Garmin launches Instinct 3 - Tactical Edition: Meet your new wingman
Push the limits with two sizes, a rucking activity, AMOLED display, metal-reinforced bezel and built-in LED flashlights on all models
OLATHE, Kan., April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Garmin (NYSE:GRMN) today announced the Instinct® 3 – Tactical Edition, its newest lineup of tactical smartwatches, now offered with a crisp AMOLED display or solar-powered display for maximum battery life. Designed for any mission, Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition adds a metal-reinforced bezel for extreme durability, rucking activity for training, and built-in LED flashlight on both 45mm and 50mm units for low-light conditions. And with incredible battery life, it's easy to stay prepared longer; the AMOLED model gets up to 24 days on a single charge in smartwatch mode, while the solar charging models can get unlimited battery life1.
"The Instinct series has proven itself time and again as the ultimate choice for individuals who need an advanced smartwatch they can depend on in any situation. With incredible battery life, an innovative rugged design and dedicated features for your tactical lifestyle, the Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition answers the call and dares to be more."
–Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing
Rugged yet bold
Featuring bolted construction with a metal-reinforced bezel, fiber-reinforced polymer case and scratch-resistant display, Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition sets a new standard for durability. The lineup is also built to MIL-STD 810 for thermal and shock resistance and is water-rated up to 100 meters. Plus, the built-in flashlight provides variable intensities, a green light to help protect natural night vision, and strobe mode to assist with location signaling in difficult terrain. For night operations, Night Vision Goggle (NVG) mode dims the display to levels functional to the primary user (including those wearing night optic devices) but nearly invisible to anyone else.
Dare for more with these Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition features
- Rucking activity: The dedicated activity profile allows users to input pack weight to better understand the physical exertion associated with rucking. During various activities like trail running, hiking and walking, users can also add their pack weight.
- Ballistic solutions: All Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition units come with Applied Ballistics® solver (unlock fee required) and are compatible with the Applied Ballistics Quantum app.
- Dedicated tactical features: Purpose-built with dedicated features like Stealth Mode, Kill Switch, and Jumpmaster, Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition provides the tools for any mission.
- Two sizes: Available in a 45mm or 50mm solar-powered display and a 50mm AMOLED display.
- Increased solar efficiency: A larger, more efficient solar lens harnesses the power of the sun even better. Compared to Instinct 2 Solar, the new 50mm Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition solar model gets more than five times the battery life in GPS mode when solar charging.
- Multi-band GPS with SatIQ™ technology: Experience superior positioning accuracy while optimizing battery life.
- 24/7 health and wellness monitoring: Track steps, heart rate, advanced sleep monitoring, wrist-based Pulse Ox2, heart rate variability (HRV) status and more3.
- Smart notifications: Receive emails, texts and alerts right on the watch when paired with a compatible Apple® or Android™ smartphone.
Lead the charge
Users can navigate confidently with a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter and multi-band GPS with SatIQ™ technology, delivering superior positioning while optimizing battery life. Users can also pair their Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition with the Garmin Explore™ App to review more detailed maps, create waypoints and courses and more to stay on course.
In sensitive locations, users can utilize Stealth Mode, which turns off wireless communications but still collects distances traveled and biometric data without recording location data. Leveraging this feature allows the watch to be used – and even upload logged data – while concealing its location, which is typically visible through popular mobile training apps. If security becomes an issue, the watch's Kill Switch wipes the device of all user memory. Other mission-focused features include a dual-position format, which simultaneously displays two sets of coordinates on a single screen, Jumpmaster, a preloaded tactical activity, and projected waypoints.
Train for the mission
With sports apps like rucking, hiking, running, climbing, hunting, skiing and more, Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition is the ultimate wingman for any training experience. While in-field, TracBack® routing helps provide a route back to the starting point as well as reference points of known spots relative to that location. In addition to built-in sports apps for outdoor adventures, Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition is loaded with apps for activities like HIIT, cardio, indoor and outdoor track running, basketball and more.
Users can prepare for the next race, train for a milestone, or strive to improve overall fitness with Garmin Coach adaptive and prebuilt training plans for running and cycling. View an entire week of daily suggested workouts that adapt after every run or ride or create step-by-step workouts from more than 1,600 exercises in the Garmin Connect™ app, then send them directly to the watch. And track intensity minutes, VO2 max and recovery time to receive guidance on recommended recovery times to reduce fatigue and burnout.
Safety and tracking features include incident detection (during select outdoor activities) and Assistance, which can send a message with the user's GPS location (if available) to emergency contacts when paired with a smartphone4.
Available to order on Garmin.com on April 30, the Instinct 3 – Tactical Edition AMOLED model has a suggested retail price of $599.99 while the solar charging models start at $499.99.
Engineered on the inside for life on the outside, Garmin products have revolutionized life for adventurers, athletes, off-road explorers, road warriors and outdoor enthusiasts everywhere. Committed to developing products that enhance experiences, enrich lives and help provide peace of mind, Garmin believes every day is an opportunity to innovate and a chance to beat yesterday. Visit the Garmin Newsroom, email our media team, connect with @garminoutdoor on social, or follow our blog.
1 Assumes all-day wear, 3 hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions.
2 This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox not available in all countries.
3 Activity tracking accuracy.
4 When paired with a compatible smartphone. For safety and tracking feature requirements and limitations, see Garmin.com/safety.
About Garmin International, Inc. Garmin International, Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE:GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin, Instinct, and TracBack are registered trademarks and SatIQ, Garmin Connect, and Garmin Explore are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Apple is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Android is a trademark of Google LLC. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2024, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0001-411180). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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SOURCE Garmin International, Inc.