Garmin announces fēnix GPS wristwatch for mountaineers

Posted by on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 · 2 Comments 

Today Garmin has announced fēnix, its first GPS wrist watch for “serious mountaineers and outdoor discoverers”. The watch contains altimeter, barometer and compass sensors to provide information on heading, elevation and weather changes. Unlike the popular (but large) wrist-mounted Foretrex series, the fēnix has a classic round watch design which makes it a decent day-to-day watch as well as being built to endure the toughest outdoor conditions.

“We are working hard with professional mountain guides from all over Europe to ensure that fēnix sets a new benchmark for mountaineers. It packs Garmin’s leading and trusted outdoor technology into a robust, wrist-worn GPS watch that ambitious mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts can 100% rely upon,” says Martin Resch, Garmin’s EMEA Product Manager, Outdoor. “Being able to hike, climb or walk “hands- free” whilst still having access to precise information on elevation, position and weather change forecasts will be a game changing asset for any adventurer. For the first time, all essential information you need in order to navigate to your destination and back home safely are available right from your wrist with the new Garmin fēnix.”

For more features and specifications check out the Garmin website.

Garmin will present fēnix for the very first time at the OutDoor exhibition in Friedrichshafen this week and OE Magazine will be there to take a closer look. I’m quite excited about the idea of a map (albeit basic) on a watch….

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  • stevenhorner

    I wore an old Forerunner 305 for a long time purely to record GPX tracks and let me see distance and other figures while walking. Sadly the screen has had problems for the last few months. I tested a newer Garmin running watch but it had a horrible touch navigation system.

    This would be a good potential replacement but at £350 its far too expensive. I could buy another Forerunner 305, a Motorola Defy+ and a Silva ADC with change left over. Garmin really need to lower their prices if they are to stay in business with phones & tablets (in most pockets) now offering cheaper and better solutions. The same with Car sat navs once the iPhone with iOS 6 offers navigation, like Android do no one will buy a separate device anymore.

    • Phil Turner

      The closest competitor to the Garmin fēnix is the Suunto Ambit which has a comparable (if not a bit higher) RRP – I had a play with the fēnix at OutDoor last week and it really is superb. I love that it doesn’t require calibration – no resetting of the altimeter at trig pillars – and the mapping works really well. It will integrate with the BaseCamp desktop app and there is talk of a smartphone app too, connecting via Bluetooth. Battery life is good – up to 50 hours in GPS mode and six weeks when used as a normal watch – and it will be compatible with the PowerMonkey charging system. 

      I didn’t ask your UK grid question – sorry.