Instinct® 3 is the rugged 45 mm GPS smartwatch with a 0.9” display, built-in flashlight and unlimited battery life in smartwatch mode with solar charging (assumes all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions). With bolted construction, a metal-reinforced bezel and scratch-resistant lens, it can take on your toughest adventures. It’s engineered to MIL-STD-810 standards for thermal and shock resistance and is also 10 ATM water-rated. To keep you on track, the Instinct 3 smartwatch includes a built-in 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter. Plus, multi-band GPS with SatIQ™ technology delivers superior positioning while also optimizing battery life. Its 24/7 health and wellness features keep you connected to your body with heart rate tracking, advanced sleep monitoring, Pulse Ox and more (this is not a medical device, and data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked; Pulse Ox not available in all countries). Instinct 3 also includes Garmin Pay™ contactless payments (with a supported bank).
Make a bold statement with this rugged GPS smartwatch, featuring a 0.9” display with solar charging lens and unlimited battery life with solar charging (assumes all-day wear with 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions)
Engineered with a supertough 45 mm fiber-reinforced polymer case and metal-reinforced bezel
Built-in LED flashlight with variable intensities and strobe modes gives you greater visibility in the outdoors and provides convenient illumination when you need it
Know your body better with health monitoring features, including wrist-based heart rate, advanced sleep monitoring, Pulse Ox and more (this is not a medical device, and data presented is intended to be a close estimation of metrics tracked; Pulse Ox not available in all countries)
Navigate confidently with a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter and multi-band GPS with SatIQ technology, which delivers superior positioning while also optimizing battery life
10 ATM water-rated and designed to MIL-STD-810 for thermal and shock resistance
Leave your cash and cards at home; Garmin Pay contactless payments (with supported bank) let you pay for purchases on the go and breeze through select transit systems
Stay connected with smart notifications and Connect IQ Store compatibility, which allows you to download new apps and watch faces (when paired with your compatible smartphone)
Safety and tracking features include incident detection (during select activities) and Assistance, both of which call or send a message with your live location to emergency contacts when paired with your smartphone; requires setup and your smartphone to be in an area with network coverage where data connectivity is available
Sync the Instinct 3 smartwatch with the Garmin Connect app, and get more details on your health and fitness data plus personalized insights and more
- Price: $399.99
- Rating: 4.5 ⭐
- ASIN: B0DSG9VCRH
![SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Ultra 47mm LTE AI Smartwatch + Free Band, Energy Score, Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, Fitness Tracker, GPS, 2024, Titanium Silver [US Version, 1Yr Manufacturer Warranty]](https://i0.wp.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81yxMkmrSIL._AC_SL1500_.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1 "SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch Ultra 47mm LTE AI Smartwatch + Free Band, Energy Score, Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, Fitness Tracker, GPS, 2024, Titanium Silver [US Version, 1Yr Manufacturer Warranty]")
Fellow Amazonian –
excellent upgrade from Instinct Solar 1
This was an upgrade from Instinct 1 solar. The battery on it started draining faster after 4 years. This one is better in every respect. Things that I really like: 1) GPS is vastly better: locks on much faster and is more precise, 2) battery life seems to be better, particularly in the sun (it seems to be using the solar function more efficiently), 3) sleep score and HRV monitoring are nice additions; 4) I think it also syncs with Garmin Connect on the phone much faster; 5) the band is better. I wasn’t sure about case styling at first (with those orange accents) but it grew on me and I like it now. Overall, very satisfied with this upgrade.
Alex Reinwald –
Great solar watch!
Love this watch! Love the look and functionality! I have always been more of a g-shock watch wearer, and dont like the look of an apple watch. This was the best of them, has a rugged basic look plus all the smart watch capabilities. I love the fact that its not a bright screen, keep me basic please! Battery is great, I wear it all day and night tracking sleep. I throw it on charger maybe once a week for about 30 minutes when I havent been outside much.
Akula Chaturvedi –
Garmin vs Apple
I have been a dedicated long-distance runner for over a decade, with numerous full and half marathons under my belt. For years, my trusted training partner was my Apple Watch Series 8. I ran with it, trained with it, and trusted its data implicitlyâuntil a swim session caused it to fail. After getting it repaired at a local shop (since Apple does not repair them), I decided I needed something more durable and made the switch to the Garmin.I have only had the Garmin Instinct 3 for a week, but the difference is a total game-changer. I ran my usual park route, and the results were shocking. On the same 50-minute run, the Apple Watch logged 5.2 km, while the Garmin’s multi-band GPS recorded a much more accurate 7.3 km. You can see the difference in the imagesâthe Garmin’s tracking is spot on, while the Apple Watch’s GPS shows me running off-track, which I wasn’t. This massive discrepancy made me question how much my past training data might have been off.Ultimately, this experience has made me re-evaluate what I truly need in a running watch. While the Apple Watch is a fantastic piece of technology with features like ECG, noise level, and stock tracking, etc. for serious training, those are often just distractions. I have hardly used them in the past two years, realizing they were more for novelty than utility.Here are the key differentiators for me:GPS Accuracy: The Garmin’s multi-band GPS is a massive leap forward, providing a level of precision that is essential for analyzing training data.Durability: The peace of mind that comes with a rugged, purpose-built device is a huge relief. I am no longer worried about my watch failing during a key training session.Function vs. Features: While I miss the ability to take hands-free calls on my watch, I have realized I don’t need all the “tech” features that come with a smartwatch. The Garmin focuses on the core functions I need as an athlete.For me, the Garmin Instinct 3 has proven to be the better tool for the job. Its accuracy and durability are far more valuable to my training than any smartwatch feature.
