What Makes the Garmin Descent G1 Solar - Ocean Edition Smartwatch and Dive Computer Unique?

The Descent G1 Solar and Descent G1 Solar – Ocean Edition are identical, other than the material used to create the housing, bezel and buttons.

Ocean-bound plastics consists of plastic waste found within 50 km of an ocean coastline, including rivers, where no municipal or alternative diversion pathway for plastics is available within 100 km of the radius of the site.

The housing, bezel and buttons are all made with recycled ocean-bound plastics.

Our certification states that the natural resin of these parts contains 48% ocean-bound plastics, 50% is glass fiber, and the final 2% are additives. This means that 100% of the plastic used to make the housing and bezel and buttons is from recycled ocean-bound plastic. 

Once ocean-bound plastic is collected around bodies of water, it is sorted, cleaned and dried. The plastic is then melted into a pelletized resin before being reinforced with glass fiber and sent off to be colored. From here, the material is molded to create the shape of the watch housing, bezel and buttons—then incorporated in a rugged, eco-friendly dive computer designed to help users dive confidently.

All Descent G1 Series devices are dive rated to 10 ATM (100 meters). 

The Descent G1 Solar – Ocean Edition is the same price as the Descent G1 Solar.

We have removed single use plastic from the packaging and are using a non-plastic printing on the box. The lens cling is paper, and the plastic wafer seal is being replaced with a paper sticker.

The current band is made with silicone, which is not the same level of environmental concern as plastic. However, we are continually looking into alternative options that still meet the high standards of our divers.

The quatix® 7 Pro also has ocean-bound plastic housing and we continue to look for opportunities to bring this to additional product lines.

The only plastic parts on the watch are the housing, bezel and buttons. The optical heart rate lens is not made from ocean-bound plastic because it needs to be a different material with known clarity in order for the sensor to work.

The plastic is certified by Underwriters Laboratories' Environmental Claim Validation Procedure for recycled content, receiving an ECVP 2809 designation. The ocean-bound plastics are sourced from fish nets that are no longer usable by fishing boats. The material is then cleaned and broken down into pellets that can be used for molding parts. 

Carbon emission is only one metric of sustainability, and likely neglects the effect of ocean plastic on marine ecosystems. We are using plastic that is received from fish boats and prevents the fish nets from ending up in the ocean in the first place.