Garmin adds solar charging to its new quatix 6

quatix6X Solar © Garmin

quatix6X Solar © Garmin

quatix6X Solar © Garmin

Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), the world's leading marine electronics manufacturer(1), today announced the quatix 6X Solar, the latest addition to its new marine GPS smartwatch series that features a transparent solar charging display that uses the sun's energy to extend battery life.

As the first Garmin marine-centric GPS smartwatch to offer solar charging, the quatix 6X Solar combines all of the best features of Garmin's fenix® 6X Pro Solar with specialised boating, fishing, cruising and sailing capabilities so users can enjoy more time on the water. With built-in activity profiles and performance metrics for paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, skiing and golf just to name a few, the quatix 6X Solar is ready to go the distance for nearly every sport and adventure.

"We're excited to introduce solar charging into the new quatix 6 series, giving users everything they've come to know and love from this sophisticated and connected marine smartwatch series, now with even longer battery life performance," said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. "Because of its unique power-replenishing technology, the quatix 6X Solar gives mariners more on-wrist time to enjoy their favorite activities both on the water and on land."

Built to withstand the elements, the quatix 6X Solar features a large 1.4" sunlight-readable display designed with a transparent Power Glass™ solar charging lens that uses the sun's energy to extend battery life.

Users can quickly check the latest solar input right on their wrist for a real-time indication of how much solar energy the Power Glass has been exposed to. The battery performance on the quatix 6X Solar is up to 21 days in smartwatch mode, and up to 24 days with solar charging.(2) And thanks to the new customisable Power Manager, users can also see and control how various settings and sensors impact battery life, and even adjust their battery saving modes to extend battery life on the fly.

Designed for life on the water, the quatix 6X Solar is water rated to 100 meters(3) and offers comprehensive connectivity with compatible Garmin chartplotters and other marine electronics for autopilot control, data streaming, SailAssist™ race assistance, Fusion-Link™ entertainment control and more.

Thanks to its full marine-centric toolset, the quatix 6X Solar acts as a wearable instrument that, when paired with onboard Garmin electronics, can stream NMEA® 2000 boat data to give users access to important sensor information like speed, depth, temperature, wind data and more - right from their wrist, no matter where they are on the boat. Like other quatix 6 models, when paired with an onboard autopilot, it can also be used to control the autopilot to change heading, engage pattern steering, and follow a GPS route. With support for optional BlueChart® g3 coastal charts with integrated Navionics® data, the quatix 6X Solar can be utilised as both a dedicated or back-up navigation tool.

With daily activity tracking(4) and a host of connectivity features, the quatix 6X Solar doubles as a stylish smartwatch that can be worn 24/7. Users can stay connected by receiving alerts on their wrist for incoming calls, texts, emails and more by enabling smart notifications(5). And thanks to the Garmin Pay™ contactless payment solution(6), it's easy to make purchases quickly on the go with nothing needed but the watch. The quatix 6X Solar also features on-device music storage of up to 2,000 songs, so users can sync playlists from several of the most popular music services(7) to their watch for phone-free listening.

The quatix 6X Solar also features wrist-based heart rate(4) for all-day stress tracking, underwater wrist-based heart rate for swimming and Pulse Ox(8) blood oxygen saturation to support advanced sleeping monitoring and acclamation. Plus, the innovative Body Battery™ energy monitoring feature lets users see their body's energy levels at any given moment, which can help with scheduling workouts, rest times and sleep.

The quatix 6X Solar includes a titanium watch band as well as a cirrus blue silicone QuickFit™ band, and it's available now for a suggested retail price of £999.99. Compatible marine products include: GPSMAP® 7x2/9x2/12x2 Plus, GPSMAP 10x2/12x2, GPSMAP 74/7600, GPSMAP 84/8600, GHC™ 20, GNX™ Wind and the GNT 10.

Garmin was recently named Manufacturer of the Year for the fifth consecutive year by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA), an honor given to the most recognised marine electronics company for support of products in the field. Garmin's portfolio includes some of the industry's most sophisticated chartplotters and touchscreen multifunction displays, sonar technology, high-definition radar, autopilots, high-resolution mapping, sailing instrumentation, audio, entertainment and other products and services that are known for innovation, reliability, and ease-of-use. Other Garmin marine brands include Fusion®, Navionics, and EmpirBus™.

For more than 30 years, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation.

For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at garmin.com/newsroom or follow us at facebook.com/garmin.uk, twitter.com/GarminUK, or instagram.com/garminuk.

1. Based on 2018 reported sales
2. Assuming all-day wear with three hours per day outside in 50,000 lux conditions
3. See Garmin.com/waterrating for more details
4. See Garmin.com/ataccuracy for more details
5. When paired with compatible smartphone. See Garmin.com/ble for more details
6. View current supported country, payment network and issuing bank information at Garmin.com/GarminPay/banks
7. Requires premium subscription with a third-party music provider
8. This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox not available in all countries