As smartwatches become increasingly popular in consumers' lives, we are seeing many interesting innovations and features we couldn't have imagined a few years ago. Take, for example, a button on a watch that, when pressed, erases certain confidential personal data. This is exactly what Garmin has done, now introducing a new version of its fresh MARQ smartwatch collection - the Garmin MARQ Commander.
The MARQ Commander is the latest version of the MARQ smartwatch collection, which was released around April 2019. The MARQ Commander fills a gap in the premium-class smartwatch collection for a "tactical product," which more or less means that Garmin has in mind soldiers and weekend warriors. In addition to giving the Garmin MARQ a new aesthetic look, they have made changes to the hardware, adding a "kill switch" and a new stealth mode that disables "position-revealing communication data."
When the "kill switch" button is pressed, the MARQ software immediately "cleans the user's memory." The stealth mode "stops data sharing about GPS location and also disables wireless connection and communication." The idea is somewhere between playing spy and soldier.
When directly asked if the MARQ Commander is intended for military purposes, Garmin preferred not to answer directly, although it mentioned that the military "have been using our products for many years for navigation and training." The company reminded me that it has already released tactical smartwatches, and the kill switch feature has been transferred to the new MARQ line to make the tactical version of smartwatches available to consumers.
Garmin did not mention specific military applications, probably because it was not supposed to, but it agreed that the military would find the "stealth" mode useful for a number of specific military rules and regulations. It goes without saying that the introduction of new hardware with new functionalities involves significant R&D costs. These are usually undertaken when the company is confident that the investment costs will be recouped through sales (for example, in large military or government orders).
The tactical smartwatch market is only just emerging, at best, which raises an interesting question about what purposes Garmin actually plans to use the MARQ Commander for. It's very cool to imagine a special forces soldier intercepting an enemy, and his smartwatch neutralizes to obtain valuable intelligence.
From a practical standpoint, armies are increasingly sensitive to the fact that smartwatches can transmit valuable data even during exercises - so there is (or will be) a set of rules when it comes to soldiers being able to wear connected smartwatches. Given that such applications are rarely useful for civilians, Garmin rightly concludes that a physical switch gives the MARQ Commander "stealth mode," rather than "you've been captured by the enemy."
The watch itself is an attractive exercise in all-black. The 46 mm case is made of black titanium with DLC coating and sapphire glass, with a matching black nylon fabric strap (incidentally, very comfortable). The MARQ bezel features 24-hour indicators, which is convenient for GMT modes when there are two time zones on the main dial, one of which is in 24-hour format.
The price for the Garmin MARQ Commander is 1,950 USD.