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Garmin MARQ: a collection of 5 luxury smart health connected watches

Garmin MARQ: a collection of 5 luxury smart health connected watches

April 08, 2020

5 luxury watches for demanding athletes
MARQ Driver: for car racing enthusiasts
MARQ Aviator: live your passion for aviation
MARQ Captain: a marine watch for ocean racing
MARQ Expedition: for adventurers and explorers
MARQ Athlete: for demanding athletes
Our opinion on the MARQ series
Price and availability

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5 luxury watches for demanding athletes

The MARQ collection offers exceptional, modern and authentic watches combining quality and high technology. Particular care has been taken in the assembly. The selected materials are of superior quality: titanium, sapphire, ceramic, Italian cowhide, nylon woven by a specialized workshop, etc.

Garmin targets a targeted audience with some purchasing power. It is indeed necessary to pay between 1500 and 2500 € to acquire one of these luxury watches.

In terms of technology, the series incorporates the best of current Garmin watches (Fenix 5 Plus, Quatix 5, D2 Delta PX) with common functions and specific features specific to the five activities on offer:

MARQ Driver: designed for racing drivers and fans, it contains the data of 250 racing circuits
MARQ Aviator: this watch designed for aviators offers avionics functions, flight maps and detailed NEXRAD weather radar
MARQ Captain: this marine watch has advanced nautical functions and can even be used to steer a boat from the watch
MARQ Expedition: this special backpacker model includes all the tools useful for skiing, hiking and high mountain expeditions
MARQ Athlete: this "Tool Watch" offers integrated maps and advanced tools to assist athletes, as well as new functions.

Each model is fitted with a domed sapphire crystal, a bezel and a titanium case.

Common features

The five watches in the MARQ series incorporate the best of current Garmin sports watches. In addition to the specific functions that we briefly describe below, they all integrate the same sensors and functionalities:

Many sensors for navigation and location: altimeter, barometer, compass, GPS, thermometer, gyroscope
A new optical heart rate sensor including a red LED for measuring blood oxygen saturation (like on the Fenix 5X Plus).
Advanced navigation features with preloaded topographic maps and ski resort maps, road and bike maps, guidance, liveTrack and Group LiveTrack features, breadcrumb, elevation profile, ClimbPro ascent planner, and more
Advanced sports functions (biometric data, race dynamics, race predictor, swimming metrics, physiological measurements, cadence measurements, power, speed, etc.)
A Garmin Pay contactless payment function for paying small purchases without having to carry a smartphone or bank card
Activity tracking (tracker) and sleep analysis
A bluetooth wireless mp3 player that can carry up to 2000 songs (twice the size of a Fenix 5 Plus) and offers music streaming via Deezer or Spotify. No need for a smartphone to listen to music during your sport!
41,000 golf courses worldwide preloaded and advanced for golf
An oximeter (measurement of blood oxygen level)

Quality

The series aims to be chic with a choice of quality materials and particular care taken in making the bracelets designed according to the activity practiced: Italian cowhide leather with refined details for the MARQ Expedition, nylon woven "Jacquard" way , made by craftsmen from the South of France on a shuttle loom for the MARQ Captain, brushed titanium fitting precisely on the wrist for the MARQ Aviator, black titanium alloyed with red silicone reminiscent of a famous brand of sports cars for the MARQ Driver. The titanium and ceramic bezel gives the watch an authentic appearance. The case is also of quality and with a neat appearance. In short, the MARQ series looks great.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tMrZryYdz0 (/ embed)

MARQ Driver: for car racing enthusiasts

The MARQ Driver watch is a versatile, modern watch, equipped with functions useful to drivers and motor racing enthusiasts. In particular, it has a tachometer and more than 250 world racing circuits.

It has a black titanium bracelet with red silicone interior for optimal comfort. An amorphous carbon coating with inlay of the ceramic dial gives it great looks.

Among other things, this model offers:

More than 250 famous preloaded racing circuits with display on the watch of certain tracks
An application displaying circuit data and calculating intermediate auto laps from GPS
Audio reports of each round
An electronic tachometer integrated into the bezel and a chronograph for calculating the speed of a car on a circuit

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqgveK6kiNE (/ embed)

MARQ Aviator: live your passion for aviation

The MARQ Aviator model is a luxury Tool Watch intended for aviators. It offers intelligent functions for navigation, a global aeronautical database, the display of your flight trajectory on a moving color map, access to NEXRAD weather radar data. From takeoff to arrival, it tells you the direction to take and the estimated time of arrival.

The watch is compatible with Garmin devices that can be found on planes

It has a brushed titanium bracelet that adjusts precisely to the wrist and a 24-hour GMT mirror-polished dial that allows you to check the time in 2 time zones.

Its main features are:

A global database of airports and aerodromes, NAVAID and intersections
A "direct-to" emergency navigation function to quickly reach the nearest airport
Wireless reception of flight plans from Garmin Pilot
HSI heading display
A 3-axis electronic compass with horizontal situation indicator
A scrolling map of aviation waypoints
Access to detailed NEXRAD weather data on a moving map
Compatibility with Garmin cockpit devices

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KcLBWOhjv8 (/ embed)

MARQ Captain: a marine watch for ocean racing

This marine watch will delight all fans of boating. It offers the intelligent nautical functions of the Quatix 5 and new advanced functions. It includes a regatta stopwatch with GPS, assistance with tacking, a "man overboard" button, the possibility of controlling your boat by the watch and more.

The MARQ Captain is chic with its navy blue ceramic bezel and a superb "Jacquard" woven bracelet, resistant to salt water and made by craftsmen from the South of France with a shuttle loom.

Among other things, this watch offers:

Preloaded navigation profiles (boat, sailing, fishing)
Assistance with tacking
Autopilot control to change course, tack or even maneuver the boat directly from the watch (requires compatible Garmin equipment)
Broadcasting boat data and adding waypoints to the boat's plotter from the watch (requires compatible Garmin equipment)
Information on wind direction, temperature, tides
Remote control of compatible products (stereo device, etc.)
An anchor alarm

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQGWIT0DPsU (/ embed)

MARQ Expedition: for adventurers and explorers

This luxury "tool watch" designed for exploration will delight mountain and exploration fans, including mountaineers, skiers and mountain enthusiasts.

Packed with measuring instruments and intelligent navigation functions, it will guide you anywhere. In particular, it includes topographic maps and real-time ascent data.

For adventures at very high altitudes, an oximeter (Pulse Ox sensor) allows you to check your good acclimatization by measuring the oxygen saturation of the blood.

Its cowhide leather strap gives it a chic style and provides excellent wrist support.

The MARQ Expedition includes:

A 360-degree compass with an engraved bezel and an orientation function for navigating with a compass superimposed on a map background
ABC sensors (altimeter, barometer, 3-axis compass)
Colored topographic maps including the ski slopes
Access to track names and difficulty levels for 2000 stations around the world and maps to never get lost
A popular Trendline route generator that offers routes frequented by other members of the Garmin community
The ClimbPro function which displays information concerning your current or future ascent (distance, slope, altitude difference traveled, etc.)

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s0yUJVUhk4 (/ embed)

MARQ Athlete: for demanding athletes

The MARQ Athelte is a remarkable watch and a precious aid for athletes of all levels. This luxury "tool watch" offers all the useful functions for athletes to train, optimize their performance, follow their progress, and find their bearings.

The watch offers tools such as biometric data, advanced race dynamics, a race predictor. It offers running and cycling routes thanks to its library of routes and on-board maps, including the cycle paths in Europe. Golfers will find complete tools and over 41,000 on-board courses.

Its ultra-light titanium case and a brushed amorphous carbon dial.

This model includes:

The display of the recovery time and your VO2max by 2 small arrows directly on the watch face (unique function) to know at any time your performance and your progress
Performance metrics showing your fitness level
Race dynamics (stride length, bounce, ground contact rate, etc.)
A race predictor to assess the average speed for example or the expected time of arrival at a race (marathon, etc.)
A popular route generator with the best running and cycling routes around you and their display on the map
The ClimbPro function which displays in real time the data of your current or future ascent (elevation, slope, etc.)

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_0WM1o1biM (/ embed)

Our opinion on the MARQ series

Garmin wants to stand out from the competition by offering very high-end combining luxury and advanced technology. These 5 exceptional watches with an authentic appearance indeed offer the best in technology today. Luxury watch enthusiasts looking for beauty, quality and smart features should therefore be satisfied.

The MARQ series is obviously aimed at people who can afford to pay between 1,500 and 2,500 € for a sports watch.

The price seems high, however, despite the functions offered and the care taken in the design of the watch. Admittedly, the on-board functions are impressive but they are, for the most part, already offered on the Fenix 5 Plus or on other specialized watches (marine watch Quatix 5, aviation watch D2 Delta PX). The materials are of high quality but those of the Fenix 5 are also high depending on the models. Does that justify the 850 to 1850 € more to pay for the MARQ series? This is especially true for the MARQ Athlete which is neither more nor less than a Fenix 5X Plus at a significantly higher price.

Besides, a luxury watch is made to last. These will be obsolete in a few years or even unusable with the wear of the battery. In addition, the Fenix 6 should soon see the light of day and will bring new functions which the MARQ series will not have.

That said, these considerations should not be a problem for wealthy people who want to have fun. These exceptional watches can complete a collection and be replaced in 2-3 years when a new series comes.

These models have the advantage of bringing together the best of Garmin watches and also offering new functions that are perfectly suited to the practice of the sports on offer. They are beautiful and of quality. They can be worn everyday, at work or in town, in addition to sports. The quality and interest of Garmin watches is well established.

We liked

The chic side of the watch and the wealth of features offered
New and appropriate functions for the targeted sport
The quality of the materials and their choice according to the sport
The care taken in making the watch and bracelet
The best of Garmin watches brought together in an exceptional model

We'd have liked

The price seems high compared to other high-end Garmin watches close to the series (Fenix 5 Plus in particular)

Price and availability

The Garmin MARQ series has been available for sale since the first quarter of 2019 at a recommended price of € 2,500 (MARQ Driver), € 1,950 (MARQ Aviator), € 1,850 (MARQ Captain), € 1,750 (MARQ Expedition) and € 1,500 (MARQ Athlete). It was previously only offered in certain jewelry stores. It is now sold in certain stores on the Internet.