Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar Graphite 010-02730-01

It can be easy to overlook the Instinct in Garmin’s range, with many drawn instead to the perennially popular Forerunner and Fenix lines, or the shiny smartwatch-style designs of the Vivoactive 4 or Venu. However, if you’re looking for a relatively cheap outdoor watch with a long battery life, solid sports tracking and navigation features, the Instinct is a sound option. The new solar edition of the watch is even more enticing because it offers the promise of increased battery life in sunny conditions, to the point where in Battery Saver mode it doesn’t need to be charged at all.

Garmin never shied away from releasing niche smartwatches, but the Instinct Crossover Solar is the most out-of-the-box Garmin watch to date. In fact, some people, including myself, might question why this watch needs to exist in the first place. It's more expensive than the similar Instinct 2 Solar and offers very few upgrades apart from the analogue hands. For hardcore Garmin watch owners and collectors only.

The Garmin Instinct Solar is the smaller sibling of the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar and it comes equipped with a range of casual and hardcore features that many people who like outdoor life and fitness will find useful. The main USP is, of course, the solar charging and the Instinct Solar delivers on this front: if you happen to use the watch for outdoor exercising, as you most likely will, you won’t have to reach for the charger more often than every other week, which is pretty amazing for a watch that has an always-on screen, even if it's 'just' the memory-in-pixel variety.

For the outdoor adventurer, the Garmin Instinct is indispensable: built to military standards, it offers useful course tracking and rugged construction at an affordable price point. A vivid array of colors, a 100-meter water resistance, and a vented silicone band add to its back-to-basics appeal.

I bought this watch to replace my old fenix 5 and have mixed feelings. So maybe it is most helpful to list the pros and cons. Pros: Appearance is very cool, love the analog watch hands and glow in the dark, very comfortable to wear and lightweight, long battery life, cool display and data fields. Cons: Color of watch is not at all what the picture represents on their website (main reason for the purchase). Even though analog hands move out of the way it is annoying becuase it will do that every time you get any notifications so you have to clear it or the analog hands will not go back to the time. Solar charging is not great compared to G-Shock's solar charging capabilities. Overall, the watch has been a little disappointing and that is why I only gave it a 3-Star rating. Returning the watch and replacing it with the Instinct 2X Solar at the same price.