The Garmin Instinct Analog might have been approved for sale in the US

Man wearing Garmin Instinct Solar watch in red
The Garmin Instinct Analog may be similar to the Instinct 2, but with a hybrid display (Image credit: Garmin)

We've just had our second hint that the rumored Garmin Instinct Analog sports watch may soon arrive on our wrists. Last week, Advnture spotted a reference to a new Garmin GPS smartwatch on the website of the Singaporean telecoms agency, and now it appears that the same device may have been registered with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US.

On September 9, Garmin received approval for a device with the ID IPH-B3113. Sometimes the FCC publishes the full names of devices, but that no longer seems to be the case with Garmin devices. 'IPH' is the code the FCC uses for Garmin, and 'B3113' is a code that the company has chosen to refer to this particular product.

There are very few other details available (photos, labels, letter, and schematics all seem to be protected by a confidentiality request), but we can see that the application was submitted by Ben Karsak, who is the manager of compliance engineering in Garmin's outdoor recreation division.

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This leads us to believe that, if it is indeed a watch (or the wireless comms module for one), this new device is the rumored Instinct Analog rather than the Vivomove Trend, which would likely come under the fitness division. We might be wrong, and the newly approved device may be something like a GPS fish finder instead, but we're cautiously optimistic.

What does the FCC listing mean?

Before they can be sold in a country, any device capable of wireless communications (including GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi) must be tested and approved by the national telecoms authority. In the US, that's the FCC.

The device will be put through a standard set of tests to ensure that it complies with local standards and won't interfere with any important equipment, such as communication gear used by emergency services, or air traffic control.

Most countries keep the details of recently approved devices private, but Singapore's Telecoms Licensing Agency and the FCC publish a few details, which can give us a glimpse into what'll be hutting the market over the next few months.

What is the Instinct Analog?

The Garmin Instinct Analog first appeared in a list of warranty information leaked by a retailer, which gave the names of several new devices. Most of these have now been launched, including the Forerunner 955 and 255, Vivosmart 5, and Venu Sq 2, which suggests that the document was genuine.

We can only speculate about the Instinct Analog's features, but it seems safe to say that it will be a rugged watch in line with the rest of the Instinct range, and will likely have impressive battery life. It seems likely that it will have a hybrid style face, with analog hands that move aside to reveal a hidden LCD display, like that of the Garmin Vivomove. It's possible that it may resemble a classic field watch more than a conventional GPS sports watch, though we'll likely need to wait a few more weeks to find out.

Cat Ellis
Editor

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.