Garmin has expanded its Marq (Gen 2) smartwatch series with the new Marq Carbon Collection. The collection consists of three watches—the Marq Athlete, Marq Commander, and Marq Golfer—all of which feature a unique Fused Carbon Fiber build that the company says is “decades in the making.”

Fused Carbon Fiber is a lightweight and durable material that Garmin says is 62% lighter than titanium, while also offering greater abrasion resistance. It consists of 130 carbon fiber layers that are rotated during manufacturing to maintain the housing’s tensile strength. 

Garmin then uses heat and pressure to align the block with the shape of the watch housing, bending the layers to match the angles of the watch lugs. The material is then machined using a diamond cutter over the course of multiple hours to create lightweight components that have a unique spiral pattern that runs throughout the material itself.

On the new Garmin MARQ Carbon series, the middle case and bezel are made from Fused Carbon Fiber, while the buttons, outer bezel ring, and caseback are all made from grade 5 titanium with a black DLC finish.

Aside from the new material, the Marq Carbon Collection shares the same specifications as the regular Marq 2 series. This means that the new smartwatches have 46mm case sizes, within which sit 1.2-inch AMOLED displays operating at 390 x 390 pixels. Moreover, the MARQ Carbon Collection is rated for up to 6 days of battery life in smartwatch mode or 21 days with battery saver mode enabled.

However, there are also certain features unique to each device in the collection. For example, the Marq Athlete comes with Garmin’s HRM-Pro Plus chest strap heart rate monitor for more accurate biometrics, the Marq Golfer includes three Approach CT10 club tracking sensors, and the Marq Commander is supplied with two straps: one made from heathered black woven nylon, and one from black silicone rubber.

The MARQ Carbon Collection starts at US$2,950 for the Athlete edition. Alternatively, Garmin sells the Golfer and Commander versions for US$3,100 and US$3,200, respectively. The smartwatches are available to purchase from Garmin’s official site.

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