Instinct Crossover Solar, Rugged Hybrid Smartwatch with Solar Charging Capabilities, Analog Hands and Digital Display, Tidal Blue

I currently own a Garmin Instinct Solar 2 and the Crossover Solar. The Garmin Crossover Solar is my favorite smart watch to date. I use it for monitoring my daily health and fitness. I have owned the AW 1,3, 5 (stainless steel), 7 (titanium), and Ultra. As much as I enjoy using the Apple Watch series, Garmin provides me my health metrics from the watch without aftermarket apps. I don't like having to continually depend on my iPhone to see my health metrics. Garmin allows me to connect through their app on my phone, web browser, tablet, etc. Garmin also plays friendly with 3rd party providers such as Strava as to where the AW I have to manually sync my data with Strava. I run, bike, weight train, walk, stand up paddle board, do yoga, and a variety of other activities. The Garmin gives me a readiness score to help prevent over training. I also like that it continually monitors my vitals, stress, sleep levels (quality of sleep), etc and determines whether or not I should take a break from my exercise. Proactive health and fitness are my lifestyle. I can also compare my fitness/performance levels to other Garmin users, and it provides me insight and feedback... the AW does little of that. For example, I can look up on the Garmin Connect site and see my age group and how I compare to other Garmin users for distance, pace, etc. for an activity. I also like to save coordinates while hiking, on trips, etc. I have the Garmin Explorer option to pull up waypoints. It's convenient sharing my data with other people as to where the AW only allows me to share a screen shot of my workouts with some data. I noticed that the AW does not record stand up paddle boarding as an activity or exercise. The Garmin does, while also recording my route on a map… pretty cool. I wore both devices and found that the Garmin is a bit more accurate running indoors on a treadmill compared to the AW Ultra and Crossover/2. I finish my distance right on point with the treadmill as to where the AW ultra at one mile is .15 to .25 miles off typically; yes, I’m familiar with the calibration process (deleting old calibration… 20 min walk/run outdoors). The Ultra and series 7 (watches used at the time of comparison to the Instinct 2 solar and Crossover Solar) also counts a bit more steps with basic wrist movements as to where the Crossover/2 do not. Once my Garmin gets to one mile, I can calibrate it to match what the treadmill says and it's good to go. The AW is great to generally observe data regarding health, but the lack of feedback is concerning. Also, I do like to check maps out on my adventures or saved coordinates on a map. If I save coordinates on the AW, it is a bit more extensive to pull things up on a map as to where the Garmin side of things just does it. I feel stuck on the AW viewing travel data/waypoints. The Garmin Connect app on my iPhone has all my data in one location. The AW, I need three different apps. Apple has a ways to go on the health/fitness side of things. I see them getting there in the near future and I can see myself eventually getting back on board once things catch up... assuming they do. I will miss closing rings and competing with family/friends on an Apple Watch, but the Garmin is much more on point for my daily lifestyle. I kept trying to convince myself the Ultra would be adequate, and I greatly enjoyed having cellular/music while out on runs, but I'll stick to bringing my phone at this point. I do have a AW5 that I can occasionally use for cellular when I do not want to carry a phone on me. Choosing between the two for my lifestyle, Garmin is ultimately the platform I am choosing to stick to for my active lifestyle of monitoring my health and fitness. I forgot to mention that I like that the Crossover’s display is always on with physical hands and I can glance at it. I’m not a fan of the limited battery life of the Ultra and I’m not sold on the always on display or OLED... just a preference of mine. One other point I’d like to leave is I like the plastic polymer casings on the Instinct/Crossover series. The titanium and stainless casing show scratches like crazy on the Apple watches (aluminum too… my children have the SE and series 5 aluminum, which we keep cases on). The polymer-fiber casings on the Instinct hardly show any where and tear… just mentioning that for those who are a little OCD such as myself. My Instinct Solar 2 has been seen a lot of wear and tear and still looks nearly new despite having scratches (these scratches are matte and hardly noticeable… one must go out of there way with angle lighting, etc. to even see a glimpse of anything)… my point is the polymer-fiber ages well and has seen its fair share of knocks and use in an active lifestyle… my Apple watches patina hard over time and look banged up. I’ve used cases on my Apple watches in the past and they seem to just add to the wear and tear. Aging gracefully and not concerning myself with aesthetics and durability is another win on the Garmin for me with daily use. ————————— Well, my minute hand became loose on the watch. I noticed another person had this issue on a Reddit forum. Amazon made an exception past the return date and authorized a return for me, which I greatly appreciate. I’ll being opting for the Garmin 955 Solar and will definitely miss this watch. I just don’t trust the