Garmin newest diver’s watch has been released into the wild. The Descent G1 comes with a solar option and features capabilities that are beneficial both in and out of the water.
The Garmin Descent MK2S was the company’s most recent diver’s watch. That was in May of the previous year. The gadget, which came in light gold, grey, and mineral blue hues, was a smaller and less expensive version of the original.
What’s new in the Garmin Descent G1?
Descent G1 is less than half the price of that game. Garmin has saved some money by using a fibre-reinforced polymer bezel rather than a steel one. The watch keeps its fibre-reinforced polymer body, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal lens, and five leak-proof buttons despite being water-resistant to 10 ATM. The display is where you’ll save the most money.
The Descent G1 has a lower-resolution version. You get a monochrome MIP (176 x 176 pixels) with a bespoke, two-window design: 0.9′′ x 0.9′′ instead of the MK2S’s 1.2-inch sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) (240 x 240 pixels).
The watch’s actual measurements are 45.5 x 45.5 x 15.2 mm, placing it between the MK2 (52mm in diameter) and the MK2S (43mm in diameter).
When it comes to the sensors under the hood, there isn’t much of a difference.
You get everything, so the watch can also be used as a fitness, sleep, and health tracker. One can use 30 built-in sports applications, advanced training tools, plus newly launched features like Fitness Age and Health Snapshot.
On-board music storage is also lacking, while it is present on the MK2s. So just Bluetooth and ANT+ are supported, not WiFi. The Descent G1 does not even allow you to manage your smartphone’s audio.
NFC is available for contactless transactions via Garmin Pay, notifications, calendar reminders, and incoming phone alerts, among other things.
Extensive features
The diving functions have remained mostly untouched, and the watch now has access to a variety of dive modes, making it appropriate for both novice and advanced divers. Apnea, Apnea hunt, Gauge, Gas dives (single and multiple), and Closed-circuit rebreather are all included.
All of them have useful features, including depth, dive time, temperature, time to surface (TTS), and no-decompression limit (NDL) alarms. The watch can also track the ascent and descent rate, gas mix, decompression, and safety stop information.
The device is, of course, GPS (GLONASS, Galileo) enabled, automatically allowing note surface entry and exit positions.
The battery life is adequate. In dive mode, you can spend up to 25 hours below the water’s surface between charges increasing to 21 days while using a smartwatch (or four months with solar).
You can expect 26 hours in GPS mode (and 39 hours with solar). Garmin claims that the device can run in Battery Saver Smartwatch Mode indefinitely in the solar modal.
Some more information
The watch is available for $549.99 on Garmin’s website in Slate Gray or Powder Gray. It’s also available on Amazon in the United States, the United Kingdom, and a few other countries (check price/availability).
The solar version, which comes in Hurricane Blue and Black and costs $100 more, is also available.
The sole difference between it and the standard version is its capacity to convert the sun’s rays into electricity.
What do you all think about this watch, especially for divers? Why don’t you dive in and check out its features in real life and share them with us?
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