Garmin might be best known for its running watches, but its latest fitness tracker is designed with the open ocean in mind. The MARQ Captain: American Magic Edition was developed alongside the American Magic sailing team, and is packed with everything a mariner could wish for (plus plenty for landlubbers).
One feature you're unlikely to find on any other wearable is a T-minus countdown to the 36th America's Cup sailing race, which will launches from New Zealand on March 6, 2021.
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- There are plenty of waterproof fitness trackers around too
That's pretty niche, but everyone can benefit from the three exclusive workouts designed by the sailing team – race simulation, fitness test, and intervals – which give you a taste of their intensive training.
The MARQ Captain also features a heart rate monitor and pulse oximeter (for recreational rather than medical use), and once you've completed a workout you can pore over a raft of stats including running dynamics and estimated VO2 max. You'll get recovery advice too, helping you get the maximum benefit from workouts and avoid injury from over-training.
Add streaming music, Garmin Pay, sleep monitoring, daily activity tracking, GPS navigation and mobile notifications from your phone, and you've got a seriously capable smartwatch, even if you remain firmly on dry land.
Ship-shape
However, the sea is where this watch really shines, giving you maritime profiles and weather reports, storm alerts, home port conditions and more. There's no word yet on its water resistance rating, but it seems safe to say it'll be pretty robust.
As you might expect this all comes at a cost, and the MARQ Captain carries a hefty suggested retail price of £1,599.99 (about $2,000 / AU$3,000). Still, it's (slightly) cheaper than mooring and maintaining your own yacht.
