Having joined the Garmin aviation watch trend years ago, I've consistently been impressed. Every new release introduces additional features and capabilities to an already robust set. The Garmin D2 Mach 2 upholds this tradition, offering even more advanced functionalities to enhance your flying experience.
Out of the box, the D2™ Mach 2 showcases exceptional construction. It features a durable DLC-coated titanium bezel, providing not only a sophisticated look but also enhanced resistance to wear and tear. The scratch-resistant sapphire lens ensures the vibrant 1.4" AMOLED touchscreen display remains clear and protected, even in demanding environments. I’ve found the touchscreen to be the most responsive screen Garmin has ever produced. Inputs are quickly recognized, and haptic feedback (shake) confirms entries.
Initializing and setup are easy, especially if you’re coming from another Garmin watch. If you are really obsessed with Garmin (clears throat), you can even have multiple watches for the same account. Grab the smaller X15 for fitness while keeping the prestigious D2 Mach 2 as your daily driver. Software updates can be set up to happen automatically. I find that once you start setup, letting your watch set for a couple hours ensures the updates and synchronization have time to do their thing. Throw it on the charger while this is happening so you can set off with a full battery for the first week.
Some of my personal favorite features:
- Advanced Aviation Maps: Features airspaces, runways, airports, and flight plan overlays for detailed mapping. I really like the nearest airport function when flying. In a pinch, I could totally use this as a last resort.
- Integrated LED Flashlight: Includes variable intensities of white light and a red light option to preserve night vision. This is much more convenient than the light on your phone, and I find myself using this almost every day.
- Personal Minimums: Set notifications related to flight rules, crosswind, ceiling, and visibility. This lets me know when the crosswind exceeds what I’ve declared my personal max is.
- Aviation Morning Report: Get a briefing on the day’s anticipated weather conditions at your chosen airport. It can also let you know how your body battery is looking and what your next workout should be.
- Sleep Tracking: Before Garmin watches, I didn’t like wearing a watch to bed. Now I can’t imagine not wearing one. The sleep tracking is really interesting and very accurate. It tracks deep sleep vs. REM, duration, and how recharged you should be. It can be pretty obvious if you had a late evening with friends the night before.
- Customizable Home Screen: Have the METAR of your home airport right on your home screen, or use a data-rich layout for quick health data.
- Garmin Pilot™ App Connectivity: Transfer flight plans and receive avionics data and alerts.
- PlaneSync™ Technology Integration: View the status of your PlaneSync™ technology-equipped aircraft while on the ground.
- Automatic Flight Logging: Automatically log flights directly on the watch and view them on flyGarmin.com.
Available models
Garmin makes two versions of the D2 Mach 2. The most popular version is the 51mm model with a titanium band. This model is slightly larger than the 47mm Leather band version. This means that Garmin could use a slightly larger battery and give the 51mm up to 26 days of battery life vs. the 14-day life of the 47mm model. Both models include a silicon band, which I find myself wearing 99% of the time over the titanium or leather bands.
Cons:
- Flight activity - If you don’t set a destination in the flight activity, the first couple of screens will be blank. This is easily remedied by choosing an airport, but it’d be nice for the first screen to have some data rather than be blank in these situations.
- Published battery life - I think most pilots are sceptical about battery life. The published rates are based on not using your watch to its fullest potential. In real life, you’ll probably be charging these once a week, which is still extremely impressive considering most smart watches need to be charged every day.
- iOS integration - Garmin’s UI and Connect app are amazing. Tons of really great data are available at your fingertips. If you are accustomed to an Apple Watch, you’ll notice some things that might initially annoy you. Notifications and messages are just not the same. Sometimes delayed or batched, or things that iOS knows to ignore now start making your wrist shake. This takes a little while to get accustomed to, and you’ll find yourself turning off many notifications that you didn’t realize were on.
Conclusion
The Garmin D2 Mach 2 is the premier smartwatch for pilots, offering a comprehensive suite of aviation-specific features alongside robust health tracking. This makes it an invaluable tool for both professional use and daily life. For pilots seeking the most advanced aviation smartwatch, the Garmin D2 Mach 2 stands out as an exceptional option.
