It’s been a couple of years since we saw Withings’ advanced timepiece wearable, but there’s a new model on the way armed with a new look, too.
Screens on arms may well be much of the rage for wearing wearables, but they aren’t the tech everyone wants to arm their arms with, so to speak. While current devices like the Apple Watch Series 7 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 offer screens and animations on your wrist, it’s a look not everyone goes for.
In fact, if you’re someone who prefers the look of a classic timepiece, something with a screen mightn’t be your cup of tea.
That’s one reason why some devices still stick with a more analogue approach, opting for mechanical hands and numbers under glass. You know, the way clocks have looked for ages.
Watches designed like this can still be endowed with a semblance of smarts, using electronics to synchronise with a phone and set the time automatically, moving the watch hands almost by magic, while the tech inside can be used for phone notifications and health tracking.
We’ve even seen this work before, when Withings showed off its ScanWatch, one of the first wearables to have an ECG approved for use in Australia, ahead of even the Apple Watch at the time.
All of that seems a little like a distant memory, but there’s now a new model of ScanWatch on the way, as Withings keeps the tech while updating the design.
The latest is the ScanWatch Horizon, and it borrows from what we saw when we reviewed the Withings ScanWatch, incorporating the techonlogy to track heart rate, blood oxygen (SpO2), and even check for irregular heart rhythms using an ECG built into the casing, connecting the stats using the Withings Health Mate app also used for its connected Blood Pressure Monitor and Sleep Analyser gadgets.
The main difference, however, between the first ScanWatch and this new variant is the look and feel.
While the first offered a classic watch style, the Horizon is designed more like a diver watch, offering a stainless steel rotating bezel, markings on the face to have it be used in low light, a sapphire glass casing, and a titanium finish. Both a stainless steel wrist band and rubberised strap are in the box, and the watch offers water resistance and up to 30 days of battery life, dependent on how often you flex its smart features.
“Our core mission is to create beautiful devices people choose to use and wear every day so the clinical data they provide can make meaningful impacts on their lives,” said Mathieu Letombe, CEO of Withings.
“Now with advanced medical capabilities, Withings aims to bring connected health timepieces to even more users.”
The watch can also connect to GPS, but it’s the sort that requires a phone, so if you plan to go on a run and map it out, you’ll want to keep your phone with you. It’s a similar situation for music, with no storage in the ScanWatch Horizon, meaning you’ll need to store or stream music for someone else.
You can still get notifications from your phone here, but rather than offer the multimedia details of what other smartwatches, this one appears focused on health primarily, though there is the option of either blue or green watch faces, depending on which you like most.
The ScanWatch Horizon will be found in stores from July 14, priced in Australia at $699.99.
