Yes
Training Effect (Anaerobic)	Yes
Primary benefit (Training Effect labels)	Yes
Customisable alerts	Yes
Audio prompts	Yes
Finish time	Yes
Virtual partner	Yes
Race an activity	Yes
Auto multisport activities	Yes
Multi-sport	Yes
Touch and/or button lock	Yes
Hot keys	Yes
Auto scroll	Yes
Activity history on watch	Yes
Physio TrueUp	Yes
Unified Training Status	Yes

Running features
GPS-based distance, time and pace	Yes
Running dynamics	Yes (with compatible accessory)
Vertical oscillation and ratio	Yes (with compatible accessory)
Ground contact time and balance	Yes (with compatible accessory)
Stride length (real time)	Yes (with compatible accessory)
Cadence (provides real-time number of steps per minute)	Yes
Running power	Yes
Performance condition	Yes
Lactate threshold	Yes (with compatible accessory)
Run workouts	Yes
Trail run auto climb	Yes
Race predictor	Yes
Foot pod capable	Yes
Run/Walk/Stand detection	Yes

Golfing features
Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green)	Yes
Yardage to layups/doglegs	Yes
Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course)	Manual
Digital scorecard	Yes
Stat tracking (strokes, putts per round, greens and fairways hit)	Yes
Garmin AutoShot™	Yes
Auto CourseView updates	Yes
Green View with manual pin position	Yes
Hazards and course targets	Yes
Round timer/odometer	Yes
Automatic club tracking compatible (requires accessory)	Yes
Pairs with Garmin Golf app	Yes
Tournament legal	Yes

Outdoor recreation
Point-to-point navigation	Yes
Breadcrumb trail in real time	Yes
Back to start	Yes
TracBack®	Yes
UltraTrac mode	Yes
REFERENCE POINT	Yes
Elevation profile	Yes
Distance to destination	Yes
Barometric trend indicator with storm alert	Yes
Vertical speed	Yes
Total ascent/descent	Yes
Future elevation plot	Yes
GPS coordinates	Yes
Sight 'N Go	Yes
Area calculation	Yes
Projected waypoint	Yes
Sun and moon information	Yes
Expedition GPS Activity	Yes

Cycling features
Courses	Yes
Bike lap and lap maximum power (with power sensor)	Yes
Race an activity	Yes
Alerts (triggers alarm when you reach goals including time, distance, heart rate or calories)	Yes
FTP (Functional Threshold Power)	Yes
MTB Grit & Flow	Yes
Compatible with Vector™ and Rally™ (power meters)	Yes
Compatible with Varia™ radar (rear-facing radar)	Yes
Compatible with Varia™ lights	Yes
Speed and cadence sensor support (w/sensor)	Yes
Power meter compatible	Yes

Swimming features
Open-water swim metrics (distance, pace, stroke count/rate, stroke distance, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories)	Yes
Pool swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count, swim efficiency (SWOLF), calories)	Yes
Stroke type detection (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) (pool swim only)	Yes
Drill logging (pool swim only)	Yes
Basic rest timer (up from 0) (pool swim only)	Yes
"Repeat on" rest timer (pool swim only)	Yes
Auto rest (pool swim only)	Yes
Time and distance alerts	Yes
Countdown start	Yes
Pool swim workouts	Yes
Underwater wrist-based heart rate	Yes
Heart rate from external HRM (real-time during rests, interval and session stats during rests, and automatic heart rate download post-swim)	Yes

Kid activity tracking features
Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app	Yes (optional Connect IQ Toe-to-Toe™ Challenges app)

Security Information
Security updates until at least (YYYY-MM-DD)	2024-02-09

In the box

- Instinct 2 Solar Tactical Watch
- USB Charging/data cable
- Garmin Documentation

FAQ's

Is my smartphone compatible with this device?

The Instinct 2 Solar is compatible with smartphones using Bluetooth® wireless technology.

More info here - compatible smartphone.

Can you pair this watch with the new inReach Mini Satellite communicator?

Yes you can pair the Instinct 2 Solar with the inReach Mini , you can then receive message alerts from the inReach mini on the screen of the Instinct and also control sending messages and SOS alerts directly from the watch.

What is the Battery life on a Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Watch ?

The battery life of the Garmin Instinct Watch in Smartwatch mode: Up to 28 days/Unlimited with Solar*, GPS mode (Recording activities, Navigating courses) Up to 30 hours/48 hours with solar**

*Solar charging, assuming all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions
**Solar charging, assuming use in 50,000 lux conditions

What are some of the main the features of a Garmin Instinct 2 Solar GPS watch?

The Garmin Instinct Watch is a  rugged GPS watch is built to military standards and is water-rated to 100 metres. Keep your bearings with a built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter. Multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) help you track in more challenging environments than with GPS alone, also has a Wrist Heart Rate Monitor and receives message notification from a paired phone.

Can I send a GPX file to a Garmin Instinct 2 Solar  Watch to follow as a course ?

Yes you can transfer GPX files to the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Watch using either the Garmin Connect App or Garmin Explore App, you can then follow these courses on the Garmin Instinct Watch to Navigate with.


What is the Weight if the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Watch ?

The Garmin Instinct Watch weighs 53g

Can you display different watch faces on the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar Watch ?

Yes the Garmin Instinct watch offers six unique watch faces, with a colour inverted option for each. Additionally, each watch face has the ability to customize what data or symbols to display.