longevity of the mechanical aspect of this Watch given that I’ve come across others having this issue. Had this issue in reliability not been an issue of mine, it’d still easily be one of my most favored watches I’ve owned to date… there’s nothing like it out there… ——————13MAR23———— I decided to try another watch… same issue (reference photos of watch at the 2oclock and 7oclock position. I decided to keep it because I like the fit and practicality of the watch so much and I guess this may just be the nature of the watch unless there’s a bad batch out there. I contacted Garmin about the issue and the rep said this does not seem “normal.” I’ll test the replacement. If I have the same issue I’ll likely keep the watch although the loose minute hand is a bit of an annoyance. I tried the 955 Solar… a great option too around the same price. The screen is much easier to read indoors on the Crossover Instinct Solar compared to the 955 Solar and the battery life is much better on the Instinct Solar… the Solar option on the 955 doesn’t seem to benefit the battery life much, but on the instinct Solar there is a significant difference for my daily use scenario… especially when running/biking outdoors. ---------------21DEC23-------------- I sold the Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar in graphite that I had and opted for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 when it was released since I wanted to give Apple's new fitness features/updates a try/chance. It was great having email, texting, cellular, music, and Siri on my wrist, but ultimately it lost its appeal as my phone can do all of these things at a slight inconvenience. Also, it didn't give me the warm and fuzzy that the battery is draining at breakneck speeds giving off much more radiation compared to the once in a while syncing for bluetooth on the Garmin. Once again, I didn't care for the OLED screen on the AW Ultra 2 and the lack of fitness feedback I can only access from an iPhone and iPad... disappointing. Another disappointment was missing the ability to add notes and photos to activities with my children while out hiking, running, biking, etc. together that I can do with Garmin’s Connect plateform. If I want these previously mentioned features while out exercising, etc. I just wear a running belt or fanny pack to carry my iPhone. So, I ordered the tactical version of Crossover Solar watch while on-sale during the holidays. I also ordered the Instinct 2x solar in graphite a week prior to this watch. I like the near limitless battery life, larger screen, updated GPS and flashlight on the Instinct 2X Solar, but for some reason I just prefer having the mechanical arms on the Crossover and the smaller footprint lol. While the profile is a bit high of the wrist for the Crossover, it keeps my long sleeves from covering the watch and has a unique look to it. Battery life with daily sun exposure (I live in Florida (United States)) is adequate. I can get about two weeks use comfortably with daily training on the Instinct Crossover Solar Tactical ed before recharging it at around 30% battery. The Instinct 2x is easily double that. I do work outside and get about 20k to 50k lux hours (solar charging) on the Crossover and the Instinct 2x can double that considering the solar panel collects quite a bit more light (it is larger and more exposed to the sun). It is definitely a commendable watch if you don't mind the large design. My wrist is just over 6.5" around to put the images I shared into a little perspective. The Instinct 2x is definitely a better value technology and practicality wise with a way more readable (larger font, better screen layout) screen when using fitness features and browsing menus. These two watches have the same updated GPS chipsets, but the 2x offers a battery draining “all systems option that is not necessary for day to day life unless you are using the watch in challenging terrain with canyons, skyscrapers, etc. I prefer the style of the Crossover and it is more comfortable for daily wear and looks better in mine and my wife's opinion (different settings). Something worth noting... if the arms on the dial get in the way of the data on the screen on the Crossover, you just press the bottom-right button that says "set" and the arms shift out of the way for a few moments and shift back. Seems a lot of folks are not mentioning this in their reviews or are unaware of this. While going through menus, the arms obviously resort to the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions as to not obscure the screen. After owning the graphite version, and now tactical version of the Instinct Crossover with solar, I recommend just picking the color you want... black is a $50 up charge if you need the tactical features, which I don't. Feels pretty much like the same watch. I like how the text, etc around the bezel is a bit more subdued. There are also no tick marks around the outside edges of the numbers in case you overlooked this as well. Anywho, I hope all this rambling had some information of value for someone. The Instinct Crossover Solar is an awesome watch that I definitely recommend to anyone that is proactive with a healthy lifestyle that wants a watch that is rugged, looks semi-formal and informal beyond that of the Instinct 2X. I uploaded photos of the Instinct 2X Solar and AW Ultra 2 next to the Crossover Tactical on my right wrist. Again, my wrist is just over 6.5” for reference.

