Garmin International added two new smart watches to its aviator range this week with the introduction of the D2 Air X15 and the D2 Mach 2.
Featuring AMOLED touchscreen displays and built-in speakers and microphones, the newest D2 smartwatches add avionics connectivity, aviation-focused morning reports and voice commands.
The D2 Air X15 introduces new LED torch and synchronising compatibility, while the D2 Mach 2 matches the X15 and adds additional features such as advanced aviation maps, and alerts for weather conditions exceeding personal minima.
“Loaded with incredible aviation, fitness and smartwatch features that pilots will love, the new D2 Air X15 and D2 Mach 2 redefine how aviators use their smartwatch," said Carl Wolf, Garmin Vice President of Aviation Sales, Marketing, Programs and Support.
"Pilots can now use the voice command feature to start a flight activity on the ground and once they’re in the air, they can connect their watch to their avionics to get flight data and alerts right on their wrist.”
The 45-mm D2 Air X15 touchscreen display is protected by durable Gorilla Glass 3, with an watch face that dynamically changes colours to match current flight conditions based on the selected airport’s METAR. A new built-in LED torch features multiple white light intensities and a red light to help pilots during night operations. Pilots operating an aircraft fitted with compatible synchronising equipment can access status information including fuel, electrical, database and location information while away from the aircraft.
Garmin's D2 Mach 2 comes with either a 47-mm or a 51-mm bezel, featuring advanced aviation maps, detailed topography, terrain shading, colour-coded airspace boundaries, user waypoints, intersections and VORs. Pilots are able to track their current flight path using the live track log or breadcrumb trail, which displays as a trailing line on the map.
Additionally, pilots can set up personal minimums tolerances for weather conditions that matter most to their flying such as flight condition, crosswind, cloud ceiling and minimum visibility.
The 47-mm option has a titanium bezel with polymer watch case and comes with an Oxford brown leather watch band. The 51-mm option has a carbon gray Diamond-like carbon (DLC) titanium bezel with polymer watch case, and comes with a vented titanium bracelet with carbon gray DLC coating.
The D2 Mach 2 also features:
- avionics connectivity to compatible avionics
- on-device voice commands to set a timer or start an activity and issue aviation-specific commands
- voice notes for later reference which can be viewed in a voice memo app on the watch
- Garmin Messenger app
Garmin's D2 Air X15 has a 10-day battery life in smartwatch mode, while the D2 Mach 2 offers up to 26 days.
Available now, the D2 Air X15 has a suggested retail price of $US649.99, while the D2 Mach 2 47 mm is $US1350 and the D2 Mach 2 51 mm is $US14500.
More information is on the Garmin International website.