Best hybrid smartwatch: Top stylish and tech-loaded hybrid watches

Hybrid smartwatches are the middle link between a classic watch and a modern digital smartwatch. Hybrid watches are often categorized by a superior design that remains classic and a significant drop in implemented feature technologies. They’re also cheaper smartwatch options that stand in the middle of classic-patterned and modern technology-powered wristwear.

The vast majority, if not all, of the smart hybrid wristwatches, lack an all-touchscreen display that is present on every smartwatch worth buying. They also often drop essential sensors such as GPS and heart rate monitor, randomly used by smartwatches to provide as accurate as possible activity and health tracking reports.

However, not all hybrid timepieces are the same. Some are smarter than others. Hybrid watches blend together the modern wearable technology and classic minimal design of mechanical watches. They are specifically designed to last longer and need recharging very rarely, with some requiring to be revived once or twice in a year of time.

Hybrid smart watches take a passive approach toward the primary functions of a regular smartwatch. Services such as activity monitoring, heart rate, and notification display, sometimes they even drop some altogether. Usually, the more sensors a watch has, the more power it will require to function and the faster it will consume it. Some hi-end hybrid watches like Nokia Steel HR or Garmin Vivomove HR that have advanced activity recording support and heart rate will not preserve the power juice on their minimalist batteries for that long.

Best overall: Withings Steel HR Sport

There’s no better Hybrid watch than the Withings Steel HR Sport, the successor of the previous-best Withings Steel HR. The Steel HR Sport is a versatile hybrid watch specifically outlined to keep tracking records of sports without the sacrifice on the classic watch design. There’s a single circular screen within the watch similar to the one mounted on the HR edition of the Withings Steel.

The minimalist round display is placed on the top of the prime dial where it shows heart rate, sport name, and notifications and messages incoming into the phone it pairs with. In the reverse side, the Steel HR Sport has a second round dial that tells the percentage of the battery via a watch hand.

The whole set of feature supports is activated when this Withings hybrid watch connects with either an Android or iPhone. The mobile app reveals much more functions than the device displays on its tiny screen. It provides everything from heart rate reports to multi-sport data, on-map navigation by utilizing the GPS sensor on the mobile device, to VO2 Max fitness level score. On top of its rich pre-loaded feature supports, this Withings smartwatch has a battery life of up to 25 days. No running smartwatch with HR and GPS will last you that long.

Nokia / Withings Steel HR

Originally launched as Withings Steel HR and later rebranded as Nokia Steel HR after Nokia acquired Withings, is the upgraded edition of Nokia Steel hybrid watch that ships equipping a heart rate sensor. That also explains the HR in the name. The design of the watch is quite classic, and it looks nothing close to a digital smartwatch. There’s a crown on the side of the handheld that’s just a hidden button from where you control the watch and watch activity progress and respond to notification alerts.

The Steel HR watch by Nokia is one of the very few hybrid watches that features heart rate tracking. For the wristwatch to achieve that, you are required you to wear it half an inch away from your wrist bone. By default, you receive a heart tracking report every 10 minutes, but you can adjust it for constant monitoring when working out. You can make those adjustments by pressing the crown on the side.

The activity tracking features involve automatic tracking and step counting when walking, running, swimming and more. It has a waterproof certification of 5ATM that turns it into an excellent swimming smartwatch. There a dozen different activities the watch is compatible with, and when connected to a smartphone via the Nokia Health Mate app, you’ll be shown activity reports that include step counting, speed, and distance. The watch is light in weight, and you can wear it comfortably when sleeping to receive sleep quality reports if you want.

Nokia Steel HR, when connected to your phone, will as well as display text messages, incoming calls, and alert you of incoming events that you subscribed to attend.

Garmin Vivomove HR

Garmin Vivomove HR definitely is the smartest hybrid watch your money can buy. It has all the necessary components found on premium smart watches. Features such as heart rate tracking, activity monitoring and workout planning, even a touchscreen display panel come packed up on this minimalist design. The wristwear is also waterproof and due to its extended battery life and advanced activity features make it a decent outdoors smart watch.

Vivomove HR tracks heart rate and fitness and also generates activity reports for you that involve step counting, distance, heart rate during workouts and times of intensity when training. It also reveals your physical efficiency for several activities via the VO2 max score. It also comes with a health-management feature called all-day stress tracking. The watch also has yoga exercises for you to start feeling better.

This smartwatch that sports an elegant classic design and is overloaded with hi-tech features also connects to your phone to display essential notification alerts and allows you to share your fitness goals with your friends or compete against them via the Garmin Connect app.

Alpina Seastrong Horological Smartwatch

The Swiss-based designer manufacturer company of luxury watches, Alpina, has joined the hub of connected watches with an impressive hybrid smartwatch. The Alpina Seastrong Horological smartwatch. This watch sports an impressive circular design and a crown featuring a gemstone for a luxurious outlook. But that’s not everything about this wristwear. It is the smartwatch with the longest battery life, this hybrid watch by Alpina will keep going on a single charge for a whopping four years of time. It obviously knows no rival in preserving power at this time and for quite a good time that’s to come.

Besides an enormous extensive battery lifespan, the watch is as well water resistant up to 330 feet and is marketed for being an exceptional smartwatch for diving. As it has activity tracking sensors to tell the depth of your every dive, speed, and distance when swimming.

