Let’s talk honestly for a second. I absolutely love my Garmin watch.
Having been loyal to the leading sports watch brand for more than a decade now, I have been through my fair share of Forerunners, Vivoactive models and Venus.
And so when the opportunity came up to try out the Withings Scanwatch Nova Brilliant Edition ($799; Amazon Australia), I was intrigued but I didn’t expect that it could replace my Garmin Forerunner almost entirely.
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One month down the track? Spoiler alert, but how wrong was I.
The $799 timepiece is where elegance meets tech.
It’s a watch you can wear all the time (and be complimented on), but it still does all of the “tech-y” things you want it to, whether that be tracking your steps, measuring your sleep and sleep quality, or checking in on your HRV.
The setup and watch itself
From unboxing to putting the Withings Scanwatch Nova Brilliant Edition on your wrist was remarkably easy.
Once a few links had been removed in order for the watch to fit my wrist perfectly, I was off and racing, and with the handy Withings app downloaded, I was instantaneously granted access to a number of stats — including my daily step count, cycle tracking, average heart rate, sleep score and quality and even my continuous temperature.
Unlike the Garmin or another smartwatch whether that’s an Apple Watch or a Fitbit, one of the fantastic things about the Withings Scanwatch Nova Brilliant Edition is it doesn’t need charging every five seconds.
In fact, Withings brag that it can last up to 35 days at a time, and I can personally attest to this. It really is fantastic and just keeps ticking.
Once you’ve got the watch on your wrist, be prepared for people to notice it.
I opted for the ultra-classy Silver/Gold alternative and have had people compliment it non-stop since I started wearing it.
Firstly, one of my friends (from a distance) mistook it for a Rolex, and secondly, a colleague has now put one down on her Christmas list; she loves it that much.
The performance
But, of course, it’s not (all) about the aesthetics.
And as a Garmin fan, I was keen to put this watch through its paces and see if it holds up in the truest sense of a “smartwatch”.
I have to say in this regard: I am not disappointed.
Proactive Heart Health Tracking means 24/7 heart rate monitoring with notifications if your heart rate is too high or too low, while overnight heart varaibility allowed me to track my heart health over time.
The clever Withings timepiece can even sense when you’re getting sick, insofar as your HRV will likely get worse, or lower.
A lower HRV is typically associated with elevated sympathetic activity within your autonomic nervous system, an indication of stress or fight-or-flight response.
The Withings watch goes even further than this in indicating your health.
With the TempTech 24/7 module, you can look at your baseline body temperature and analyse any flucutations that may indicate the onset of illness.
As with other smartwatches, you can also track a variety of sleep measurements: sleep duration, time spent in light sleep and deep sleep, sleep interruptions, sleep regularity, and get a Sleep Quality Score assessment.
I particularly enjoyed being able to track my sleep and steps without wearing a big chunky watch that doesn’t look good with my outfits.
The only thing I would flag is that the Withings Scanwatch isn’t able to give me the running performance metrics that something like a Garmin can.
And I found myself switching back to my Garmin when I wanted to go on a run or do an interval session, or even weirder: wearing both at the same time in order to simultaneously track my steps and get the performance running data.
The verdict
Overall, I would whole-heartedly recommend this watch to anyone looking for a stylish watch that does all of the tracking you know and love with your Apple, but looks one thousand (or one million?) times better in the process.
I like that the little black circle on the timepiece is where all of your stats are stored, and you merely have to press the button on the right hand side of the watch in order to reveal its digital interface, before scrolling down or up to get all of your vital stats at a glance.
Most people — myself included — couldn’t believe that this was a digital smartwatch when I told them, it looks that good.
In my mind, it strikes exactly the right balance between the perfect dress watch you can wear with a number of outfits, but simultaneously provide health and fitness insights like the best of the best.
I haven’t worn a traditional watch since I was 21 and was given one for my birthday. This has changed all of that.
At $799, it’s obviously a pricey investment. But when you factor in the fact that you’re getting something that not only looks good, but also works in place of many other smartwatches, it’s a bargain.
So am I replacing my Garmin entirely? Not quite; I’m still using it to track my intervals and running sessions.
But the rest of the time, I opt for the Withings and absolutely love how it looks and feels.
To shop the Withings Scanwatch Nova Brilliant Edition, head here to Amazon Australia now.
Withings Scanwatch Nova Brilliant Edition tech specs
- 35 days battery life
- Fast-charging in two hours
- Sapphire glass
- Stainless steel case
- 39mm dial
- 12.99mm case thickness
- Step tracking
- Elevation
- Workout mode
- Automatic activity detection
- Calorie tracking
- Sleep tracking
- REM sleep
- Overnight heart rate variability (HRV)
- Breathing Quality Index
- Smart wake-up
- High/low heart rate notifications
- Blood oxygen levels
- Irregular heart rhythm notifications
- Electrocardiogram
- 24/7 heart rate tracking
- Temperature variation notifications
- 24/7 temperature tracking
- Temperature zones during workouts
