Don’t wait until Black Friday — Garmin’s rugged smartwatch with a flashlight is $100 off right now

Close-up of the Garmin Instinct 3 in teal on a user's wrist — (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

You don’t need to wait until Black Friday to lock in an epic deal on one of the year’s best smartwatches. The Garmin Instinct 3 AMOLED is my go-to smartwatch for outdoor adventures, and now it can be yours, too, for $100 off retail.

That’s right: this rugged, LED flashlight-sporting, battery-life champion is $349 on Amazon, down from $449, a seriously good price, and not far from its lowest-ever sale price of $299.

That said, if you want the best deal on the Garmin Instinct 3, it may be worth holding out a little longer. Of course, as with everything in life, nothing is guaranteed. But I digress.

I wear the Garmin Instinct 3 while running, walking, hiking, biking, e-mountain biking, snowboarding, snorkeling, and more. Aside from reliable tracking accuracy and excellent battery life, here are the three biggest reasons it’s one of my all-time favorite wearables.

Rugged, waterproof design

Most smartwatches offer just 50 meters of water resistance, enough protection for hand-washing and surface-level swims, but not high-impact water sports or scuba diving. However, similar to the Apple Watch Ultra 4, the Garmin Instinct 3 is rated for 100 meters of water resistance, so feel free to splash around.

The Instinct 3 also has an impact-resistant, metal-reinforced bezel that offers ample protection from bumps and drops. Meanwhile, five well-sized physical buttons make the Garmin a breeze to navigate, even with sweaty hands or gloves on.

Garmin Instinct 3 on a user's wrist in the snow — (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Bright AMOLED screen

The Instinct 3 comes in several different flavors, including your choice of either a bright and well-saturated AMOLED screen or a duller-looking, monochromatic MIP display with solar charging. The advantage of the latter is better battery performance.

However, I’m a firm believer that the AMOLED variant is the better option because the screen is far more readable in a wider range of scenarios, including bright sunlight. Then again, when wearing polarized sunglasses, MIP has the advantage over AMOLED. Good thing the Garmin Instinct 3 Solar is also on sale for $50 off via Amazon right now.

Onboard LED flashlight

Close-up of the Garmin Instinct 3 on a user's wrist — (Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Finally, the Instinct 3 is the first smartwatch I’ve tested with a powerful LED flashlight built into the case, but now I wish every smartwatch had one.

The LED "torch" is so subtle, it’s easy to miss, that is, until you turn it on. At its top output, this small but mighty flashlight is powerful enough to light your way in utter darkness. It also has a strobe mode as well as a red light mode, useful when stargazing.

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Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others.

An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.