Typically, if you’re after a watch, you can choose something affordable, functional or aesthetically pleasing… but you can usually only choose two of these things. Finding all three in one package is exceedingly rare.
Apple’s venerable Watch is neither affordable nor all that aesthetically pleasing… but it works well. Google’s own Pixel Watch is more affordable, and looks a bit more like a normal watch… but I’d argue it’s less functional. Android Wear just never really got “good”.
If, like me, you fancy a watch that looks like a watch and goes well with workwear and more formal attire, that has all the main smartwatch features and doesn’t break the bank… the search can be long. Withing’s ScanWatch Nova Brilliant Edition might just be the closest you can get.
What is it?
The ScanWatch Nova Brilliant as reviewed is a classy, silver dress-style watch that would look equally at home on men’s or women’s wrists. Some may say it’s a bit more skewed to the feminine style, and certainly it lacks some of the callouts more typical of a men’s watch – it’s not chunky or exaggerated, nor does it look all that rugged – but I’m quite fond of it after the last couple of week’s use.
The ScanWatch features a 39-mm watch face that has both a traditional analogue hands-type arrangement, as well as a small digital screen which provides most of your smart functionality. There’s also a lower analogue dial which – by default – counts your progress towards your daily step target, but you can set it to do other things.
So far as smart functionality is concerned, the ScanWatch tells you the time (as well as time/date via the OLED display), and can measure steps and other activity, heart rate, SpO2 blood oxygen levels, it can take an ECG reading, measure body temperature and (for those with the right internal equipment) it can track menstrual cycles also. As with most smart devices, it can also show you notifications – e.g. new messages, calls, etc – but you can’t interact with them. I thought this would be more of an issue, but it’s not.
Despite this functionality, it looks and feels like a premium analogue watch, and the only real sign it’s a smartwatch is the little circular OLED display which – typically – is off anyway. It lights up when you need it, and interaction is via the crown which can scroll and click as required.
As a watch, though, this thing is near bulletproof – the sapphire glass display is very scratch and ding resistant – and the whole package is certified waterproof up to 50 metres (or 5 atmospheres) meaning it can be worn pretty much anywhere you’re likely to go. You can swap out the bands if you like (though this is a bit of a fiddly exercise), and the battery lasts up to a month (depending on how much smart functionality you use).
How do you use it?
You place it on your wrist, and get on with your day. It’s not a watch that requires a lot of actual interaction, unless you want or need to.
By default, it just shows you the time, and if you angle your wrist up (as if to look at the watch), the screen will illuminate and show you the date, day and time. If you want to interact with it, you can tap the crown and the OLED will light up and the hands will move out of the way if they’re obscuring it.
Functionality
You can then dial up and down to cycle between time display and the various watch smart functions. However, for most functionality, you will need your watch paired with your mobile. It can do most simple things without your phone within range, but the ECG and SpO2 functions do need your phone within range to work properly.
Functionality is simple and easy, and so is setup – unlike some smart watches which take an eon to get going – the ScanWatch is ready quite promptly, and there’s little need to fiddle. Time syncs from your phone, so if daylight savings changes, or you travel into a different timezone, the watch picks this up automatically.
It’s nice little things like this which make it effortless.
Longevity
Battery life is also incredibly good – up to 30 days is quoted, depending on which of the smart features you keep enabled – but in day to day use, I find myself charging the watch once every 10-14 days. This isn’t so much because it’s gone flat, but just to keep it topped off.
Charging is also fairly quick, probably because the battery is quite small – it doesn’t need to be huge for a watch that spends most of its time just telling the time. In most cases, an hour’s charge every now and then is enough to ensure you never really need to worry about it.
The charging case is also quite intuitive, just clip the watch in and it charges off a USB-C port.
I travelled overseas for a week and didn’t even think to pack the charging clip, and unless you’re off for two or three weeks or more, chances are you won’t need to either.
Is it good value for money?
At $799, the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant is in line with the more basic smartwatch options from other brands, though it’s significantly more affordable than the premium-priced options from Apple, Google, Samsung, etc.
Yes, you could argue that it’s an analogue watch with some smarts in it, and perhaps it’s not worth nearly $800 from that lens. However, it does mostly everything I’d need a watch to do in terms of time-telling and smart functionality, and it doesn’t have the things I never used anyway – you look like a bell-end asking Google on your wrist to do something – and replying to messages or taking calls on your wrist is a novelty that quickly wears off.
Considering how useful and durable it is, and how nice it looks on your wrist, I think the price point is spot on. I’d easily pay this price (or quite a lot more) for a nice dress watch, and this meets that need as well as my smart needs too.
If you’re after a more manly-looking alternative, the ScanWatch Nova has more of a masculine feel to it, with a rotating bezel and more of a dive-watch aesthetic. Personally, I like them both and would happy wear either depending on the occasion.
Should you get one?
If you’re after a watch that pairs functionally, affordability and style, I’d say you could do a lot worse (and not an awful lot better). This is a watch I could easily wear ongoing and not be left wanting.
If you’ve got a recent Withings ScanWatch, though – such as the original ScanWatch or the newer ScanWatch 2 – then there’s probably little need to upgrade. If you’re coming from an Apple Watch or Pixel watch though, and looking for something a bit more classy, yes you’ll lose a little functionality but not enough to fret over.
At $799, the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant Edition is an easy recommendation. You can pick it up from JB HiFi or other resellers.
