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Garmin MARQ Gen 2 Aviator Smart Watch
Ref. 010-02648-01
Sits in Garmin’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Garmin watches we list, which start at £130.
Price range £130 to £2,799 across 86 Garmin watches in stock.The MARQ Aviator Gen 2 sits at the apex of Garmin's tool watch line — a category of one, really, in that it functions as a certified aviation navigation instrument worn on the wrist. The worldwide aeronautical database, NEXRAD weather radar and direct-to-emergency navigation are not smartwatch approximations of aviation features; they are the same data infrastructure a pilot would expect from panel-mounted avionics, compressed into a 46mm grade-5 titanium case. The GMT bezel markings are not decorative: they coordinate with the watch face to track two additional time zones simultaneously, and the jet lag guidance — light exposure windows, sleep schedule, home time versus local — is genuinely useful across long-haul rotations in a way that a simple world time complication is not. On the wrist, grade-5 titanium at this size wears considerably lighter than the diameter suggests, and the brushed finish reads as purposeful rather than precious. The AMOLED display is sharp enough to render moving map overlays legibly in direct sunlight, and the combination of physical buttons and touchscreen means the watch remains navigable with gloves — relevant for the environment it was built for. Up to 16 days between charges in smartwatch mode means the battery is rarely a consideration on a normal trip; 42 hours in full GPS mode covers most long-haul sectors with margin.
- Reference
- 010-02648-01
- Brand
- Garmin
- Collection
- Case Size
- Case size
- 46mm
- Case thickness
- 14.70mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Two-tone
- Case shape
- Tonneau
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Solar
- Functions
- Chronograph, GMT, Day-date, Small seconds, Moonphase, Power reserve indicator, Tachymeter, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Mesh bracelet
- Strap colour
- Bronze
- Clasp
- Butterfly clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Learn more about Garmin
Gary Burrell and Min Kao founded Garmin in 1989 — the name is a contraction of their first names — to build GPS receivers for aviation and marine use. Consumer navigation came later, and wearables later still.
Unlike most names in this directory that arrived from outside watchmaking, Garmin is not a licence. It designs and builds its own devices, writes its own software and runs its own satellite-positioning stack, which is why its watches do things Swiss houses do not attempt.
The fenix line established the template in 2012: a rugged multi-sport GPS watch with mapping, altimeter and week-long battery life. Forerunner covers running, Instinct the hard-wearing end, Venu the smartwatch end, and the MARQ line puts the same electronics in titanium and sapphire at Swiss prices.
Battery life is the differentiator. Where most smartwatches are measured in days, Garmin measures in weeks, and in solar-charging models sometimes in months.
These are instruments rather than heirlooms, and they date the way electronics date — but for anyone who actually trains, they are among the few watches on the market that earn their place.
- 1989
- Founded by Gary Burrell and Min Kao.
- 2003
- The Forerunner brings GPS to running watches.
- 2012
- The fenix line defines the multi-sport GPS watch.
- 2019
- MARQ places the electronics in titanium and sapphire.
- 2020
- Solar charging extends battery life to months.
Also in 6 collections
This watch appears in Automatic Watches (1,311), Chronograph Watches (1,017), Watches 44mm and Over (770), Skeleton Watches (212), Mesh Bracelet Watches (182) and GMT Watches (171).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- Second time zone for travelling
- One of Garmin's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 46mm is a large watch with real presence
- 14.7mm thick, so it will not disappear under a cuff
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It charges from light, and the cell behind that is designed to last a decade or more.
What size strap does it take?
22mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £2,099. There is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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