With a high-resolution, sapphire, AMOLED touchscreen; a titanium bezel and titanium rear; a Titanium strap option; and more aviation features than any other watch, what’s not to like in Garmin’s greatest aviator watch to date?
Garmin D2 Mach 1
The cheaper, older Garmin D2 Delta is based on the Garmin Fenix 6. Time has moved on, as have Garmin products. There’s now a significantly-improved Fenix 7 model plus a special Garmin Epix 2 version that has a high-resolution screen (think Apple Watch). Well, the D2 Mach 1 is a variation of the Epix. ie it’s the very latest Fenix model PLUS a pretty screen for aviators.
You get the most commonly used sport/golf features of the Fenix 7 plus new Tactical features found on the Mission-oriented Tactix 7 Echo and 5 new aviation-specific features – the ones highlighted in the list below.
- Stealth Mode
- Kill switch
- Aviation Features
- Worldwide airport database(s)
- Altimeter with adjustable baro setting
- 3-axis compass with HSI (horizontal situation indicator)
- Multiple time zones with Zulu/UTC
- Wirelessly receive flight plans from Garmin Pilot™
- NEXRAD on moving map
- Moving Map with aviation airports, navaids, roads, bodies of water and more
- Waypoint information page
- Worldwide NAVAID and Intersection database(s)
- Connext avionics connectivity
- In-flight Pulse Ox
- Aviation Alerts
- MOS & Meteogram
- Fly activity emergency mode
- Density altitude calculator
Mach 2 is only available currently as two strap options titanium or non-titanium. The only case size on offer is the mid-sized 51mm.
Commentary
We initially thought this release was the D2 Echo. That cheaper, non-AMOLED version will probably still come as Mach 1’s $1200.00 price tag will put many off, especially so for the $100 premium for Titanium.
If money is a factor then go for the somewhat lesser Garmin D2 Air X10 which is based on Garmin’s lower-end Instinct 2 model.
Clearly, the pattern that has now emerged is for Garmin to release sector-specific versions of Instinct, Fenix and Epix where market size permits. Case sizes, solar and finishes will also be varied and the core features remain plus a small number of sector-specific features to differentiate each Garmin watch from the others.
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If you ever come across a pilot who uses a watch for aviation, run! Run for your life!
I know plenty of pilots who use these. It’s an extremely handy way to log flights which is a requirement for the licence. They obviously don’t use it for navigating, but the automatic flight activity start means never missing a flight log.
Looking at the specs, the naming of the variation as “Titanium Edition” is misleading because both have titanium bezel and back on the case (and sapphire crystal). The only difference is the Titanium Edition comes with a titanium band and the other one comes with a leather band (and costs US$100 less).
good spot, i will clarify above
Do you heard rumors about a EPIX watch smaller like a fenix 7s.. I try the EPIX 2 and it’s a great watch but the size is really too big for my wrist and have to return it but I will really buy a EPIX smaller.
nope.
i expect there will be one eventually but maybe not this year as a guess
This is really going to upset people who wanted a titanium epix without that weird white plastic look (people like me!). I ended up with a Fenix 7 which I’m happy enough with, but disapointed in the range of colorways Garmin decided to offer at launch. I guess I should be happy to have one at all, Fenix and Epix are still struggling with stock levels by the look of it.
yes indeed.
I don’t know exactly what’s going on.
It seems that Epix is significantly more successful than Garmin thought (pretty screen…doh!)
It seems that Fenix 7 is also selling very very well.
There could still be chip shortage impacts
Garmin IS coming out with more models this year and there are a lot of these models presumably screaming for the same components that are in short supply anyway.
In some ways I’m surprised that the D2 is released, perhaps it comes down to the fact that garmin sells less of these BUT that they sell more of them from garmin.com and hence the margins on already expensive items are very healthy as a result.
Some specific SKUs seem to be hard to come by eg the grey sapphire epix. i ended up getting the plastic-looking, white epix sapphire! oh well, the 955 will replace it on my wrist soon enough!
“Some specific SKUs seem to be hard to come by eg the grey sapphire epix.”
You mean the Slate Steel one? the heavy one? 76g? plenty of those in Australia, who wants a heavy epix?
“oh well, the 955 will replace it on my wrist soon enough!”
How soon? 😉 I assume there won’t be a nice amoled version, just a non-solar fenix 7 in a plastic case. Though you could put epix in a plastic case as well, maybe it makes more sense – as it’s already without solar, and same size as the regular 7.
As you say, non-amoled, non-solar 955 is most likely, i hope for an amoled option but i wont hold my breath for one on launch day.
yes it’s just a non-solar in a plastic case. probably a new feature or two.
how soon? only intel i have is that the launch WAS soonish but has been delayed…grrr
A Swedish retailer seems to have leaked 2 Forerunners 955 models (solar and non-solar). Both non-amoled. We’ll see sooner than later.. maybe at the time as the vivosmart 5.
i’d just seen that , thank you