My son (31 years old, married, 2 kids)shocked me yesterday. He asked me if he could borrow some money from me to buy a watch.
He NEVER asks for anything and a watch would be about the last thing I would ever picture him wanting let alone a expensive watch.
He just had the second baby a few months ago. I would probably buy him the watch for a new Daddy present instead of loaning him the cash. But NOT if the watch is poor quality.

He wants a Garmin Fenix Chronos, about $800 on Amazon. I didn't give him an answer on the loan because I wanted to check the watch out a bit.
I did not read stellar reviews and the "titanium" wrist band seemed to be poorly made.
I think his desire for this watch is the navigation capability. He drives a tractor trailer for UPS and I feel that he must have cultivated this desire for the watch from another driver or drivers.

Does any body have any experience with this watch or the Garmin watches in general?

Any suggestions on a place to purchase?

No experience so far but I am looking at ordering a Garmin Instinct this weekend. Like what I see in that watch.

I've been wearing Garmin watches as my running "coach" for years. I've gone through a number of models, but for my purposes, the Fenix is too much.

Does your son compete in a number of athletic endeavors? Running, swimming, bicycling? Or a combination (duathlons, triathlons)? If so, and if he's in the competitive category (top finisher, age-class finisher, etc.) then it may be worth it.

Not the exact same watch, but I wore the Garmin Vivoactive 3 for about 2 years. It started to have some issues the last few months in terms of software updates, synching with my phone and what not. I switched to an Apple Watch I got off the forum here recently, the Garmin experience left me less than thrilled.

My BIL has a high end fenix 5 for a few years, its been to the himalayas even with now issues. I have a forerunner 235 I use as a training watch, also no issues, it works as designed.

I would buy it for him as a gift, definitely not a loan.

I wear a Garmin Vivoactive 3 which is a few steps below the Fenix series.

I love my watch. Fenix has a better crystal than the Vivoactive and maybe has a few more features.

These recharge via a USB cable and don't have removable batteries. Battery life on my watch is 5-7 days depending on whether I use some of the functions like broadcasting heart rate to another device or recording a workout.

Watch syncs to my phone so I can see who is calling or texting.

I would buy another, and if I could afford it I would buy a Fenix model made by Garmin.

Dave

Garmin makes good watches for athletes and outdoors people.

I don't know anything about this specific watch.

The ultimate question is someone buying one of these needs to answer is do they need it. I almost bought a GPS tracking style watch a few years ago but passed as my iPhone will basically do what it would do.

The other thing to remember is these watches have a shelf life. It will last for years but nothing like a good tradition watch. If you get 7 years out of one of these I say you did well. For most buying these though it's a tool to help them train, exercise, track other things outdoors.

I would be hesitant to tell your son what to spend money on but then, on the other hand, he asked you for a loan.

I made a mistake on the model I'm asking about.
The model he is interested in is the Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire.

I have had a Garmin watch for several years now. I bought it as a re-furb and got it cheap. Its been a good watch but I dont wear it often, since it is quite bulky.

I’ve been wearing Garmin watches for several years now. I started with a Garmin 220 for running, then went up to the Vivoactive HR.

The Vivoactive HR is no longer being made, but it’s a great watch. I wear it 24/7 and use it for fitness (walking, running, biking, etc.).

I did have to buy a second HR when I cracked the face of the watch during a LEO instructor seminar.

When it comes time to replace the HR, I will definitely buy another Garmin....I think a Garmin 235 is the one I’m thinking about. It is not an $800 dollar watch though! I think it goes for about $250 or so.

Depends on what he wants it for.

I won’t buy my wife anymore Garmins. She has had 3 and each one she did not even get 2 years out of. Runs and works out a ton so they are always wet. The first two quit charging likely due to contact corrosion where the charger connects to the watch. The third the screen started fading out.

I switched her to an Apple Watch in June and is still going well.

I went with a Suunto Spartan for myself because of the issues with the Garmins for my wife.
My only gripe with the Suunto is I have a bunch of scratches on the screen. Never scratched a watch face before but this is my first smart watch.

Get one used. Good watches that lose half their value after a year. The functionality isn't that different.

I’ve used four or five Garmins over the past 10 years and they’ve worked fine for my running, biking and triathlons. My friends like their Fenix and have enjoyed the subsequent model updates.

If one has failed, Garmin has quickly replaced them for free or upgraded to a newer model for a nominal fee. I’ve never bought the current model.

I was under the impression that the Fenix was suited for outdoor activities. I’m not sure how it would benefit a truck driver. Is there a cheaper app out there that does the job.

Whether you loan him the dough is your call. Just not sure the Fenix is the right application.

I have a rather dated Fenix 3HR and a Forerunner 235. IMO the rather plain 235 is the best bang for the buck you can get in a fitness watch and it has enough features for any person serious about fitness. BTW, my Niece's husband is a past overall winner of the Memphis Triathlon and his choice is the 935 for the extras such as stride metrics but admits my, and my nieces 235 are plenty good enough.

Another bit plus for the Garmin watches are the extended battery life. I've had my 235 go 11 days before it needed charging and even using hte GPS for an hour a day it will still go 5 days before charging become a must. Compare that to Apple watches with their 18 HOUR "battery life".

The downside to the Garmin line is that they job out the programming to somewhere in India and as a result there is always a new bug around the corner in the next "update". Anytime a new update is announced the word goes around on the Garmin forums asking if this update is "safe" or will it kill the watch. IMO these programming outfits INTENTIONALLY introduce new bugs with every update to insure that they will always have another update to do and keep the money flowing.

So, final conclusions. First, until Apple ups the battery capacity in their watches I will keep giving them a pass, even though I own Apple Stock. Garmin has Apple beaten into a sub basement in terms of battery life. As for the Fenix series, I find my Fenix 3 too bulky and only wear it when going to to dinner or something, for me the 235 is just perfect for size. Where the Fenix may be beneficial is that it does have Golf Apps and the like and you can download databases that cover the worlds golf courses.

While I have no experience with the model your son wants, If you’re ok with loaning the cash or gifting the watch then get him what he wants. There are a lot of different types of smart watches but I’m guessing he wants the Fenix 6x for a reason.

I’m sure he’ll treasure this gift from you. If he’s not someone who normally asks for stuff, it sounds like he really wants this watch for one reason or another.

I’ve had my Garmin fēnix 3 for the past five years and it’s by far my most worn watch. I wear it to work, to the gym, on vacation, while fishing, changing the oil, etc. and it’s held up very well. Plenty of exposure to water/rain/sweat, banging against walls/ground/concrete, cold weather, hot weather, etc. and it keeps on going. The battery life is great—I can get a little over a week with those activities. I haven’t had corrosion issues with that charger. It’s bulky but some people like that look—I know I do. It’s very rugged.

I’ve looked into the fēnix 6 and really want it but I can’t justify spending the money especially since I’m happy with the fēnix 3.