Withings has unveiled the Withings Scanwatch Nova, the latest addition to its line of hybrid smartwatches with a focus on heart health. This iteration leverages the heart health and smart tracking capabilities of the recently released Scanwatch 2, with a case, bezel, dial and strap that look more like a premium dive watch.
The main difference between the Scanwatch Nova and the Scanwatch 2 are the materials used in its construction: it's still an analog watch, with physical hands and a small OLED screen in the dial, but it now has a rotating bezel of ceramic and stainless steel. along with Luminova concave hands and thick raised indexes that glow in the dark. The case and strap are also made of stainless steel, and the watch's screen and dial are protected by anti-reflective sapphire glass.
The suggestion is a premium dive watch with a metal strap (or an optional workout-friendly alternative strap) that at first glance doesn't look like one of the best smartwatches out there, but includes all the smart features of the Scanwatch 2, including an electrocardiogram ( ECG) heart scan functionality. Most smartwatches above a certain price range these days come with ECGs (the best cheap smartwatches usually don't have this feature), but few have been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration, and the Scanwatch range is one of the few given medical approval quality.
The watch has a massive 30-day battery life and is said to track “advanced cardiovascular vital signs, including heart rate and heart rate variability… It is also capable of measuring SpO2, breathing disorders, and tracking sleep patterns,” which is a sleep quality score produces. comparable to that of the best Fitbit or best Garmin watch.
Withings' TempTech24/7 temperature sensor looks at the differences between ambient and skin temperatures during sleep and exercise to gain a better insight into your health; this may indicate the onset of the disease. Again, none of these features are particularly new, but Withings, like the Oura Ring, places wellness and health above fitness or smartwatch functionalities.
The Withings Scanwatch Nova is available now for $599.95 in the US and £549.95 in the UK, with Australian pricing TBD.
Analysis: Hybrid watches are here to stay
Way back in January I reviewed the Garmin Instinct Crossover and loved it. I'm a real G-Shock person, and it completely scratched the itch for a “smart, but not too smart, yet stylish” analog watch. It had real, physical hands, lots of running data, advanced GPS data, sleep tracking and a very long battery life – the last two features of which are in common with the Scanwatch Nova.
Now for £550 I can get a metal dive watch with real analogue hands (sorry, Huawei Watch GT 4, but you missed that) and lots of great smart capabilities? Sign me up. It may not be a running watch per se – it doesn't have GPS – but with an accurate heart rate monitor it's certainly sufficient for a quick morning workout or a swim (it's rated at 10ATM).
I love the look of the watch from the images we've seen so far, and it's a smartwatch that wouldn't look out of place worn with, say, a proper two-piece suit, like one of Apple's best Watches or the Instinct Crossover perhaps. As much as I like it, it's a bulbous, bulky thing, more suited to a trail run than a wedding. Just as you might not go to the prom in a dirt-covered pickup truck, I'd rather wear a metal dive watch to a formal event than the Instinct Crossover.
Still, regardless of their setting, I love smartwatches with analog hands, and I'm glad that hybrid smartwatches continue to carve out their own niche in the genre. I look forward to reviewing the Scanwatch Nova.