The Editor says: Ever since taking up scuba diving, a dive computer has been a must-have piece of gear for every diver — not only for keeping you safe underwater, but also as a stylish personal accessory. With so many dive computers on the market, finding the one that best suits your needs really comes down to personal preference. Let the Editor walk you through the Garmin Descent Mk1, the outdoor smartwatch brand's dive computer launched in 2018, and show you how it takes us both to the mountains and under the sea! Garmin official website.
Let's kick things off with an introductory video from Garmin to get a feel for the watch's design and key features!
After watching the official video, let's get straight to the point — no time to waste. Impatient dive buddies probably want to see the verdict first: is it worth buying?
- Design rating: ★★★★☆
- Features rating: ★★★★★
- Value-for-money rating: ★★★★☆
Wait, what?! Some of you might think the Editor has lost the plot — how can a dive watch with an official retail price of NT$32,990 score such high marks in a fiercely competitive dive computer market? Let the Editor explain.
Garmin Descent Mk1 Design Rating:
Starting with the design, let's go through the unboxing step by step, as is tradition!
The outer packaging is clean and minimal
The back of the box summarises the watch's key highlights (surface GPS, electronic compass, heart rate monitor, and dive modes)
Open the box and the Descent Mk1 itself is right there to greet you — the stainless steel bezel design is an instant +100 points.
Ta-da — open it up and it gleams! Well, it's stainless steel, so of course it does
Included accessories
Size comparison: Descent Mk1, Deepblu, and a compass
Different bands, different personalities
Overall Verdict:
The Descent Mk1 boldly adopts a stainless steel bezel design that resonates deeply with the carefree, active spirit of sports enthusiasts. Its refined aesthetic pairs just as well with athletic wear as it does with formal attire like a suit, breaking free from the design pitfall of dive watches that feel too sporty to wear every day. The large watch face may feel a bit oversized for some women, so the primary audience may skew male — though it honestly looks great on women too, giving a real edge to any outfit. The band uses silicone, and the patented QuickFit® quick-release strap system lets you swap bands to match your mood. If you prefer metal, stainless steel or titanium band options are available as add-ons (clearly targeting the premium segment!!).
Beyond the built-in watch faces, you can download custom faces via Garmin IQ to change up the look at any time. One minor disappointment: there don't appear to be any dive-specific custom watch faces on Garmin IQ yet (missing surface interval time and no-fly time). Here's hoping some talented developer will create one someday.
Taking all of the above into account, in a market dominated by function-first dive computers, the Descent Mk1 offers consumers a genuinely different choice — which is why the Editor gives it a design rating of ★★★★☆.
Features Rating:
For the features section, we'll break things down into hardware and software. First, let's look at the charging accessories and the heart rate monitor function.
The heart rate sensor — particularly useful for freedivers. The charging port is visible on the side
The charger uses a clip mechanism to secure it to the back of the watch
The charging module charges via USB at a fast rate and stays firmly clipped in place
On charging: real-world testing showed that a full charge from 0% to 100% takes around 2 hours via USB — compatible with standard power banks and phone chargers, making it very convenient.
As for battery life — a concern close to every diver's heart — real-world testing showed that after three dives a day for four consecutive days (12 dives total), with heart rate monitoring and step counting active on the surface, the battery still had 20% remaining. Battery performance is clearly solid. Of course, it can't compare to traditional dive watches that need a battery change every few years, but that really comes down to personal preference.
Official specs: up to 36 hours in dive mode, up to 10 days in smartwatch mode, up to 18 days in watch mode, up to 20 hours in GPS mode.
In terms of usability, the Descent Mk1 is also very straightforward to operate. Excluding the backlight button in the upper left, you're left with up/down menu buttons on the left side and confirm/back buttons on the right — intuitive and easy to pick up right away.
Button layout
Now for the software features. The most powerful aspect of any smartwatch is its ability to connect with your smartphone, and the Descent Mk1 is no exception. Before pairing, you'll need to download Garmin Connect on your phone.
After selecting your preferred language, choose to pair with your phone
Settings screen in the phone app — the visual design is quite polished
Bluetooth pairing between the phone and the Descent Mk1
Once synced, let's take a look at a few of the basic settings screens.
