Garmin, a well known producer of
navigation instrument has surprised us with a watch! It is the
Garmin Quatix, their first marine watch intended for
any kind of sailor, yachtsman, power boater, dinghy racer or kayaker.
It does not seem so strange that
Garmin has produced a watch that is equipped with highly accurate
GPS system and refers to the
first navigating marine GPS watch. Using Garmin Quatix it is possible to
load routes and
mark waypoints or
control the autopilot from your wrist.
Advanced feature allows you to view
wind speed and
direction or
water depth if
Garmin Quatix is paired with device such as
Garmin GNT 10 NMEA Transciever, which is sold separately. The use of these two paired devices also provides an
automatic Man Over Board alert activation in case that a crewmember wearing
Garmin Quatix falls overboard.
More experienced seafarers would benefit from
built-in barometer and
tide tables which cover over 3,400 locations so far, making the route planning a lot easier than so far. As more and more marine procedures and feature of marine devices are transferred to tablets and smartphones, the
Garmin Quatix is also
compatible with Apple devices using BlueChart mobile application or
HomePort marine planning software for
Windows and
Mac devices.
This more-than-just-a-watch device also combines
advanced sailing tools such as virtual start line or start countdown timer while tack assist mode provides a skipper an indication whether the vessel is getting headed or lifted, based on the optimal tack angle provided.
This product was nominated for
2013 DAME –
Design Award METS, the prestigious award of
Marine Equipment Trade Show in
Amsterdam which took place in
November 2013. The jury was impressed by so many features and the range of use in such a small package. Surprisingly, among all its advanced features this watch actually tells time as well.
A Yacht Charter Group can help you find a charter yacht and advise you on what to take on your sailing trip. Your sailing trip can be a great way to test everything Quatix can do.
I wish you a calm sea, a fine wind and a strong mast!