Gear: Gamin Quatix 7 PRO
Garmin updates its boating-friendly Quatix smartwatch with new featuresMarine electronics specialist Garmin has gone back to the drawing board for the launch of its new Garmin Quatix 7 PRO smartwatch, introducing a decent battery life and a host of new features – including a torch.
Also featuring in this generation is an optional display using AMOLED technology that is also used on some high-end smartphones.
Key to this generation of the Quatix are a 16-day battery life in the watch’s default smartphone mode, and the inbuilt LED torch.
The torch can select several intensities of brightness and even includes a flashing/strobe mode that’s handy should you ever end up in the water, and a red light mode for nighttime use.
The watch includes a sapphire lens that can resist scratching, a carbon-coated titanium bezel, a metal button guard, quick-release bands that make it easy to change colours and styles, and metal-protected lugs.
The new watch gives users the choice of using the buttons to scroll through functions and apps, or via the touchscreen interface.
The big benefit of the Garmin Quatix 7 PRO, though, is the ability to communicate with a boat’s Garmin electronics.
The upgrade to the smartwatch now makes it compatible with the Garmin Force trolling motor including the motor’s status, and allows the wearer to control the motor directly from the watchface.
The watch will also interface with compatible Garmin chartplotters, autopilot systems and Fusion audio systems.
The watch also features a Fish Forecast app that tracks solar and lunar cycles to give estimates of the likelihood of catching a fish, and several marine apps that can be used to record boat data and receive alerts when things start going wrong.
There are also specific apps for sail racing, wake surfing and water skiing.
The watch can also be used for navigation and includes support for BlueChart and LakeVu coastal and inland waterway charts, as well as weather map overlays.
Using Garmin Pay, you can even use it to shout a round of beers back at the yacht club.
Want one for Christmas? It could be yours for just $1099 for the Standard Edition with a 47.0mm case size, or up to $1899 for the range-topping 51.0mm featuring a metal band and solar recharging on its face that extends its recharging time to around 37 days.
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