Here're five functional smartwatches chic enough for everyday wear

Ann-Marie Alcántara lists chic smartwatches that can track activity, play music and more - without weighing down your wrist

While many high-tech wearable devices have tried to embrace good looks and great features, many of today’s smartwatches sacrifice form for function every time. They can be aggressively large (especially for small wrists) and don’t retain any of the class or refined chic of a regular timepiece.

While they often come with impressive features that merit their chunkiness, some of us just want the helpful tech — things like GPS directions, appointment reminders and fitness tracking — without compromising our professional, fashion-forward look or personal style.

So, if you’re someone who’s looking for a happy medium for your wrist (and your wallet), here are some stylish smartwatches that’ll mix well with any outfit and track your steps at the same time. Keep in mind, however, some of these don’t necessarily have all the features that bigger smartwatches do, so you may have to compromise.

The sleek, slim, designer smartwatch

Most smartwatches don’t fit on slimmer wrists or they come in shapes and styles that don’t necessarily vibe with women’s fashion. Is it any surprise that Kate Spade solved many of these problems with the Scallop Touchscreen smartwatch? Announced earlier this year, the device comes in a scallop design and features customisable watch faces. It runs Wear OS by Google, the company’s smartwatch and wearable platform, and connects to both Apple iPhones and iPads as well as devices running Google’s Android operating system.

The watch isn’t without downsides, however. It doesn’t include a heart-rate monitor, GPS or near-field communication (NFC), which is used for mobile payments like Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay. Still, if the Kate Spade style resonates with you, and those are the features you need, the Scallop Touchscreen smartwatch comes in three styles and retails between $275 and $325.

The dress-up or dress-down smartwatch

While the Samsung Gear S3 has a mixed bag of reviews, we’re recommending it because it comes in two distinct looks without compromising features: the Frontier, for a more rugged look, and the Classic for a simpler, more traditional style. Unlike other smartwatches, the Gear S3 can be purchased with the option to connect to cellular wireless networks, or you can save some money with the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-only model. Both models include features like GPS, a heart-rate monitor, 4GB of memory, water resistance up to 1.5 meters (almost five feet) for 30 minutes and NFC.

Also, the bezel around the Gear S3’s face can move and perform a variety of actions like adjust the volume or answer a phone call. It also has two side buttons: One opens apps while the other functions as a back button. The Gear S3 also comes with an always-on display, which is both a blessing and a curse (it can kill your battery much faster). The watch starts at $269.99, with different prices for the cellular-enabled models depending on your wireless carrier.

The jack-of-all-trades smartwatch

If you’re looking for a smartwatch that’s a mix of the above two and offers both form and function, look no further than the Fossil Q Explorist and Venture. Both have been chosen by the Wirecutter, the New York Times company that reviews products, as top Android smartwatch picks.

The Explorist is the bigger of the two and comes in six styles varying from a “smoke stainless steel” to one in navy leather. The Venture comes in 10 colours and styles. Both watches range in price from $179 to $193. Both watches lack GPS and heart-rate sensors, so they’re not ideal for anyone looking for a smartwatch that’s also a true fitness tracker. If neither of these watches suits your look, Fossil has released more than 300 types of these watches across 14 brands like DKNY, Diesel and Skagen. The new models do have NFC, GPS, a heart sensor, altimeter, accelerometer and gyroscope, and they reportedly can be used for swimming.
 

© 2018 The New York Times