Great Analog/Digital Hybrid Smartwatch, well worth the money. This fulfills both of my likes, I love analog watches and have several, but digital watches are more functional and are filled with sensors for health and fitness. Well this Garmin watch is a Hybrid and does both things well, I wear it for about a week with everything except GPS turned on and then it just takes a few hours to charge back up. I wish the display was slightly bigger, but that could be because I am getting older ;o) It has been reliable and durable during my year with this watch, I am hoping for many more years to come.

There's something about having the analogue hands that make time tracking so useful, as in watching a dial vs a digital readout. Okay so, battery life is pretty darn good so far. The hand movements are perfect and even move out of the way if you need them to by pressing the bottom right button. They shift just enough to see what they might be covering on the main screen. For other screens they move out of the way completely and it looks really cool. If this is your first time on Garmin. The instincts are where it is at. Charge it when you feel like it, not every night! Anyway, the things I would say I don't like are: So far no white background black text setting. Kind of annoying, but hopefully we get an update that'll allow it? Also the night mode. At night the screen switches to a non-notification style screen that's simpler. Which I love on my Instinct 2. However on this one, the time is at the top and the hands cover it right? Think about it, 11:10, glancing at it. The hands cover it, and it's too dark to read the hands. I don't know if that makes since, but like if I had to pick on ONE thing, it would be this. Overall, exceptional watch. The readings are decent, especially the heart rate monitor apps and GPS tracking. Also the compass I use a lot in my job, and that's the main reason I got these. Works awesome and shows azimuth.

First of all, this is a great watch for those who like the old school feel of having watches with actual hands as as well as the added tech features. As a female with small wrists (see the picture), the face is larger than my wrist is!! so it does look a bit odd, but I like it. And you want to be able to actually see what is on your watch without a magnifying glass. Switching out to a metal band lends it some additional style. You can also download additional watch faces if you do not like any of the default options. The somewhat higher upfront cost of a Garmin is more than made up for by the fact that (unlike all of its competitors) you do not have to pay a monthly subscription fee to access almost all of the advanced activity and health functions. I am using it primarily for health and activity tracking and was expecting a bit more from the sleep tracking. Basically you input when your normal sleep and wake times are and it measures your heart rate and movements during that time. Changing your sleep and wake times can actually change your sleep score after the fact which seems odd. It is essentially recording that you slept between the hours that you input. As someone who often wakes during the night, it still notes my sleep score as Good or Excellent for a night when I am awake most of the time but not moving (though I think this would be the case for any such device; obviously it not scanning my brain waves!). The time between charges is insanely good. No one wants their watch to spend most of its time plugged into a wall after all. Also note that most of the Garmin guides are out of date, so I suggest going to YouTube for instructions on getting started, changing settings and getting the most out of your watch.

