Garmin Descent G1 Solar Black

excited to use this in my next dive. it arrived just in time i ended my most recent dives. so... for now it will serve as everyday smart watch.PS. No OR included in the package but when i msgd their lazmall they replied and gave me an ecopy and hard copy in a jiffy 👍🏼PPS. Used the watch as my dive comp during my fieldwork in Sitangkai and sadly i didnt read the battery info where if used as dive comp it only lasts up to 25hrs….so….and i didnt bring the charger since i thought it will last up to 21days. Instead, i turned on the batt saver mode to prolong its life 😅

Awesome Watch!

I really love this watch. I use it for everything - swimming, cycling, hiking walking, diving, sleep monitoring, etc. Solid battery life, great features, and durable. It's really nice as a HRM broadcasting to my Garmin cycling computer too - much more comfortable than my old chest strap. Integration across the Garmin ecosystem is fantastic...really love this watch and every other Garmin product I've owned. Garmin, you really know how to do it right!

Disappointing screen on an otherwise great dive watch

I bought this watch in preference to a cheaper dive watch from Suunto, mainly because I already have other Garmin products( one less app to learn) and I could use it on diving drips without having to take another smartwatch along( it has a wrist based heart rate monitor). Everything works well but be warned that, although the watch is about 42mm wide, there is a large black area around the screen , the actual working part is a small square about 22 mm wide and a little round accessory screen about 7 mm which eats into the main screen’s area. I have presbyopia ( yep - old age catches us all if we’re lucky enough) and the numbers are hard to read in anything other than very bright light and almost impossible underwater. Also it uses the older larger charging cable ... MoreI bought this watch in preference to a cheaper dive watch from Suunto, mainly because I already have other Garmin products( one less app to learn) and I could use it on diving drips without having to take another smartwatch along( it has a wrist based heart rate monitor). Everything works well but be warned that, although the watch is about 42mm wide, there is a large black area around the screen , the actual working part is a small square about 22 mm wide and a little round accessory screen about 7 mm which eats into the main screen’s area. I have presbyopia ( yep - old age catches us all if we’re lucky enough) and the numbers are hard to read in anything other than very bright light and almost impossible underwater. Also it uses the older larger charging cable ,with a big clip that grips the whole watch ,that Garmin basically abandoned a few generations ago on their smartwatches ( maybe because it’s a dive watch and needs bigger contacts further apart) but you have to schlepp that around too. The battery seems to last well, the data is easy to access via the Garmin Dive app and that seems to talk to the Garmin Connect app pretty seamlessly ( I’m a technophobe and I got it to work on my iPhone quite quickly). Only other quirk is that in hot weather the Garmin wrist based HR monitor over reads my HR quite badly - but they all do that! So you may need a chest strap if accurate HR is important to you.So basically it does what it says it will -mostly well. Just get something else if you can’t wear bi-focals while diving or want to see the watch underwater.The photo shows the watch in a darkish area with the backlight on 100 %

Fantastic

I wanted a smart watch. I also wanted a dive computer. I'm not concerned about AI (air integration) at the moment and probably won't be until I get into tech diving. This is the perfect blend. It tracked my workout Friday and logged my dive Saturday, all while being half the cost of similar combos. It's not just good for the price either, it is a great dive computer and smart watch at a great price.

Fantastic, I love this watch more than I expected

I love it. Got it for a big dive trip and it performed flawlessly. Since then, I wear it everyday and it tons of its features. Step counter, heart rate monitor, sleep quality monitor, phone locator (so useful!!) , timers , declining spam phone calls, reading text messages, seeing calendar reminders pop up on the watch. I could go on, it basically it is super useful, way more than I anticipated. I’m docking it 1 star because the battery can’t be replaced, so when it eventually dies on me, that’s the end of the watch. For sustainability reasons I gotta dock it a star for that reason alone.

Great dive and sport watch combined, affordable

I love the Garmin Descent G1 Solar watch. I use it for both SCUBA diving and also other sports, eg hiking, cycling, skiing, standup paddle boarding (SUP), running, gym. Great battery life! For some reason the button press / selection feels a little sluggish (delays by a fraction of a second) compared to my Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar and Garmin Epix (gen 2). But it is only a fraction of a second delay. The dive features and dive logging is an awesome addition with good dive information. The G1 is much more affordable compared to the Mk2i dive watch. Highly recommended!

