Garmin teases launch event for November 8th

Garmin has teased a launch event for Tuesday, November 8th. We are expecting Instinct Crossover or Vivomove Trend to launch. Most likely the first.

Both of these watches have recently passed by the Federal Communications Comission (FCC) and the Singapore regulatory body (IMDA). This means they should be unveiled in the near future.

The launch event was teased via a social media post. Here’s a screenshot.

As can be seen from the image, November 8th is mentioned. This is a Tuesday and that day is the day of the week when Garmin most often has product launches.

The thing is that this date coincides with Election Day in the US. Newspapers are likely to be swamped with voter news so it doesn’t seem like the best time to release a new product. North America is a major market for Garmin and it is not going to be easy to get much press coverage on that day. A strange decision to unveil something on that date.

On the other hand, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching. Garmin is going to want to release any new products before the holiday shopping period begins. Black Friday falls on November 25th this year, but all of December will be a busy with end-year purchases.

Mystery “X” – Garmin Instinct Crossover?

Another thing clearly visible from the promotional image is a mystery “X”. What could this mean?

Some are speculating that it could be a reference to a model missing from the Epix lineup – the Epix 2X. We’re not in agreement. Our money is that the X is a hint we might be seeing Garmin Instinct Crossover (x equals “cross”). But that’s purely a guess.

Instinct Crossover has leaked extensively during the year. In the sping we broke news that a hybrid Instinct watch will be coming by the end of 2022. Our info was for a device called Instinct Analog. That name was on a list of devices revealed by a local Garmin retailer. But subsequent leaks, including one from the Taiwanese Garmin website, pointed to a device with the name Instinct Crossover.

Some images were also leaked at the time, but they were quickly removed. We managed to get most of the specs of the new device. As written about in our detailed piece, this will be a rugged smartwatch with some analog elements. Namely, there’s a pair of luminescent, mechanical hands on top of the MIP watch face. They come with shock-resistant, auto-calibration smarts.

As far as ability, most of the smarts of the Instinct 2 range appear to be there. This is in addition to Strategic Functions that include a Night Vision Mode, Stealth Mode, Kill Switch and Double-grid Coordinates. Under running functions there’s also a mention of a Physical Fitness Index. This appears to be new.

Essential reading: Best fitness trackers and health gadgets

Not too long now to go before the official unveil. On November 8th we will not only learn how Americans will reshape Congress in the midterm elections. We’ll also learn whether Garmin launches Instinct Crossover, Vivomove Trend or perhaps makes some other type of announcement!

Here’s Garmin tweet in full on the upcoming event.

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