Garmin MARQ (Gen 3): A Big Upgrade Over the MARQ 2, but Basically a fēnix 9

Another new Garmin: the MARQ (Gen 3)

A new week, another Garmin release. This time it's the third generation of the MARQ, Garmin's most luxurious line, with premium materials like a Grade 5 titanium case, ceramic bezel inlays and Italian leather bands.

There are six editions, all with a 47 mm case:

• Athlete: $2,500
• Adventurer: $2,700
• Golfer: $2,800
• Aviator: $3,100
• Commander: $3,100
• Diver: $3,100, the newest member of the MARQ family

A very welcome upgrade over the MARQ 2

Compared with the MARQ (Gen 2), this is a big step forward:

• A bigger, brighter screen: 1.4" at 454 × 454 instead of 1.2" at 390 × 390, up to 3,000 nits, the largest display on a MARQ yet
• LTE and inReach satellite built in, for calls, messages, LiveTrack, weather and SOS without your phone (a plan is required)
• A speaker and microphone for calls and voice commands
• An LED flashlight, a first for the MARQ
• ECG, skin temperature and a depth sensor, so every edition can scuba dive now
• 128 GB of storage, four times the 32 GB of the MARQ 2
• More battery despite the bigger screen: up to 18 days instead of 16

It does cost more: the MARQ 2 editions sit at $1,900 to $2,400, so that's roughly $600 to $700 extra per edition.

But compared with the fēnix 9, it's basically the same

Here's the honest part. Put the MARQ (Gen 3) next to the fēnix 9 Pro 47 mm with inReach, and Garmin's own spec tables match row for row: the same display, the same 18-day battery, the same sensors, the same LTE and satellite, the same training features, stamina zones included.

	fēnix 9 Pro 47 mm inReach	MARQ (Gen 3)
Price	$1,199.99	$2,500 to $3,100
Display	1.4" AMOLED, up to 3,000 nits	1.4" AMOLED, up to 3,000 nits
Battery	Up to 18 days	Up to 18 days
LTE and inReach satellite	✅	✅
Flashlight, ECG, calls	✅	✅
Case	Titanium	Grade 5 titanium, ceramic bezel inlay
Storage	64 GB	128 GB
Charger	Plug-in	Magnetic
Address navigation	❌	✅
Weight	78 g	86 g or more, depending on the band

So what you pay the extra $1,300 to $1,900 for is mainly the materials, the finish and the design. Functionally, the MARQ adds address navigation and double the storage, and that's it, unless you pick one of the special editions.

The magnetic charger

One interesting difference: the MARQ charges with a magnetic charger instead of the plug-in charger you clip into the back of a fēnix. It's not new, though: the MARQ 2 already had it, on every edition except the Aviator.

Honestly, I'm not sure why Garmin's other watches haven't got it yet.

What the special editions add

The Athlete and the Adventurer share the base feature set. They differ in design: the Athlete has a VO2 max bezel, the Adventurer a compass bezel and an Italian leather strap. The other four each get dedicated extras on top:

• Golfer: putt tracking, forward tee guidance, Stableford and scramble scoring, and with a Garmin Golf membership aerial imagery and green reading
• Aviator: a moving map with airports and navaids, METAR and TAF weather, NEXRAD radar, flight plans sent from Garmin Pilot, avionics connectivity and a dedicated UTC hand
• Commander: stealth mode, night vision mode, a kill switch and an Applied Ballistics solver
• Diver: DiveView maps, apnea hunt mode and dive readiness, plus boat tools like autopilot control, tack assist and an anchor alarm

If you actually fly, dive or shoot, those extras are a real reason to pick a MARQ over a fēnix. For everyone else, it's a luxury watch with fēnix 9 Pro internals, and that's fine, as long as you know that's what you're paying for.

Compare them yourself

I've already added all six MARQ (Gen 3) editions to the Garmin Finder, so you can put them next to the fēnix 9, the MARQ 2 or any other Garmin and compare the features that matter to you.

Compare the MARQ (Gen 3) →