July 20, 2020

Written by Rehan Nana

Garmin’s mission statement is “To be an enduring company by creating superior products for automotive, aviation, marine, outdoor, and sports that are an essential part of our customers’ lives.” That statement speaks to different people in different ways. I have always focused on the last eight words – that our products “are an essential part of our customers’ lives.”

Each product Garmin designs and builds has to create value for our customer. Each product has to answer the simple question, “Why should this product exist?” and those last eight words are the litmus test.

Since Jan. 1, 2020, Garmin has launch over 24 product families across our five segments. Some of the most stunning innovation has taken place with these products, including Autoland, Varia^™ bike radar, Force^® Trolling Motors, Venu^® and more. These products are changing the way people experience technology and the world.

Recently, the outdoor segment proudly announced more of those products with the expansion of solar technology in the Instinct^® Solar Edition, fēnix^® 6 Solar Editions and tactix^® Delta – Solar Edition.

With these new products, we answer the question, “Why solar?”

On the surface, it’s simple. Incorporating solar technology into these wearable devices provides significantly longer battery life so you can do what you love longer. Just beneath the surface; however, there is a much larger story and a more complete answer.

Jon Hosler is a senior product manager for Garmin and heads up several of Garmin’s adventure watch lines. He’s one of the guys who must answer the question, “Why should this product exist?” He has spent more than a decade working on Garmin products. But before this, he was just a college kid with a Garmin Nuvi, which he named “Groovy,” who was obsessed with Garmin technology. That obsession led him to Garmin and eventually here today to discuss solar technology and help answer why solar is so important.    

Before we talk about solar, how do products get their start at Garmin?

Well, it’s not such a black and white answer. If we are building on an existing product, for example, it can take as little as 18 months. However, if we are starting from the ground up on a product like Chronos, we worked on that for years before we were able to get it perfected.

We always want to be No. 1 in the markets we serve, and many times we can do that by being disruptive in the markets and creating products that bring impactful value to our clients.

One of the most exciting things about working at Garmin is there is a great blend of incredibly talented people who are also incredibly passionate about the activities and products we make. So when you combine those two, it creates incredible ideas. And I can assure you, there is no shortage of great ideas at Garmin.

But a great idea isn’t enough. In order for a great idea to become a product, we have to start by going through a series of questions: Is there a problem we are trying to solve? What would be our solution? Is that solution feasible? And most importantly, will the solution be of value to Garmin’s customers?

When did the idea of solar technology in Garmin wearables start?

Solar isn’t new. Solar technology in its basic form has existed for years in many markets, but wearables wasn’t a market that was fully developed. We looked into solar technologies for wearables at least five years ago, but we just couldn’t find the right fit for us.

The fascinating thing about watches is so simple – people really care about how they look. We could’ve implemented solar technology, but it wouldn’t have provided a valuable solution for our customers. The technology back then had limitations – it was either too big or we couldn’t harvest enough energy. As much as we wanted to incorporate solar, we just knew at that moment in time a solar wearable wouldn’t be impactful enough for our customers, so we held off. That’s something that I admire and respect about Garmin – they will never force product on a customer. It has to be right. Just because you can do something, doesn’t necessarily mean you should do something.

But slowly solar technology advanced and a few years ago there was a breakthrough in France with the development of see-through solar panels. It was that development that changed everything. We knew we could implement that technology to make beautiful watches, make them reliable, and most importantly, make them useful for our customers.

After extensive testing and development, we created the fēnix 6X Pro Solar, our first Garmin solar wearable. It was a watershed moment for us, because we were finally able to meet our own expectations and the expectations of what our customers wanted and needed in a solar watch.  

What do you find most exciting about solar technology in Garmin wearables?

I love that it takes advantage of your time outside. Garmin customers run…