A product preview for an 'EMS Instinct 2' appeared on Garmin's UK website yesterday, suggesting that the company's next watch will probably be a special edition designed for emergency medical personnel, including paramedics and ambulance crews.
Last week, Advnture reported on a recent FCC filing, which suggested an extra large Instinct watch might be on the way soon. At the time, I speculated that this might simply be the same device with a bigger display, making it better for maps, but now it appears that Garmin might have something quite different in mind.
This certainly wouldn't be the first Instinct watch designed with a specific career in mind. The lineup already includes the Instinct Tactical Edition for military personnel, and the Instinct Dezl for professional truck drivers.
So what would an Instinct 2 watch for medical professionals have to offer? Well, first of all I think we should ignore the text shown below, which seems to be a mish-mash of copy related to other devices (mostly the Garmin Instinct 2 Tactical). We should ignore the image as well, which is just the Instinct 2 Solar in the Tidal Blue colorway.
Three years ago, an EMS worker posted on Reddit asking for opinions on the Garmin Instinct and Instinct Tactical for use in the field. User Cjiviens had recently joined the profession, and was looking for a tougher alternative to an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch Ultra was only a twinkle in Tim Cook's eye at the time, so the Garmin Instinct series seemed like a good fit.
Battery life was a key concern, as was the ability to keep the screen active and lit for long enough to take a patient's vitals while using the stopwatch function.
All watches in the Instinct series last weeks between charges, but it's possible than an EMT edition may have an even larger battery to keep the watch running as long a possible. Personally I don't foresee solar charging being a feature, since EMS personnel will be inside a vehicle for much of the day.
A flashlight, however, might be an extremely useful addition. The flashlights built into the Garmin Fenix 7X and Enduro 2 are great, and could really come in handy when examining a patient in poor light. Quicker access to the stopwatch would also be a benefit, and the watch may even have a dedicated extra button for it.
I contacted Garmin about the product preview, and several hours later it now seems to have been removed, so we'll have to wait a while longer to see whether emergency medical staff are really getting their own Instinct watch. Watch this space for more details.
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