Smartwatches have caused a lot of decrease in sales of Swiss-watches from last few years. That is because majority of the people either started using their smartphones to check time or they have bought Smartwatches instead of the technical watches because they wanted to be more techy and updated.
We have to admit that the amount of features and options that Smartwatches provide is pretty impressive. Federation of Swiss watches had posted a 20-month decline in exports and disastrous downward sales trend. And if it continues the sales of the Smartwatches will take lead by the 2020.
The watch making companies have now come up with a very great idea of hybrid watches that actually look like a technical watch but they perform like Smartwatches. These “hybrid Smartwatches” look totally like technical watch with an analog dial, crown and conventional shape but they are also connected with your phone providing you the basic information and keep a track of you fitness like heart beat rate, steps taken, calories burned, distance covered.
These hybrid Smartwatches doesn’t look anything like the real Smartwatches, they don’t have a display or led notification light and no support for third party app. They are often run by coin-cells that last for months or lithium ion cells that you need to recharge after every day to two.
So if you are not a big fan of those sporty fitness watches or smart gears for your wrist but still want a decent looking watch that you can wear at a wedding or on a formal meeting that is also keeping a track record of your pulse rate, steps taken by you or calories burned. You should check out the watches listed below.
Nokia Steel HR:
French watchmaker company Withings beat a lot of traditional watchmakers with its Activite tracker watch in late 2014, this company was acquired by Nokia last year and they have announced a new Nokia Steel HR watch that is an analog watch with a mini E-ink screen.
This watch is an improved version of the previous Activite Steel watch, even though the Withings dropped its name. The mini E-Ink on the analog dial provides your real time feedback on your heartbeat rate, distance covered, and the remaining battery life of the watch.
Steel HR is a Swiss made minimalist design watch with Black and White color options; it has a sleek design and polished stick hands and dial. This is really something that Apple might consider producing the same concept watch in future.
This watch comes in 38mm and 40mm dials with a rubber strap; it is extremely lightweight and gives you a technical watch feel. The watch automatically syncs with your smartphone app and constantly provides you with the details of your fitness tracking. The company has claimed 25 days of battery backup with a single charge.
The price of Nokia Steel HR watch is $180 for 38mm and $200 for 40mm.
Mondaine Helvetica 1 Smart
This is the most expensive Hybrid Smartwatch in this list. From one of the top Swiss watch making company manufacture Modules Technologies (MMT). If you ever been in a Swiss railway station, you must have seen the clocks there, that is the inspiration for Mondaine, the company is known for its unique and iconic designs and Helvetica 1 Smart is one of the most pretty looking Hybrid Smartwatch that will give you the feeling of that real classic Swiss made watch.
The dial of this watch is 44mm, which makes it a bit hefty but also leaving so much space for the activity and sleep tracking meters. These are set in a nifty dual-concentric circle sub-dial with two hands at 6 o’clock. When you need to be dressed up formally. This watch can be the best option.
Mondaine Helvetica 1 Smartwatch syncs with your smartphone via its app called “MotionX”, the app monitors the heart beat rates, distance covered, steps taken and the sleep tracking.
This bulky but gorgeous looking watch comes with a 44mm dial and a leather strap and costs $950, all the other watches listed in this article are below $200, which makes this one the most expensive. But undoubtedly this is the most decent and gorgeous design in the list.
Fossil Q Crewmaster
This is a rough and tough hybrid Smartwatch in this list, if you happen to like the Casio’s G-Shock that has been a signature for rough and tough guys, then you are going to love Fossil Q Crewmaster too!
It has a big 46mm dial but its thin and very comfortable to wear while working at office or even at the gym. It has a big rubber strap. The bezel of the watch can be turned like a real dive watch and the Crewmaster feels ready to be worn on a sea adventure.
Although the Fossil Q has limitations when it comes to the fitness tracking. The Q App synced with the your watch will track both sleep and activity but only in a circle graph that you have to complete to see the result.
You cannot check a specific workout track on the app. e.g. if you have worked out in a gym and want to know how much calories did you burn in the work out, you wont be able to see because the graph will be incomplete. And also it’s hard to trust on the app bluntly when you get the sleep tracking without the graphical evidence.
You can also set alarm in the watch. There are two buttons on the watch, the one of the top brings up the date and the second one is customizable to get different tasks done like controlling your phones music volume. The price of Fossil Q Crewmaster is $155.
Timex IQ+ Move
Timex is one of the most sold watches in the world, and everyone knows about the brand, it’s also famous for its in-budget watches that everyone can afford. Timex has come up with their first “hybrid Smartwatch” that is the cheapest in the list, but this watch has a lot of shortcomings that doesn’t justify the price tag.
Time IQ+ Move is a fine looking watch with a traditional case and design. The “activity” bar that tracks your steps stretches between 3 and 6 o’clock, which fills out the face nicely. It’s also the only watch in this list that has a second hand that does the normal job.
Coming towards the connectivity, this watch has some serious problems. Its really difficult to sync the watch with the smartphone, you’d have to press the sync button in the app and then press and hold the crown button on the watch for 5 seconds and then wait another 10 seconds to get it connect.
The app is lacks the details of the statistics. Steps taken, distance covered, calories burned, and sleep is all displayed in that circle shaped graph. The app is real disappointment and its looks like some 5th grade kid developed it. This is the least favorite choice in the list and I’d prefer to buy any technical watch rather than getting this messed up hybrid one!
Timex IQ+ Move costs $149.