Garmin is launching its latest line of multisport watches, packed with state-of-the-art smart features for active sports and leisure.
The watch itself is quite a conservative, "male" accessory. And if the watches of elite brands are designed to emphasize the high social and financial status of the owner, then modern smart watches at a much lower cost have rich functionality, perfect for the most serious male professions and hobbies.
Among civilian destinations, these are all kinds of tourism and outdoor activities - hunting, fishing, trekking, hiking, which are popular in the West, and “wild tourism” in Russia, since there are enough places with extreme conditions. There are many extreme sports where smartwatches will come to the rescue - for example, rock climbing, parachuting, diving.
The transition to smart watches is due to the development of satellite networks that carry out geolocation, as well as data transmission - GPS, Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou. Garmin is the leader in this field, the company's devices globally interact with the GPS network. Sports and touring watches with GPS, wireless modules, and increased durability are the face of modern “smart” watches, the classic representatives of which are the Garmin Fenix 5 family. functionality, scope and price.
On March 13, it became known that Garmin launches the latest series of multisport watches (so-called tool watches) equipped with modern smart functions for various areas of active sports and leisure - MARQ Aviator, MARQ Driver, MARQ Captain, MARQ Expedition and MARQ Athlete. Each model in the MARQ series is designed for users who are passionate about flying, racing, swimming, traveling and playing sports in general.
A set of universal functions in smart watches and the presence of a number of specific functions in various models for more professional use in specific areas of activity is a modern trend. So, in addition to the latest MARQ series, Garmin has previously developed the Descent MK1 - a smart watch for diving, and the D2 Delta - a smart watch for pilots.
We will consider the functionality of smart watches for “male professions” using the Fenix 5X Plus model with oxygen level control as an example. The difference between this model and other versions is the presence of an adjustable pulse oximeter Pulse Ox, which is a control and diagnostic sensor for measuring the level of blood oxygen saturation. The presence of this sensor can hardly be overestimated when doing mountaineering, rock climbing, mountain tourism, when a certain pulse and the degree of "gassed" blood can help to avoid serious injuries in time.
The watch now determines the location by GPS, Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou - a complex system of satellites improves positioning accuracy. In addition, the watch supports the display of several types of maps - topographic maps, Birds Eye images, Blue Chart nautical charts and City Navigator street maps. The watch navigates to a specific object, coordinates, or to the starting point of the route. You can create routes and distances in travel and training, memorize individual waypoints. The watch is equipped with a three-axis compass with automatic calibration. Thus, smart watches will always provide the opportunity not to get lost in unfamiliar terrain, return to the desired point, and also find the desired object or person if the coordinates are received. The watch also contains an altimeter and a barometer.
Like other Garmin models, Fenix 5X Plus is equipped with powerful features for sports training. Activity profiles include swimming, running, cycling, triathlon, walking, hiking, skiing, rowing, paddleboarding (a form of surfing), golf, rock climbing and others.
Built-in heart rate monitor shows heart rate and calories burned. Based on the heart rate data and training dynamics, pace, the analysis of the degree of aerobic and anaerobic (strength) load, training efficiency, stress level and rest time is carried out.
For each sport, you can keep a detailed training diary, comparing the load and various indicators (time, distance, overall pace and for each lap, heart rate, efficiency), as well as plan training programs.
When climbing, the Pulse Ox sensor will show the level of oxygen in the blood as a percentage and analyze the degree of readiness of the body when climbing to a height. You will see how your body adapts to rarefied air and how this indicator changes with training, by lowering the oxygen index you can objectively track the signs of “altitude sickness” caused by a lack of oxygen in the rarefied mountain air. ClimbPro provides up-to-date information on current and upcoming climbs - showing grade, distance and climb for each climb.
Fenix 5X Plus supports connection via Bluetooth (can be connected to a smartphone), Ant + (for pairing with various additional sensors, such as a chest heart rate monitor) and Wi-Fi. The watch is waterproof, shockproof, with sapphire crystal. They have extended battery life - 13 hours in GPS mode and 10 days in watch mode.
In the civil sphere, there are a number of areas associated not only with extreme conditions and adrenaline, but first of all with courage and genuine heroism. These are search and rescue activities, from the search for mushroom pickers to the rescue of climbers in the mountains, the rescue and evacuation of the population during floods and other emergencies, and the fight against forest fires. Both professionals and numerous voluntary and volunteer organizations are involved in all these areas. In such situations, any auxiliary means of detection and orientation become relevant, to which, with full confidence, smart watches should be attributed.
Whether it's a profession or just a hobby, modern smartwatches are not only a convenient or fashionable tool - they can help find a person and save a life.
Article provided by a partner. The author of the article is Dmitry Vladimirov.
