The Garmin tactix Charlie has been announced and the arrival date for Australia is April 2018. The watch will have topo lite AU/NZ maps preloaded just like the fenix 5X along with a couple of extras unique to the tactix range. If you’re a fan of the streamlined style of the Bravo, then you’ll be happy to hear Garmin have taken the same path with the new Charlie iteration.

What’s Changed from the tactix Bravo?

There have been some substantial changes both regarding hardware and software (though it still of course only comes in tactical black). I’ll list the major changes below and the full spec list comparison at the end of the article. In short, though it’s pretty much a fenix 5X with a tactical focus.

(Bravo info is in brackets)

• Preloaded Lite Topographical Maps for Australia/NZ (Not available on the Bravo)
• The bezel is Diamond-like Carbon coated titanium (Diamond-like Carbon coated stainless steel)
• 240x240 display resolution (218x218p)
• Battery life slightly shorter overall (Due to optical HR sensor and added functionality)
• Memory 16GB (32MB)
• Heart Rate sensor (N/A)
• Gyroscope (N/A)
• Preloaded Gym activity profiles and workouts (N/A)
• Training, Planning, and analysis features: VO2 Max, Training Status/Load, Training Effect (anaerobic), etc. (N/A)
• Heart Rate features - HR zones, HR alerts, HR calories, etc. (Yes with compatible accessories)
• Outdoor features - around me, future elevation plot, cartography support (N/A)
• Cycling Features - preloaded cycling profiles, etc. (Basic Cycling activity features)

It still comes with the tactix series ‘tactical-specific' features including Jumpmaster, waypoint projection, dual-position GPS formatting and preloaded tactical activity. The biggest thing to note though is that it now has topo maps. The GPS watch also features point-to-point navigation, breadcrumb trails, back to start routing and TracBack.

As the watch is a modified fenix 5X, you won’t see any of the new features from Garmin’s latest watches like the vivoactive 3 with Garmin Pay and the forerunner 645 music with onboard Bluetooth music support.

What’s unique about the Tactix

The tactix series brings with it a suite of tactical and military focused apps. The first is a Tactical mode which works exactly the same way it did on the Bravo by showing two sets of coordinates on a single screen. Jumpmaster activity has also returned - Just a warning Jumpmaster is designed for experienced skydivers particularly those in the military. Jumpmaster will have 3 jump types HAHO (High Altitude High Opening), HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) and Static (Wind speed and direction assumed to be constant.) You also have night vision mode which allows the watch to remain readable while wearing night vision goggles.

Design and Navigation

The tactix Charlie is built to be the toughest watch available in Garmin’s smartwatch arsenal. The unique use of Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coated titanium is more resistant and durable than the fenix 5Xs’stainless steel bezel and rear. Garmin has used DLC specifically because of its lightweight properties while still retaining diamond-like crystalline structure. This is all a fancy way of saying it’s pretty tough.

*DLC is used widely in the Medical industry (Bonesaws and serrated tools) and the Gun industry but is also well known for use in watches (Rolex, Seiko).

The screen size is as large as a fenix 5X (30.4mm diameter) this is important as even on a watch face as large as this it can be quite tricky to navigate efficiently via the Topo maps. Regarding mapping the topo maps that come with the tactix Charlie is the Lite version which doesn’t allow for routing. You could technically purchase full Topo maps and install it on the device to enable full routing functionality, but that would be an additional cost.

Button Layout

The watch does not have a touchscreen but with 5 buttons, navigating is very easy. Personally, I like touchscreen watches, but even I find the touchscreen functionality can be unreliable sometimes. The dedicated buttons, particularly in the tactical environment the tactix Charlie is designed for, makes much more sense.

Going in a clockwise direction the top right button will open the activity menu. The bottom right button will bring you back a menu page/it will also lap when you’re on a stopwatch or lap-based activity. The bottom left button will navigate up or down through menus. The middle left button navigates down through menus/holding it opens the watch settings menu. The top left button turns the light on or off/holding brings up the radial menu.

Battery life

The battery life for the tactix Charlie is the exact same as the fenix 5X and slightly less than the tactix Bravo – This is primarily due to the added functionality of the optical Heart Rate Monitor.

Smartwatch mode: Up to 12 days

GPS/HR mode: Up to 20 hours

UltraTrac: up to 35 hours

These are expected figures provided by Garmin in their testing conditions. A typical use would see around 5-7 days of battery life and less if you use the GPS activity and topo maps more often.

Accessories

The tactix Bravo came with a ballistic nylon strap. The tactix Charlie will come black silicone band. The NATO straps are still technically compatible, but Garmin was unable to continue to use them as the NATO straps cover the optical sensor on the heart-rate monitor.

Being a modified fenix 5X the tactix Charlie is compatible with the fenix 5X range of Quickfit 26mm band.

The tactix Charlie is also compatible with the VIRB action cameras like the VIRB 360 and VIRB Ultra 30 cameras. The watch can link up to these cameras to display additional metrics like heart rate on the video overlays.

Other accessories include the new Xero bowsight, Garmin DriveTrack 70LMT and Garmin’s massive range of fitness sensors and accessories for cycling, running, golfing and swimming. For more information visit the store compatible accessories page here.

Summary – Should I get this instead of a fenix 5?

That’s tough. Overall this is a great watch, but it’s still only a fenix 5X with a couple of tweaks regarding design and software. The fenix 5X still retails at $999 RRP while the new tactix Charlie will have a RRP of $1099. If you’re in the military or another tactical industry I can see this being quite handy especially regarding the tactix only features for coordinates and night vision. Personally, I think the shipping with TOPO Lite is a mistake, the added functionality and benefits of TOPO full (despite the small screen) outweigh the additional cost above the fenix 5X.

Price and availability

The Garmin tactix Charlie GPS watch is set to release in Australia in April 2018 at a RRP of $1099. For an updated ETA check out this page for the most up to date information.