Outstanding Support by Garmin

I’m an active +60 year old who was looking for a sport watch that would track my walks, hikes, swims, bike rides, and diving. I purchased a Garmin Instinct Solar 3 years ago. In three years I had to replace my instinct twice most likely due to being in the water, pool and salt. Customer support recommended I upgrade to the G1 solar. They honored my previous purchase and only charged me an additional $100 for the upgrade. So far, I’m very pleased with my new G1. It’s definitely an upgrade from the instinct and I can’t wait to use this for my backup dive computer.Everything I had heard about Garmin standing by their products is accurate. Keep up the great work!! Thank you.

Saved my Dive Trip

I purchased my Garmin Descent as a backup computer for a recent dive trip to Bonaire. 30 minutes into my first dive on island, the depth sensor on my integrated computer quit, rendering it useless. Thank goodness I was wearing the Descent as a backup. Logged 2 dives in a week. Really cool to see the data graphs and what a great way to automate the logbook. Data even includes the GPS location of where the dive started.Switched to Nitrox 2 days into our trip. It took about 30 seconds to switch the Descent and update the O2 values. Very intuitive interface.To top it all off. Charged the Descent prior to the trip. Charge lasted the entire week.

So far, pretty good

I purchased the Descent G1 as it would fulfill a wide variety of uses plus had the diving features I was looking for. I am not in the market for a full blown dive computer, rather the Apnea or Freediving metrics available on the G1. I was not able to see it in person prior to purchasing so I took a few things on faith and gambled, significant as I purchased at a discount with no returns accepted. Here goes, with the good and bad so far.The size is perfect for daily wear, not too big or too small. Weight is ideal, and the watch does not feel bulky in any way. The HR feature appears to be darn accurate, not as good as a dedicated HR chest strap, but quite good overall. I am mixed on the Pulse Ox values, they are tracking low compared to other devices so if that is ... MoreI purchased the Descent G1 as it would fulfill a wide variety of uses plus had the diving features I was looking for. I am not in the market for a full blown dive computer, rather the Apnea or Freediving metrics available on the G1. I was not able to see it in person prior to purchasing so I took a few things on faith and gambled, significant as I purchased at a discount with no returns accepted. Here goes, with the good and bad so far.The size is perfect for daily wear, not too big or too small. Weight is ideal, and the watch does not feel bulky in any way. The HR feature appears to be darn accurate, not as good as a dedicated HR chest strap, but quite good overall. I am mixed on the Pulse Ox values, they are tracking low compared to other devices so if that is important to you maybe just use it for trends. GPS performance is solid. In bright, outdoor light the display is crisp and legible, for the most part.That final comment is perhaps my only real complaint with the watch. As a person whose reading vision is failing to a degree, some of the data fields are really small, as are the value headings on the watch face. In particular, the dive values I'm most concerned with are difficult for me to read if not in bright sunlight. Now, I use reading glasses but nothing extreme, a 1.0 or 1.5 magnification when needed so use those values for reference. I'm finding I need to use the magnifying property of water to read the values with uncorrected vision. Another thing is that I cannot reverse the display when in a workout or activity mode. The watch defaults to a dark background with white or bright data values, and I prefer the opposite, light background with dark data values. The standard watch face can be configured the way I prefer for day to day, but not the pre-configured activity fields- the watch reverts to the light data on dark background. Maybe I'm not versed enough in the menus to find that option, but so far it seems the watch will not accept the display change I want, which is strange to me given the ability to adjust the standard watch face in that manner.Overall, great watch, I'm mostly happy. In order to have data fields more highly legible I may purchase a standalone apnea watch someday, but for now as a jack of all trades watch it definitely does the job.

Works perfectly.

I did five dives over the Christmas holiday, and it worked flawlessly for all of them. I hesitated to buy this watch after being burned several years by a much more expensive air integrated watch that just stopped logging dives and ate my logbook. SO I was overjoyed that the G1 not only worked automatically, but also gave me the dive in stunning detail. It was way to cloudy the whole time so I didn't get to see the Solar feature charging, but I couldn't be happier. (Wish I had air integration, but I was just hoping to have the holiday dives logged! If you are looking for an entry level (no air integration) capable dive watch, check this one out! I don't think you will be disappointed.