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Inaccurate stress levels on gen 4 sensor

5420026
6 months ago

I recently bought an instinct 3 50 mm solar watch. I've previously used a Garmin Instinct 2 and an Instinct 1st gen. I've noticed big variations in heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) readings between these watches. My current Instinct 3 Solar 50 mm consistently shows stress levels approximately 20 - 30 points higher than my previous Instinct 2 Solar, despite both using the same gen 4 sensor. You can look at my HR stress data below when I switched from my Instinct 2 to my Instinct 3, and you'll see a big change in the recorded stress levels for the rest of that day.

You can also see little white things in the glass, look like scratches even though it's a brand new watch. Wonder if that's affecting it...

  • 0 6 months ago
    5420026 said:
    My current Instinct 3 Solar 50 mm consistently shows stress levels approximately 20 - 30 points higher than my previous Instinct 2 Solar, despite both using the same gen 4 sensor.

    That's very well possible, because stress is not an absolute value. It is a value between 5 and 100, relative to the baseline. And the baseline varies and changes continuously (it is a long time HRV average). If you master-reset both watches in the same time with deleting all data, and always carry both watches simultaneously, there is a slight chance that the values from both devices will be alike. Or just wait couple of weeks - the baseline should then converge on both watches, after a longer time, to a similar level.