It’s been nearly a year now since the launch of Garmin’s high-end Tactix 8 watch model, which according to the company is one of its toughest smartwatches on the market, competing with devices like the Apple Watch Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, for example. While the Tactix 8 on its own is a fairly impressive device that’s made for the elements, it seems that Garmin wasn’t satisfied yet. Enter the “new” Tactix 8, which now comes equipped with a Cerakote material finish at a more expensive $1,599.99 price point.
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Let’s get this right out of the way—aside from the new Cerakote finish, the rest of the Tactix 8 pretty much remains the same, especially when it comes to the watch’s features and internal hardware components. If you’re unfamiliar with Cerakote, it’s essentially a coating made from a ceramic polymer material, which according to Garmin can remain resistant versus chemical damage, abrasion and corrosion. Additionally, the Tactix 8 Cerakote edition comes in a single 51mm size in Slate Grey and Olive Drab colour options. By comparison, the standard Tactix 8 comes in two different 47mm and 51mm variants, both of which come with a titanium bezel.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Tactix 8’s specs, then here’s a quick recap—for fitness, the watch features a wide selection of activity profiles including rucking, targeted strength training plans, real-time stamina tracking, sport-specific workouts, and a wide array of built-in sports apps. There’s also a daily training readiness score that advises users on workout intensity, and support for tracking different progress metrics such as endurance score, hill score, VO2 max.
Other features include 40-meter dive rating and support for both scuba and apnea diving, preloaded Applied Ballistics Ultralight solver as well as compatibility with the AB Quantum app and AB Elite solver integration, advanced mapping and navigation tools with TopoActive maps, and Dynamic round-trip routing that allows users to input a desired distance and receive suggested routes.
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In addition, the Tactix 8 also features 24/7 health monitoring with wrist-based Pulse Ox, Body Battery energy monitoring, a jet lag advisor, advanced sleep monitoring, and nap detection. Garmin says that all Tactix 8 models are also compatible with an FDA-cleared ECG app, enabling users to record their heart rhythm and check for AFib directly from their wrist.
