r/garminepix

I love my watch. It's amazing and part of my daily routine. I am not willing to go my investment into drain say 5 to 6 years down the line. I am maintaining my watch in best way possible to keep it looking prestine and functional.

Question: Battery is the main concern. How and where can I buy a replacement battery for my watch and possible sealer to ensure 10ATM water resistance. What's the battery part number used by Garmin and where can I buy it from?

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I want to document my case so others know about it before making a purchase decision.

**What happened**

I bought a Garmin Epix Pro (Gen 2) in October 2023 for around €1,000. Less than three years later, the AMOLED display shows permanent image persistence: content from previously used watch faces bleeds through constantly, regardless of what is currently displayed. Readable text and coloured blocks from old watch faces are visible behind the active design.

Important context: I only had Always-On Display enabled for about three weeks over the entire ownership period, then switched it off permanently because of battery drain. My current watch face has been unchanged for roughly 10–12 months – the ghosted content is from before that and has never faded. So this is permanent, not temporary retention.

**Garmin's response**

Garmin told me that due to the construction of their watches, no individual components can be repaired or replaced. Devices are collected, sent to the production facility, disassembled, and usable parts are recycled. So there is no repair option at all – not even a paid one.

I was offered a discounted replacement device. When I checked, the offered price was higher than what the same watch costs from regular retailers – and on top of that I would have had to send in my existing watch. Garmin confirmed that discounts are always calculated from their MSRP and that they cannot undercut their authorised dealers.

**Why I'm posting this**

I think this is information people should have before buying a device in this price range:

1. Repair is not possible on these models by the manufacturer's own account – not even as a paid service.

2. Garmin's own manual describes AMOLED image persistence as normal behaviour. In my opinion, this effectively declares a form of wear that devalues the watch within three years to be a product characteristic rather than a defect.

3. In my view, a loss of value on this scale is not appropriate for a device marketed as a premium product. That's my personal assessment.

**What I'd suggest to others**

– Keep your invoice and purchase records; photograph any display issues with a date

– Keep display brightness low, use Always-On sparingly, rotate watch faces regularly, prefer dark designs

– Don't leave the watch sitting on the charger with the display active

– If it happens to you: ask in writing for a technical justification of why the damage is classified as normal ageing

– In the EU, consider contacting your national consumer protection organisation

**Where I've landed**

I declined the replacement offer and closed my customer account. My next watch will not be a Garmin. That's my decision as a customer – others may weigh it differently.

**And now the part where I need your help**

I'm actively looking for a replacement and would appreciate real-world input. My requirements:

– **Daily floors climbed tracking** – this is a hard requirement. I have roughly 66,000 floors logged over 10 years and don't want to break that data series. Polar and Suunto appear not to track this as a daily metric at all, which rules them out for me.

– **Continuous all-day sensor sampling** rather than readings taken only every few minutes (this is where COROS seems to fall short)

– **A Body Battery equivalent** – a daily energy and readiness metric

– **Accurate step counting** and reliable overnight tracking

– **A proper manufacturer platform** with a full daily dashboard, similar to Garmin Connect. Strava alone doesn't cut it since it only logs workouts.

– Cycling focus (roughly 60% cycling, 40% hiking), FTP and power zones useful

– Rugged, round, multi-button design in the Fenix/Epix style. Price is not a limiting factor.

So far the Amazfit T-Rex Ultra 2 seems to be the only model ticking all the functional boxes, but multiple independent tests report its barometer over-reporting elevation gain by a noticeable margin, which worries me given the floors requirement.

Has anyone made a similar switch after years on Garmin? What actually held up in daily use, and what did you regret? Also interested in hearing from anyone with the same display degradation on the Epix or Fenix line – the better documented this is, the clearer it becomes whether these are isolated cases.

Hi guys wondering how well the bezels and dials will withstand dirt, rain, and working around intense flames? For sure i want to remove my watch while soldering/brazing so i don't burn of the silicone or turn my wrist into a James Bond gadget. But overall would you recommend dailying this watch for blue collar work? thanks <3