HYT Debuts Limited Edition Soonow Instant Rainbow

With its gigantic domed crystal, fluid timekeeping system, and a grinning skull visage on its dial, the HYT Soonow series has never been a particularly subtle watch. Iterations of the Soonow have been spawned in a myriad of colors and finishes, but for its latest version the boutique watchmaker has aimed squarely for maximum visual impact. The new limited edition HYT Soonow Instant Rainbow keeps the lugless 48.8mm black DLC coated stainless steel case of its predecessors, along with its dramatically tall domed sapphire crystal, but the dial takes on a striking new look. In order to achieve the signature rainbow effect, the outer dial is set with 668 individual stones in 14 different colors, including sapphires, amethyst, and tsavorite, while the inner skull shaped dial is finished in electric blue anodized titanium. Further punches of green, red, and orange surround the eyes and nostrils, and the fluid capillary indicating the time is filled with clear blue liquid above a hazard yellow lumed track. Just in case these weren’t enough to grab attention, the teeth of the skull are made of yellow gold with a further 313 gold pins around its surface. HYT powers the Soonow Instant Rainbow with an in-house handwound movement mated to its proprietary immiscible fluid bellows system via a cam follower system. The mechanical movement itself offers impressive performance, with a 65 hour power reserve and a 28,800 bph beat rate to complement the hand beveled bridges decorated with Geneva stripes. The Soonow Instant Rainbow is paired with HYT’s tapering perforated rubber strap, a wise choice that allows the strap and case to fade into the background while the eye is drawn to the dial. While it’s far from quiet, it’s difficult not to respect the sheer audacity and vibrancy of the finished product. Only eight examples of the HYT Soonow Instant Rainbow will be made, with an MSRP of 105,000 CHF. Visit HYT’s website for more information.

Garmin Introduces MARQ Golfer Smartwatch

Tech giant Garmin has spent much of 2020 rapidly expanding the luxury-oriented MARQ smartwatch range into a variety of specialized niches, and as summer is right around the corner the brand has taken the opportunity to outfit the MARQ for the golf course. The new Garmin MARQ Golfer provides a comprehensive suite of golf-focused functions, but also makes some solid physical adjustments to the base watch in order to maximize its on-course potential. The 46mm case of the MARQ Golfer is a prime example of this, maintaining the sporty form of previous models, but opting for lightweight titanium over stainless steel to minimize the effect of the watch on a player’s swing. The verdant green ceramic bezel insert is also customized for the sport, featuring an 18 hole indicator. Of course, the real meat of the MARQ Golfer’s golf capability comes in through its new suite of functions. The most impressive of these golf-centric new capabilities include a database of over 41,000 courses worldwide, allowing for full color course mapping, along with the PlaysLike Distance feature which compensates the suggested shot function for uphill and downhill terrain, the virtual caddie which analyzes wind speed and previous performance to suggest the best club for a given shot, a hazard view tool which allows players to quickly highlight what to avoid on each hole, and a shot recording and analysis feature that delivers detailed statistics on a wearer’s previous play. To get the most out of these functions, the MARQ Golfer comes paired with a set of three Approach C10 club tracking sensors to send real time swing data direct to the watch. Beyond its golfing capabilities, the Garmin MARQ Golfer features an always-on sunlight visible display, Google Pay contactless payment integration, built in music storage, smart notifications, activity tracking, along with a heart rate and pulse oxygen sensor. Despite the always-on display, the MARQ Golfer boasts a respectable 12 days of battery life in smartwatch mode. While the Garmin MARQ Golfer is mounted on a suitably golf inspired green nylon jacquard strap, the quick change strap system allows for easy swapping to a wearer’s tastes. While it may not have the most comprehensive suite of functions outside its niche in this segment, the MARQ Golfer nonetheless delivers a granular and exacting list of data to players looking to up their game. The Garmin MARQ Golfer will be available in the second quarter of 2020 at an MSRP of $1,850. For further information, visit the brand’s website.