Garmin Has Released a Luxury Smartwatch at a Price to Match.
Yesterday, the MARQ Gen 3 appeared on Garmin’s support pages, and today the company officially confirmed its release. Garmin unveiled its third-generation luxury smartwatch collection, consisting of six models priced between $ 2,500 and $3,100 . That’s certainly a lot of money for a watch. Let’s take a look at what exactly you get with the new Garmin MARQ Gen 3.
What you need to know about the Garmin MARQ Gen 3
The new collection includes the MARQ Athlete, Adventurer, Aviator, Commander, Golfer, and Diver models. Across all six models, Garmin has upgraded to larger AMOLED displays, added LTE and satellite connectivity, expanded mapping capabilities, and introduced the latest health and fitness features, which I detail in my review of another recent Garmin model, the Fenix 9 Pro .
The watch design reflects the luxurious formula for which the MARQ line is renowned. Each watch features a 47mm grade 5 titanium case, sapphire crystal, and a ceramic bezel insert. Each model is 15mm thick and features a 1.4-inch AMOLED display, compared to 1.2 inches on the previous generation.
At the very bottom of the price range is the MARQ Athlete, priced at $2,500. It comes with a silicone strap with VO2 max markings on the bezel and includes Garmin’s full suite of running and training features. The MARQ Adventurer, priced at $2,700, combines an Italian leather strap with a compass bezel. This model is designed for hiking, navigation, and mountaineering and includes preloaded ClimbPro information.
And so on: the remaining four models are designed for specific purposes, as have all MARQ variants since the line’s debut. The MARQ Aviator is a flight-focused model, the MARQ Commander is tactical, the MARQ Golfer is for golf, and the MARQ Diver is for water sports. Prices and band specifications for these four Garmin models range from $2,500 for the Athlete model to $3,100 for the top-of-the-line model.
What else is new in Garmin MARQ Gen 3?
In terms of software updates, the most significant new feature is built-in inReach support. All six watch models support LTE calling, messaging, and location sharing without a phone nearby, as well as satellite communications and emergency SOS calling through Garmin Response. Note: a separate inReach subscription is required to use these services.
Garmin also added a speaker, microphone, and LED flashlight. Other improvements include an ECG app in supported regions, new health and recovery metrics, and TopoActive maps worldwide with address search. Storage has increased from 32 GB to 128 GB, and battery life reaches 18 days in smartwatch mode or seven days with the always-on display enabled.
How does the MARQ compare to Garmin’s non-luxury models?
What’s most interesting is how these changes bring the MARQ closer to Garmin’s latest high-end sports watches, transforming it from a mere aesthetic choice into a fully-fledged model. Previously, MARQ buyers paid a premium for hardware that lacked some features already available in other models in the line. Frankly, the previous MARQ was essentially a version of a watch with improved materials that could be purchased for less, but with a reduced feature set.
Now, the MARQ Gen 3 is finally the top-of-the-line watch in Garmin’s lineup, boasting all the features of the Fenix . And for the first time, the MARQ offers advantages that the Fenix lacks, such as increased memory and built-in mapping features. Whether Garmin’s high price is justified remains to be seen.
Garmin says the collection is available now , with wider distribution planned for November 5th. The full list of products can be found on Garmin’s website here .