Surface interval time, tissue loading index, and CNS oxygen toxicity index
Browsing the dive log — the watch can store up to 200 dive log entries, which can be synced to your phone via Bluetooth at any time
Smartwatch staples: message and call notifications, and calendar
Altimeter and bearing
Step counter
With the basic settings covered, let's move on to what divers care about most — dive modes and settings. Before we do, a quick note: the Descent Mk1 uses the Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm to calculate NDL (no-decompression limit), and conservative settings can be adjusted via gradient factors.
Underwater modes include:
- Single-Gas
- Multi-Gas: supports up to 6 cylinders, with air / enriched air nitrox (EANx) and mixed gas switching
- Gauge
- Freediving (Apnea)
- Freediving Hunt (Apnea Hunt): suppresses underwater alerts
Select your dive activity from the main menu
Adjusting parameters (Single-Gas mode shown as example)
In this screen, select "Edit" at the bottom to adjust various dive parameters, including air or nitrox, PO2, safety stop time, decompression conservatism, fresh water or salt water, alert tone settings (multiple alerts can be configured, e.g. an alert at 18 m and another at 30 m), and backlight brightness.
Let's borrow an official image to walk through the data readings on the watch face. In underwater mode, the Descent Mk1 offers multiple screen layouts, including the basic mode shown above, a decompression stop mode, a training mode, and a compass mode — making it easy for any diver to switch between views.
The underwater backlight brightness can be adjusted to your preference. The Editor was thoroughly satisfied with it, and it's especially impressive during night diving — check out the screen recording below.
Once you're back from a dive, simply stay close to your phone with Bluetooth enabled and the watch will begin syncing automatically. Let's see how the dive log looks in the app.
The app lets you quickly navigate to the dive log menu
Each dive log shows depth profile, entry/exit point location, heart rate, depth, and water temperature changes
Overall Verdict:
On the hardware side, the Descent Mk1 impresses with thoughtful touches like the QuickFit® quick-release strap and the clip-on charger. Most remarkably, it includes an optical heart rate sensor — a genuinely welcome addition for active users. Real-world testing confirmed solid charging efficiency and battery endurance. For those purchasing the Taiwan edition in Taiwan, Garmin provides a 2-year battery warranty as standard.
One important note: the Descent Mk1 is region-locked. The Taiwan edition defaults to Traditional Chinese and English, and includes a full Taiwan map with overview maps for other countries. You cannot update the language or maps via OTA — so don't go buying the German version and expect to switch to a Traditional Chinese interface!
On the software side, the Descent Mk1 covers recreational diving, decompression diving, freediving, and more — meeting the full range of divers' needs. For those looking to venture into technical diving in the future, this one watch is all you need. The watch interface also uses colour-coded indicators to distinguish between data metrics, presented in a clean and intuitive layout that's easy to pick up quickly.
Taking all of the above into account, the Editor gives the Descent Mk1 a features rating of ★★★★★.
Value-for-Money Rating:
The menu lets you switch between a wide range of modes
When most people talk about value for money, they typically mean getting a lot for a little. So why does the Editor rate the Descent Mk1 so highly on value, given its NT$32,990 price tag? After all, entry-level dive computers are now available for under NT$10,000. What sets Garmin apart in its pricing?
The answer is that Garmin is a world-class outdoor sports smartwatch brand. In addition to the basics — heart rate monitoring, step counting, and so on — the Descent Mk1 packs in virtually every common sport mode imaginable: treadmill running, outdoor running, and swimming (all favourites of the Editor), as well as more specialised modes like cycling, triathlon, and golf. Nearly every sport is covered.
The menu lets you switch between a wide range of modes
Statistics show that people who enjoy diving have, on average, a 30%+ chance of participating in other sports as well. The Descent Mk1 delivers a one-stop experience, so users don't need to buy separate sport-specific watches for different activities.
Every mode is displayed in a clean, uncluttered layout
As a slightly-out-of-shape sports-loving Editor who hits the gym for a run every day and goes swimming on weekends, the Descent Mk1 — as a fully featured dive computer — delivers a comprehensive sporting experience. That's why the Editor gives it a value-for-money rating of ★★★★☆.
Key Takeaways:
Thank you for taking the time to read through the Editor's lengthy unboxing! Here's a quick summary to wrap things up:
- This is a stylish dive computer you can comfortably wear every day
- It breaks the mould of conventional dive computers by consolidating features across freediving and technical diving in one device
- If you enjoy other sports too, this watch can satisfy the needs of any fitness-minded diver
Most importantly — start saving up!!
Further reading:
