SPOTTED: Garmin MARQ Golfer High-End Smartwatch

Garmin, a purveyor of GPS devices, took its fitness-focused smartwatches in a more premium direction with the launch of the MARQ Collection. Designed to compete with the likes of Rolex, Breitling and Omega, the MARQ Collection looks to offer the build quality, materials and price of a high-end mechanical watch that’s been merged with the internals and flexibility of a smartwatch.

And now there’s a new edition to Garmin’s lineup that will probably catch your attention: the MARQ Golfer.

Designed to be worn on and off the course, the MARQ Golfer is built with premium materials, a 46-millimeter titanium case and ceramic bezel with custom etched hole markings and atritone green jacquard-weave nylon strap.

Similar to the Approach Z82 rangefinder, the MARQ Golfer watch comes preloaded with more than 41,000 golf courses worldwide that are viewable in full-color CourseView mapping to quickly determine distances to the front, middle and back of the green. The watch also uses the PlaysLike Distance option to adjust yardages to compensate for uphill and downhill shots, and Hazard View to help golfers quickly scroll through each obstacle on the map and know exactly what needs to be avoided.

Additionally, MARQ Golfer features a Virtual Caddie function that analyzes critical factors like wind speed, course layout and a golfer’s speed and club performance to select the club best suited for each shot.

Garmin Global Brand Ambassador and golf legend Greg Norman has experience with the MARQ Golfer on and off the course. “As someone who’s been involved in the game of golf for many decades, I’ve seen the evolution in golf technology and have seen first-hand the benefits of wearing a Garmin on my wrist,” said Norman. “At first glance, you wouldn’t expect the MARQ Golfer to have ultra-high-end GPS technology and smart features because it looks like a beautiful piece of jewelry, but I’ve found it’s the perfect watch to wear all day, both in the office and on the course.”

To help display all the invaluable information, the MARQ Golfer features a domed sapphire lens and an always-on, sunlight-readable display. In addition to all the golf metrics, the watch is also loaded with premium smartwatch functionality, including built-in music storage, Garmin Pay for contactless payments, smart notifications, daily activity tracking, as well as wrist-based heart rate and a wrist-based Pulse Ox sensor.

The MARQ Golfer’s internal, rechargeable lithium battery provides up to 12 days in smartwatch mode and 28 hours in GPS mode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“For over a decade, we’ve built products to enhance the golfing experience – from GPS watches to swing sensors, club tracking systems and rangefinders – and we’re excited to add MARQ Golfer to give players yet another tool to play their best game,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “As the only modern tool watch on the market with smart features and advanced golf game tracking data, MARQ Golfer is a timepiece that sets the standard in style and function both on and off the course.”

The MARQ Golfer joins other models that, similarly, are focused on a particular individual’s interests: the Athlete (shows recovery time and VO2 max scales), Adventurer (shows topographic maps and real-time ascent data right), Aviator (features a worldwide aeronautical database and detailed NEXRAD weather radar), Captain (GPS technology pinpoints and a man overboard button), Captain: American Magic Edition (the Captain in a special edition color to celebrate the American Magic team competing in the 36th America’s Cup), Commander (equipped with dual-format GPS coordinates support display of military grid reference system, degrees/minutes/seconds) and Driver (preloaded with more than 250 global racetracks to show auto lap splits).

The MARQ Golfer has a suggested retail price of $1,850. While that’s certainly on the more expensive side, the MARQ Golfer is one of very few timepieces that is at home in the boardroom and the golf course.