Times change

A traditional watch maker goes smart and a smartwatch pioneer makes a stylish turn

While I love timepieces, smartwatches are a different deal: they have the uncanny ability to stick out like a sore thumb, more often than not thanks to their chunky appearance. This is where the Pebble Time Round scores. I've never seen a lighter and sleeker smartwatch.

The Round features a colour E-ink display, which is very easy to read in direct sunlight; while it's not as bright as AMOLED screens, it makes up in sharpness. The watch looks elegant with the leather strap and the silver case, but for the thick white bezel. I paired it with a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and soon had access to customisations and apps.

This watch displays notifications and comes with a vibration alert. If you set your watches to display WhatsApp messages, be prepared to be embarrassed at work, when that inappropriate joke pops up on the screen while you're in a meeting. But on the Round, because of its dimmer screen, the notification won't be visible to anyone but you. The watch also tracks steps and sleep .

What lets the Round down is its rather short battery life vis-a-vis other Pebble watches. That said, I could get through about two days before the battery died. Charging, however, is quite fast. And it's very easy to swap straps as well.

The Pebble Time Round is for those who want a good-looking smartwatch and don't mind sacrificing battery life.

Price: Rs 13,599

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  I'm a fan of analogue timepieces and the Guess Connect impressed me at first glance. Here was a device designed by a traditional watchmaker that tells the time always. In fact, one can hardly spot the tiny monochrome screen at the bottom of the watch face if the display is off. The other giveaways are the two buttons flanking the crown and the speaker grilles on either side. A plastic flap covering the microUSB charging port takes away from the otherwise premium look on this gold and blue piece, as does the thick plastic back.

Pairing it with a Samsung Galaxy Note 5, I set the notification patterns from the app. The good thing is without looking at the watch, one can know what notification has arrived. But it's a pain to read the notifications on the tiny screen. Also, one can launch Google voice search using the watch and can also answer calls, though people look at you oddly when you speak into a watch face on the Metro. If you control music playback on your phone from your watch, it usually routes it to the watch's loudspeaker, which can be quite embarrassing. The notification battery lasts four days on a single charge

The watch, sadly, isn't water resistant and bundles no fitness functions. And it's quite clunky. But if you want a watch that will let you control your phone, this is a fashionable option.

Price: Rs 33,000