This is my 3rd garmin instinct; I had two of the original model. I am a big fan of these watches; they do everything I need and nothing I don't. Just like the original, this model is great for tracking your workouts, hikes, bike rides, etc. I use it to get limited notifications from my phone as well, though most of my phone notifications are turned off on the watch. I like the old school styling and the simple display, which gives it fantastic battery life. I generally charge the watch about every 2 weeks. I am a little disappointed in the solar aspect; I spend more time outdoors than most people and the solar doesn't seem to add much to the battery life, unless this new model has a much shorter battery life than the original models. I am also somewhat disappointed in the luminosity of the hands; they don't glow much and are hard to see in the dark. On the plus side, the HR monitor on this one seems more accurate than the original models. When i need a new watch, I would probably buy this one again.

I love everything about the watch - EXCEPT - the main reason I purchased it was to count laps for me while swimming. It is frustratingly bad at that. Garmin provides guidance suggesting a strong push off from the wall. However, the count loses anywhere from 1-3 lengths for every 10 that I swim. Adding to the frustration, is the pool at my place is small - 37'. For whatever reason, Garmin has limited the lower end of the pool size to 42'. So I set the length to be double the 37' to 74' to make it easy to track so all I should have to do is halve the distance displayed. For some reason, the watch actually quadruples the distance when tracking my swim. So while the length count is somewhat accurate; the distance displayed is right around 4X the actual distance covered. I'm not sure why any of these issues happen. The watch contains both GPS and a compass. You would think with those sensors, it would be easy for the watch to determine that you have reversed direction when swimming laps. Hopefully, these issues will be addressed in future software upgrades. Aside from the lap swimming issue, the watch is great. The pool swimming issue aside, the software for tracking your activities and sleep is very well thought out. The integration with my Android phone is well executed. I can see incoming texts, emails, calls. I can even respond with pre-configured responses. I can mark to-dos as done. In my experience, the watch holds at least 2-3 weeks of charge (it says 24 days when fully charged.) But, unless you spend many hours a day outside in the sun, you are going to have to plug it in at some point during this period to recharge. Update - after 20 months. I'm happy to report that a recent update has finally fixed the lap counting issue. This is a great watch. Adding a star!

Love the analog hands - easy to see in all lighting conditions. The black & white MIP display is all you need. This is a backup watch to my Enduro 2 - both have amazing battery life. The Crossover would be my prime watch if it had maps, but sadly it does not - GPS works great though. Great price now at only $400! Update on 09JAN2026 - like it so much I bought a non-tactical solar for a backup at only $280 US. The luminous markings are very easy to see in total darkness so backlight is not needed in bed to see the time. Single band GPS still works great. Verified it does have a gyroscope - not in the published specifications. Also got a Crossover AMOLED but battery life is awful - less than one week in daily GPS use and does not offer much more than the Solar model to justify much higher expense. Crossover Solar is easily double the battery life used in the same conditions without AMOLED AOD, and MIP is always AOD.

The bad: like many others commenting, with the first cold weather - the watch face fogs up and stays fogged up when I'm outside. Otherwise, for me, this is the closest to a perfect watch at this time. My prior 3-5 hundred dollar favorite watch was a Casio Pro-Trek solar climbing watch. (Not too big, never needs charging, perfect time via built-in radio, can look at hands in the dark and tell the time, waterproof, durable, has a second hand.) But no health features and not going to wear two different things. In warm weather you can use this. You can turn off the data screen stuff and it looks like a real watch that tracks sleep, pulse ox, auto exercise recognition, HR, GPS, etc. If you're doing an activity, you can make it back into a "smart" watch instead of looking at your phone. The app, though, is nice on both android and ios. In the dark, you can tell the time from the hands without having it light up. Too bad it doesn't have a real second hand which would come in handy in many situations but maybe it eats too much power. Casio can do it though. I always liked Gar-Min pilot stuff since those two guys started the company but this nagging condensation thing is not to the usual quality level (they went public in 2000).