IO –
Best MIP watch. Compared with Instinct 2, Coros Pace 3, Suunto 9 Peak Pro & Vertical
My priorities for a smart watch:1) long battery life that I can use to track week-long backpacking trips.2) a display that I can ALWAYS read. I don’t like waiting for a display to light up; I don’t need colors.3) something that doesn’t need to be charged often so I can sleep with it for my morning alarm and sleep tracking.My previous watch was an Amazfit Bip S (with a MIP display). It recently died after 4 years of use. I was looking for more to replace it. I compared 5 watches with MIP displays: Garmin Instinct 3 Solar and 2 Solar, Coros Pace 3, Suunto Vertical and 9 Peak Pro.The Garmin Instinct 3 was noticeably better than the Instinct 2: a crisper and more reflective display, better solar charging, snappier response (I noticed a little bit of lag switching screens sometimes), and that torch! Feature-wise and software, they looked identical. I think it wouldn’t be worth upgrading from the Instinct 2, but since I was replacing a watch, the improvements in the Instinct 3 are worth the price difference. I wasn’t going to go cheap if either Garmin was better than the others. (The Fenix is beyond what I want to spend.)The Instinct (both 2 and 3) is a cut above the Coros or Suunto in several ways:1) while the display is smaller, it had a more reflective display that was easier to read in any light. Both 2 and 3 are more reflective than the others actually. (See attached photo.)2) while the Garmin watch faces are not as pretty or even in color, almost all of the display fields on the watch face can be customized. I spent a while looking for watch faces for the Suunto and Coros with the fields I want and never found the “perfect” one, but with the Instincts, I could just select the data I want and place them on the screen.3) the activity data screens are also very customizable with lots of options to choose from. I couldn’t do this as well with the Coros and Suunto. I didn’t realize how much I appreciated having customized fields and screens for hiking vs biking vs running until I could.4) solid battery life, solar charging5) thoughtful/useful features: lap stat announcements to your BT headset, shortcut to power saving mode, unusual tracking modes like expedition and area calc, double function of each button – short vs long press, a double-tap shortcut for the torchOtherwise, all five watches had similar features: activity tracking galore, sleep tracking, alarms and timers, stopwatch, compass, altimeter, barometer, etc.2nd place: the Coros was the most visually appealing of the set. The Instincts have that rugged chunky look and a smaller monochrome display, while the Coros was sleek with an attractive display (for MIP). Although they were all “45mm” watches, the Coros had a lower profile on my wrist, and through a trick of design, it looked like it had a smaller bezel. (It wasn’t.) Data fields were displayed in BIG readable fonts during activities. The scroll wheel and two buttons was probably the most fun interface to use. Scrolling and zooming is quite nice with a scroll wheel.The Suunto Vertical is very similar to the 9 Peak Pro. I got my hands on both. I don’t think it is worth the 2x price difference so I only compared the 9 Peak Pro with the others.
Fred R –
excellente montre connectée , beaucoup de paramètres , très résistante , pas d’écran tactile ( je n’en voulais pas ) , tout se contrôle simplement avec les 5 boutons , excellente autonomie , les Garmin ont parfois un prix plus élevé mais on s’y retrouve largement.
Sam –
Love this watch, has everything you need. I was looking at the data as I use for running and it has the same run features as the more expensive 265.The torch and redshift actually come in handy too.Battery life is fantastic, getting 2 weeks and thatâs also using it for 1-2 hr daily activities
Justin Perreault –
WHAT AN AWESOME WATCHEDIT2: coming back today to update. its now been 3 weeks without charging and it still shows 4 days remaining.EDIT: I just wanted to say that I bought this watch two weeks ago, fully charged it, and put it on. It gave me a battery estimate of 9 days. Today, is day 14 and it hasn’t been charged yet and shows 6 days remaining. Awesome battery life, exactly what I needed. I am not outside all that often either, and it is running with heart rate sensor on.When I was younger, always used regular digital watches. They were built tough, lasted a long time, and did what they were supposed to.Then smart watches started to roll out. I ponied up and bought a samsung galaxy watch 4. Didn’t take long to realize I did not like using it. There were two major glaring flaws with the smart watch – a display that would shut off and battery life that would barely make it a day.Switched back to a normal watch for a long time after; a solar G-shock. But even that had problems. The watch band started coming off, was replaced, and would keep falling off. The smallest chip in the body where the cheap 1.5mm spring bar went caused irreversible damage. Not to mention, the display was maybe 5 mm, it didnt have any advanced features, and was mainly a clock face dial type.So I started looking specifically for watches with a beefier watch band bar. No more 1.5mm spring cheapo bars for me.The first thing I came across and was serious about buying was the Suunto core all black. I really liked that it used a full-through screw bar. I actually purchased it, but shortly after kept researching and researching. Realized, this might not be the watch for me. Every review, discussion, always brought up the garmin instinct. I didn’t want to spend too much, so cost was a major factor in my decision making.Anyway, ponied up the costs and bought this watch, and love it. Solar powered, been wearing it for days and hasnt lost any juice. Has a thicker stronger band bar. Always on display. Beautiful design. Plenty of smart watch features without the battery drain. I am beyond satisfied. Will use it for a long time.
Sergio –
Ottimo prodotto specifico e efficiente nel suo campo
kjeld –
Wat is dit een top aankoop geweest had hiervoor een apple watch maar de batrij hiervan gaat wel 18 dagen mee dus niet zoals me oude elke avond opladen hierdoor blijft hij veel langer om me pols en merk ik hem bijna niet je kan een hele hoop dingen meten en inzien en werkt echt top echt wen aanrader