Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/10/15/i-love-the-garmin-tactix-charl.html
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If you can’t replace the battery yourself, I recommend Joe’s Gaming and Electronics https://www.joesge.com/
They fixed my Fitbit Blaze for $45. Beats having to buy a new one!
That’s a lot to spend on a smartwatch, but very tempting.
I spent around the same on a traditional watch and I replace the battery every 5-6 years. (Marathon T-SAR w/ stainless steel bracelet). My watch is heavy and tough, but it mainly is only good for telling time. But it had lasted me for over 10 years, and I can’t imagine a smartwatch not going obsolete in a few years.
A wrist watch in the 21st century, how quaint. I’m sure it goes smashingly with your top hat and buggy whip holder.
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Lustmord. Nice, cheery music for everyday listening!
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OK, I’m old. Let’s get that out of the way
To me, the best watch is one that works and does it without any intervention.
The best watch?
A simple Timex. You know, like
These days however, there’s a new kid in town…the smart watch.
crammed full of technology, some of the most expensive smartwatches can tell you your heartrate, how many steps you’ve taken today and all sorts of things to play with.
And that $9.95 Timex price?
Get this: a real smart watch called the DZ09 routinely sells for under $20 on Amazon. Search for it ans be amazed, just don’t get it wet. Unlike the Timex, one drop’ll ruin it.
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A Casio!
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On the one hand I let out a slow whistle when I saw how much the Charlie cost ($750 for the people who don’t want to click through).
On the other people* frequently spend upwards of $1k on watches that don’t do anything other than tell the time all so who is anyone to judge.
Fun fact I might be one of those people soon because I have lost my mind.
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Is this basically a Garmin Fenix with titanium instead of stainless steel?
Seamus, in case you weren’t aware, AppleCare “plus” for the Apple watch includes low-cost replacement ($90 here in Canada) of a damaged watch up to twice in the two year period following the watch’s purchase for any reason, including torrential dowsing or passerby smashes!
That said, I’m about to get my 4th gen Apple watch, and I have yet to use the “plus” replacement on either of my two previous watches, although I did have warranty work covered at no charge thanks to the AppleCare on my original gen model twice.
It might be worth seeing if Garmin has a similar programme for their watches!
I don’t wear a watch anymore and my parents promised me a nice watch as a present from grad school.
My struggle is I’d hate to drop a bunch of money on a smartwatch that is obsolete in 2 years vs. a timeless watch that I might eventually pass on to my son.
BTW - it’s amazing the price stratification in luxury watches…$2K is barely the starting point when talking about Rolex, Tag Heuer, Patek, Omega, etc.
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“It took a licking, but it kept on ticking!”
Yeah agreed. I guess the question is whether you think of it as a tool (like I would a camera) or an heirloom (as you or I would a watch). Seamus is in the prior “tool” category and often you just have to pay the price for the tool that does the job correctly (see: Photoshop, or my Fuji X100F).
It still boggles my mind though that you can spend $2500 on something most people can’t tell the difference between and in fact likely keeps worse time than a $15 Casio. I am not however against a little luxury in one’s life so long as it’s within reason and not bought on credit. R/Watches is filled with people buying themselves Omegas as graduation gifts and I have to wonder what their financial situations are like …
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Seiko 5. Never needs batteries.
As for the “Garmins” mentioned in this thread (Tactix, Fenix), I assume they are cheap knock-offs as they spell “tactics” and “Phoenix” incorrectly, a sure sign of an imitation.
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$750 is about at my limit for a tool that I’ll use for maybe 18 months before needing a new one (I did get an iPhone X shortly after it came out but I don’t count that because I didn’t have to pay for it).
I appreciate quality and am willing to pay a premium for it but not convinced this is worth it. Tag Heuer also makes a $1500 smartwatch but there’s no way I would buy one. Talk about throwing your money away for something that will be collecting dust in a couple of years.
The Seiko 5 doesn’t even need the light, making it more useful for many of us. (However, I do like the Citizen’s tech.)
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Yup, I’ve had the same Citizen watch, the same Casio G-Shock and the same automatic mechanical dress watch for over ten years. None have ever needed new batteries. Eventually the Citizen will need a replacement for its solar-charging battery, but Citizen provides that service for much less than a new watch. The G-Shock was cheap enough that if it ever does stop charging, I’ll just buy a new one, but I’ve had it for 14 years and it’s still chugging along just fine.
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I’ve never owned a Garmin watch, not a smart-watch person, but I have a Garmin bike computer and know several people who use their watches and swear by them. Good tech; engineers don’t control marketing.
It does need to be worn daily and periodically cleaned, so it’s a matter of what works for the way you use it. My old automatic Seiko lasted for years, but towards the end of its life, the spring wouldn’t wind enough to keep it running through the night, even after cleaning.
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