Best Tactical Watches | Garmin Instinct Solar and Garmin tactix Delta Military Smartwatches 2022

Short on time? Jump to the PlayBetter Bottom Line on these premium tactical military watches or click on a subject in the Table of Contents in the next section.

You’re looking for function before style in a smartwatch. Your outdoor watch is a tool, not a fashion statement. You trek through all weather, terrains, and altitudes, and your GPS smartwatch better have the same attitude. Rugged, resistant, resourceful, and reliable is how you want to describe the wearable you take on your missions. It could save your butt in a jam.

Whether it’s extreme sports, first response, outdoor adventure, or military operations that take you into harsh conditions, a military-grade tactical watch is an essential tool to have on you.

In this article, we break down the features of Garmin’s tactical watches, including the Garmin Instinct® Solar, the Garmin Instinct Tactical, and the Garmin tactix® Delta. Garmin has designed a range of military watches available in a range of prices. We’re confident you’ll find the tactical watch that will fit you.

You are made to withstand the toughest environments, and so is the Garmin Instinct Solar rugged GPS smartwatch. Here are the features that make this outdoor watch durable and reliable.

Durability

This outdoor GPS watch was designed to endure with a fiber-reinforced polymer case, chemically strengthened, scratch-resistant Corning^® Gorilla^® glass, and a battery powered by the sun.

Battery Life

Power Manager lets you view how various settings and sensors impact your watch’s battery life, so you can make battery-extending changes on the fly.

Smartwatch: Up to 24 days/54 days with solar.
Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 56 days/Unlimited with solar
GPS: Up to 30 hours/38 hours with solar
Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 70 hours/145 hours with solar
Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 28 days/68 days with solar

Military Specs

Garmin Instinct watches are built to the U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock, and water resistance (rated to 100 m). Includes dual grid coordinates tactical feature.

Navigation

Access multiple global navigation satellite systems. The Garmin instinct solar offers ABC sensors, including an altimeter for elevation data, barometer for weather, and three-axis electronic compass. And find your way back with TracBack® Routing.

Stay Connected

Get smart notifications on your wrist and pair for satellite communication.

Training Features

Keep track of your health and fitness before, during, and after your adventures with access to wrist-based heart rate, sports apps, the Body Battery™ energy monitor, and more!

You want a mission-ready watch with more military features. The Garmin Instinct Tactical watch was made for go-time and to keep up with all your adventures. Here's why:

Durability

This tactical GPS smartwatch was designed to endure with a fiber-reinforced polymer case, chemically strengthened, scratch-resistant Corning^® Gorilla^® glass, and a battery powered by the sun.

Battery Life of the Garmin Instinct Tactical

Power Manager lets you view how various settings and sensors impact your watch’s battery life, so you can make battery-extending changes on the fly.

Smartwatch mode: Up to 14 days
GPS mode: Up to 16 hours
UltraTrac™ mode: Up to 40 hours

Upgrade to the Garmin Instinct Solar Tactical watch and reap the benefits of a tactical tool powered by the sun!

Smartwatch: Up to 24 days/54 days with solar.
Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 56 days/Unlimited with solar
GPS: Up to 30 hours/38 hours with solar
Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 70 hours/145 hours with solar
Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 28 days/68 days with solar

Military Specs

Garmin Instinct watches are built to the U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock and a 10 ATM water rating. Includes dual grid coordinates tactical feature and has subdued color with high contrast displays.

But it's the Garmin Instinct Tactical smartwatch's added military features that take this tactical watch to the next level. These include night vision capability, stealth mode, dual-format GPS, projected waypoints, and jumpmaster mode.

Navigation

Access multiple global navigation satellite systems. The Garmin instinct solar offers ABC sensors, including an altimeter for elevation data, barometer for weather, and three-axis electronic compass. And find your way back with TracBack® Routing.

Stay Connected

Get smart notifications on your wrist and pair for satellite communication.

Training Features

Keep track of your health and fitness before, during, and after your adventures with access to wrist-based heart rate, sports apps, the Body Battery™ energy monitor, and more!

You want a premium GPS smartwatch designed to meet military standards and that offers specialized tactical features as well as mapping, music, advanced training features, and more. Check out the solid features of the Garmin tactix Delta military watch:

Durability

This military tactical watch was designed to endure with a fiber-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover and knurled buttons. The rugged yet sophisticated design features a large 1.4” display that’s 36% larger than previous tactix models.

Battery Life

Power Manager lets you view how various settings and sensors impact your watch’s battery life, so you can make battery-extending changes on the fly.

Upgrade to the Garmin tactix Delta Solar tactical watch and reap the benefits of a tactical tool powered by the sun!

Smartwatch: Up to 21 days/24 days with solar
Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 80 days/120 days with solar
GPS: Up to 60 hours/66 hours with solar
GPS + Music: Up to 15 hours/16 hours with solar
Max Battery GPS Mode: Up to 120 hours/148 hours with solar
Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 46 days/56 days with solar

Military Specs

Garmin tactix watches are built to the U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock and a 10 ATM water rating. Includes dual grid coordinates tactical feature and has subdued color with high contrast displays.

But it's the Garmin tactix Delta military smartwatch's added tactical features that take this military tool watch to the next level. These include night vision capability, stealth mode, kill switch, dual-format GPS, projected waypoints, and jumpmaster mode.

Upgrade to the Applied Ballistics Calculator model and get AB Elite software for calculating long-range shooting in the field. And get Applied Ballistics^® Synapse to easily create and send custom ballistic profiles to your Garmin, including full access to the Applied Ballistics Bullet Library that contains more than 1,200 custom measured bullets.

Navigation

Access multiple global navigation satellite systems. The Garmin instinct solar offers ABC sensors, including an altimeter for elevation data, barometer for weather, and three-axis electronic compass. Keep track with TracBack® Routing, Federal Public Land Maps, Expedition Mode, and more!

Stay Connected

Get smart notifications on your wrist and pair for satellite communication.

Training Features

Keep track of your health and fitness before, during, and after your mission with access to wrist-based heart rate, sports apps, the Body Battery™ energy monitor, acclimation, PacePro™ Technology, and much more!