Best Military Smartwatch In 2023 – M.S.(Military Standard) Certified

Military smartwatches differ from the others by their rugged construction to withstand extreme conditions: they are shock and scratch-proof to survive in a warzone; water-resistant to survive underwater and military-grade standard certified for marathon durability. 

Inside these smartwatches, tactical (temperature, altimeter, compass, and barometer), as well as navigational features (GPS), are prioritized. Some of them go as far as to include night vision support and special stealth modes for military personnel. These features will ensure that you always remain prepared in the middle of the action no matter if you are a soldier or an adventurer. 

Apart from the tactical features, these smartwatches can also help you level up your game in endurance sports like hiking, ultrarunning, skiing, trail running, or wild swimming.

Except for Garmin, Suunto, and Polar no other smartwatch vendor has tactical smartwatches to their name. Surely, many of the Samsung Watches are military-grade standard certifications, but that is only a signature of their durability. We can’t technically call them military or tactical smartwatches.

Here our research team has shortlisted some of the best military smartwatches. The foremost factors we prioritize in these watches is their ruggedness and tactical capabilities.

We have added a separate buying guide below to give you an idea how we finalized these smartwatches. Just keep in mind, tactical smartwatches tend to be more expensive than standard ones as they are aimed at specific users.

 So without further ado, let’s get started. 

7 Best Military Smartwatches in 2023

Amazfit T-Rex Smart Watch

Case Material	Polymer materials
Display	AMOLED display
Compatibility	Android & IOS
GPS	Yes
Water resistance	5 ATM
Smart Notification	Yes
Battery life	20 days
Connectivity	Bluetooth, CNSS, GPS
Colors	Available in 5 colors
Sensors	BioTrackerTM PPG Bio-Tracking Optical Sensor3-axis acceleration sensorGeomagnetic sensorAmbient light sensor
Weight & Dimensions	2.05 ounces, 58g | 4.4 x 3.3 x 1.3-inches
OS	Amazfit OS

SUUNTO Core

Case Material	Composite
Display	Matrix display
GPS	No
Water resistance	3 ATM (30 m)
Smart Notification	No
Battery life	12 months
Connectivity	No
Colors	Available in 5 colors
Sensors	No
Weight & Dimensions	64 grams / 49.1 x 49.1 x 14.5 mm
OS	N/A

Suunto Traverse Alpha

Case Material	Glass fiber reinforced composite with stainless steel coated, knurled bezel and pushers
Display	AMOLED display
Compatibility	Android & IOS
GPS	Yes
Water resistance	10 ATM
Smart Notification	N/A
Battery life	14 days
Connectivity	Bluetooth
Colors	‎Foliage
Sensors	N/A
Weight & Dimensions	‎0.17 Pounds | 1.97 x 0.59 x 1.97 inches
OS	N/A

SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch

Case Material	Stainless Steel
Display	Super AMOLED display
Compatibility	Android & IOS
GPS	True
Water resistance	5 ATM
Smart Notification	Yes
Battery life	Music Play Time: Up to 16 HoursTypical Usage: 3~4Low Usage: Up to 10
Connectivity	Bluetooth
Colors	Silver
Sensors	Accelerometer,Barometer,Gyro Sensor,HR Sensor,Light Sensor
Weight & Dimensions	81.6 grams / 0.5 x 1.81 x 1.92 inches
OS	Tizen OS 4.0

Garmin Instinct

Case Material	fiber-reinforced polymer
Display	monochrome, sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Compatibility	Android & IOS
GPS	Yes
Water resistance	10 ATM
Smart Notification	Yes
Battery life	Up to 24 days, Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 56 days, GPS: Up to 30 hours
Connectivity	Bluetooth, ANT
Colors	Available in 5 colors
Sensors	Garmin Elevate™ Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Barometric Altimeter, Compass, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor
Weight & Dimensions	53 g | 45 x 45 x 15.3 mm
OS	Garmin OS

Garmin fenix 5 Plus

Case Material	fiber-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover
Display	sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Compatibility	Android & IOS
GPS	Yes
Water resistance	10 ATM
Smart Notification	Yes
Battery life	Up to 12 daysGPS: Up to 18 hoursGPS and Music: Up to 8 hoursUltraTrac™ mode: Up to 42 hours
Connectivity	Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
Colors	Available in 5 colors
Sensors	Garmin Elevate™ Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Barometric Altimeter,Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Thermometer
Weight & Dimensions	86 g,Titanium version: 76 g | 47 x 47 x 15.8 mm
OS	Garmin OS

Garmin tactix Delta

Case Material	fiber-reinforced polymer with metal rear cover and knurled buttons
Display	sunlight-visible, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP)
Compatibility	Android & IOS
GPS	Yes
Water resistance	10 ATM
Smart Notification	Yes
Battery life	Smartwatch: Up to 21 daysBattery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 80 daysGPS: Up to 60 hours GPS + Music: Up to 15 hoursMax Battery GPS Mode: Up to 120 hours Expedition GPS Activity: Up to 46 days
Connectivity	Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi
Colors	Available in 5 colors
Sensors	Garmin Elevate™ Wrist Heart Rate Monitor, Barometric Altimeter, Compass, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Thermometer, Pulse Ox Blood Oxygen, Saturation Monitor
Weight & Dimensions |	97 g | 51 x 51 x 14.9 mm
OS	Garmin OS

Buying A Military Smartwatch – What To Consider?

Rugged Design:

As life in the military is no ordinary life, the watch can’t have an ordinary casing. It should be lightweight without compromising strength. Ideally, it should have protection against shock, temperature, and abrasion (Sapphire Glass is one indication of it). The water resistance should be 10 ATMs at least or roughly 100m underwater. 

Other than the casing strength, the colors hold prime importance. Dark and camouflage colors are preferred by military personnel, so the watches should be available in these colors. 

GPS:

Military smartwatches have more than one satellite navigation system. Apart from the regular GPS, these watches offer support for GLONASS, Beiduo, and GALILEO. This essentially means that you would never drop GPS signals wherever you go. 

The locking of GPS signals is seamless, and these watches display coordinates in various formats (including the MGRS format which is normally used in armed forces). You can pre-plan routes as well as set waypoints as you conquer tough terrains.

Tactical/Military Features:

The foremost features in a military watch are the ABC sensors that stand for altimeter, barometer, and compass. Some watches do come with a temperature sensor but that is not so helpful. 

Ideally, the watch should be equipped with a storm alert, night vision mode, Jumpster mode, sunrise/sunset times, moon calendar, and other advanced tactical/military features.

Battery Life:

Most tactical smartwatches are equipped with either a non-rechargeable fixed battery that can last for almost a year or they have large-sized rechargeable batteries with Solar charging as a backup. 

If you go for the GPS watches, you would be stuck with the rechargeable batteries but have tons of features at your disposal. Plus, there is always an option to fork out extra money for the Solar Edition of the watches.