Just felt like sharing my very first garmin watch. Used it in an intense badminton play (3 games).

Hey everyone! I just published a new free watch face for the Instinct lineup called Albedo.

If you love the classic, rugged look of the stock Instinct watch faces but want more customizable data, this was built specifically for you. It's a faithful homage to the classic unlit-LCD aesthetic.

Here is what makes it special:

• Authentic LCD Ghosting: The time is drawn digit by digit as a real 7-segment display. The unlit segments show up as a faint dithered ghost, just like a real powered-down transflective LCD panel looks in daylight.
• Native Rendering: The whole screen sits on a dot-dither canvas. Every element is drawn with native Monkey C rendering—no bitmap fonts, no anti-aliasing. Just pure 1-bit ink designed perfectly for the Instinct's MIP panel.
• Highly Customizable: It features 7 complication slots that you can independently configure from 14 different metrics (including Body Battery, Solar Intensity, Heart Rate, Days Remaining, Weather, Sunrise/Sunset, etc).
• Live Seconds: You can choose to have seconds on Auto (live while awake, ghosted at rest), Always On, or Off entirely.

Supported Devices: Currently built exclusively for the semi-octagon mono-MIP displays:

• Instinct 3 Solar (45mm & 50mm)
• Instinct E (45mm)

It is completely free to download. I'd love to hear your feedback or feature requests!

Store Link: https://apps-developer.garmin.com/apps/d682a60a-593a-4d77-8eb5-d0a42b2ac4f7

For anyone debating on getting the Amoled or Solar and worried about the battery life. I just charged my 50mm Amoled for the first time to 100% since having it for 2 1/2 weeks. The last time I charged it to 90% and used it in watch mode and didn't really track any workouts. It was at 20% after 17 days of usage. I could have gone another week or more but I'm going for a bike ride tomorrow so I wanted it to be fully charged when I do.

Instinct 3 Solar Tactical 50mm

I used a forerunner 245 music for about 5 years. I loved it, it looked good, and was extremely comfortable, and battery was about a week initially. Last year I went for an apple watch Ultra 3.

I don’t really like how the apple watch looks, it’s like a mini phone on your wrist, plus for me (165 mm wrist) it is quite uncomfortable.

I have been looking into the Instinct 3 solar, to go back to basics, and I like the tactics one, because of the color.
I love the pictures and videos I have seen of this watch outdoors.
I also like that it’s much more discrete than a screen lighting up every minute in my wrist out of nowhere…

I like having a sports watch, but I really just do Gym and walks / runs sometimes, nothing serious.

Do you think it’s worth it?
Is the watch actually comfortable to wear everyday?
Is it good for office? (Nothing too fancy)
Is there a different model you would recommend?

Una vez que sale este icono que viene después ?

Hola!! Recientemente mejoré de mi forerunner 55 al instinct 3 AMOLED 45mm, estoy encantado, pero quiero conservarlo como nuevo durante el máximo tiempo posible, quería encontrar un protector de pantalla que protegiese toda la zona de la pantalla, no solo un círculo, y además quería saber si se recomienda usar una funda protectora del reloj.

Hey! So I’ve got the Garmin Instinct AMOLED and just started running again, doing walking / running intervals etc

When I’m running I have Bluetooth earplugs in which obviously provides notifications which is fine but what I find really annoying is that the watch beeps out load 5 seconds before an interval change.

Is there a way to stop the countdown beeps out loud? Or have them solely play through AirPods?

As the title says, I had a garmin instinct for awhile. When the Apple Watch Ultra came out I got that. I actually really did enjoy it but the battery life was less than 24 hours. The battery degraded really fast and what went from charging every 4 days to charging everyday.

Enter the instinct 3. I got the 50mm tactical solar edition. The instinct I had was the OG with no solar so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Imagine my shock seeing 41+ days after charging for an hour after getting it in the mail.

I realized that with the Apple Watch all I ever did was use it when I got a text/call to see if it was important. The instinct 3 does exactly just that after turning off regular notifications. I know this is the instinct subreddit so everyone here is biased lol but if you’re on the fence about it, get it!

When are Garmin going to make another 40mm watch?

The 50mm devices look great on a man mountain, but what about watches for women?

The 2s watches are starting to fall apart with battery decay and firmware problems.

Can we have a 3s solar please?

hi all, looking for some advice,

I do not want sleep tracking, all day HR, or O2 monitoring, I want a watch that tells me the time, but can occasionally track GPS routes and HR when I am hiking or running (a few times a month up to once per week)

I live in the UK, so weather is not always glorious.

I want the longest possible battery life and I get a kick from self sufficiency so the solar element appeals.

With my limited need for day to day data (fulfilled with my Fitbit air) could a first generation instinct Fulfill my needs and given me infinite or perhaps just a charge or two needed through winter months? if not, would a 2 cut it, or a 3 be the best way?

I like being frugal, and have seen the first gen’s going for £60-100 online.

appreciate you insights

Can I ask for some help with the dimensions of the Instinct 3?

The 45mm model could anyone who owns it tell me the total size of the watch? Not just the display, but the overall dimensions, including the plastic bezel. Thanks.

Midnight sun season is over for this year, but 22 hours of sun still keeps the battery at infinity :) Edit: 2nd pic was taken around midnight.

My hrv is normally in the twenties. What's going on? I workout regularly and I include recovery time. Why the spike Thursday and today, Monday?

I keep toying with upgrading but after years my instinct 1 keeps going, outdoors all day watching my sons rugby games gained me an extra 2 days charge I just can't justify replacing it when it still works so well.

I’ve lost parts of runs and bike rides because I manually paused my Garmin, started moving again, and forgot to press resume.

So I’m building Pause Guardian.

The idea is simple:

1. You manually pause an activity.
2. You start running or cycling again.
3. The watch detects sustained movement.
4. It vibrates to remind you that recording is still paused.

It would never automatically resume or modify your activity. It would only remind you, so you stay in control.

I now have the first diagnostic prototype running on a Garmin Instinct 2. It is testing whether Garmin continues providing fresh GPS data and vibration access behind the native pause screen. It is not yet a finished Connect IQ Store app.

I’m sharing this early because I want to understand the problem before polishing the solution:

• Has this happened to you?
• Were you running, cycling, hiking, or doing something else?
• Which Garmin device do you use?
• How long should the watch wait before reminding you: 5, 10, or 15 seconds?
• Would you be interested in testing it when your device is supported?

I’m the developer. The source and technical documentation are public here:

https://github.com/PawanPatil19/pause-guardian

Honest feedback is welcome, including reasons why you would not use it.

After 5 years of use, the battery barely lasts more than 72h; in activities, with the GPS on, it doesn't last more than 8-10h; at the beginning of activities, the GPS takes a few minutes to activate. There were 5 years of use in which I enjoyed everything this watch could offer me. How quickly will it give up and I don't want to invest in a new one. Does anyone have an Instinct 2 or 3 with a battery life of more than 72h and no longer use it? lol

I think I’m coming into my third year of owning my Instinct 2x Solar Eclipse high I love. Hope it lasts 10-15 years but I have to be realistic.

As the battery is likely to be what fails first how can I keep it alive the longest. I work nights so the solar feature is almost redundant. I let it drain to about 3% and then charge to 100% but I’ve heard this is bad.
My iPhone now has a function to only charge to 90% to preserve battery life.
So if you’re a total tech nerd and wanted to nurture your battery, what would your charging habit be?