Regarding other connectivity functions and features, this Aline smartwatch monitors your sleep and sends you sleep cycle alerts and generally records steps and distance you walk throughout the day. It also sends you alerts to get into moving if you become inactive and connects to your smartphone to provide you charted activity reports and display notifications.

Misfit Command and Misfit Path

Misfit Command and Misfit Path hybrid smartwatches are almost identical. They share the same features and supports, and they only differ from one another on design. Battery life on the Command version is twice as that of the Path edition, but when adding that the lifespan of the battery on the Misfit Path watch is six months, it doesn’t matter that much. Both of these watches have interchangeable batteries that need replacement after their juice disappears.

The Misfit Command can be worn by men and women while the Path version is designed to be a women-only smartwatch.

Both these watches keep an eye on your activity to count steps, distance, calorie burn throughout the day and during workouts and make good sleep monitors. Are swim-proof with a water resistance of 50 meters and connect to Android and iPhone. When paired to your phone they will display app notifications and phone calls and also have a smart button feature that turns them into smartphone remote controllers for you to control music.

Fossil Q Commuter

Fossil is one of the most active designers and manufacturers of smart analog watches. Even watches you find sporting fashion brand names like Kate and Spade or Skagen are actually made by Fossil. However, the best of Fossil watches are to be found under the Fossil name, and the best Fossil hybrid watch is the Q Commuter.

Fitness reporting features sported by the timepiece include step counting, distance, and an estimate of calorie burn during activities throughout the day. It is compatible with Android and iPhone and has a battery life of up to a year.

Fossil Q Commuter will display phone notifications, play music, and can also be used to find your phone in case you misplace it. It also is waterproof and you can take it to the pool with you.

Skagen Hagen

Skagen Designs has produced one of the most elegant smart analog wristwatches your money can buy. The Skagen Hagen Connected wristwear sports an extremely minimalist design having a circular bezel and triple smart buttons on the side for function. The watch face is incredibly small that the bezels are slightly wider than the leather strap, making it extremely comfortable to wear.

The top-notch Skagen hybrid watch works as an average activity tracer where it counts your steps, distance, and calorie burn. It also has sleep monitoring sensors to help you wake up completely refreshed and is resistant to water, dust, and scratches. The wristwatch connects to your smartphone to reveal fitness activity and to let you view important notifications incoming to your phone straight from the wrist.

Kronaby Connected

The Swedish designer of smart wearable tech, Kronaby, has built a line of its own of premium-design connected hybrid watches. Kronaby watches can be found under the label of Sekel, Apex, Nord, and Carat. The later, Kronaby Carat is company’s special edition of hybrid watches for women. The three other lines pack a masculine outlook, although all of them are extremely sleek and designed for fashion.

The Kronoby Connected hybrid watch is waterproof enough to resist rain. It has an excellent battery that will keep the handwear going for up to two years and has a triple setup of side buttons for function. It also monitors your physical activity and will remind you to start moving when you spend long periods of time in one place. It as well connects to your phone to deliver charted fitness reports, display important notifications and alerts when your phone number is being called. Besides, you also have access to the music stored on your phone and can wirelessly activate your phone’s camera through the watch.

Diesel Mega Chief (DT1005)

The Diesel DT1005 hybrid watch sports a rough and manly design primarily found on rugged smart watches that are made to withstand extremes of nature. Although this particular hybrid wristwear isn’t made to be exposed to the extremes of temperature and pressure and has its manly looks only for fashion, it still makes a great choice of a smartwatch for men.

The watch looks great featuring a classic circular design with the crown put in between two metallic extensions to hide the fact that its primary use is of a multi-functional digital button for the operation of the watch.

There also are some standard fitness-related features coming with this Diesel smart watch as well. It can track your daily activity and record your rests and sleep times. It also connects to your phone to become a remote music controller or camera controller and can also make your phone ring in case you can’t find where you last left it. Hybrid watches aren’t meant to sport all the advanced features for activity that you find on smart watches for runners, and their feature supports are mostly elementary.

Emporio Armani Connected

The hybrid line of Emporio Armani Connected smartwatches is all smooth and shiny. The Italian fashion house is well known for smoothness on its ready-to-wear wearable products. Its hybrid watch couldn’t let you down either. The round bezels are flashy and curved with style, on the side, there’s a triple button setup for controlling the watch. Even the back case is smooth enough to reflect light.

This iconic Emporio Armani smart wristwatch can connect to iOS and Android phones to display activity and sleep reporting data and notifications. Based on this connectivity, it will automatically adjust to your local timezone if you take it with you when traveling. Inspired by Armani’s ready-to-wear collection, the watch comes equipping an emoticon-accented dial. You can also play, stop, and scroll through your phone’s music while having the watch paired to a phone. The watch is waterproof, and its battery will last you an entire year before requiring replacement.

Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture

If you don’t mind spending a fortune on a revolutionary that blends together the classic and the modern, then the hybrid watch by Frederique Constant is what you want to pay your top dollar for. The Frederique Constant Hybrid Manufacture is unlike any other hybrid watch. It doesn’t combine the mechanical past and modern digitalization only on the shape of bezels and the watch face, it actually is a smart mechanical watch. It can be described as a premium mechanical wristwatch that’s better than the classic.

This premium hybrid smartwatch packs inside its minimalist design both mechanical and electronic components of a watch. This combination of the two is patented by the company and isn’t something you’ll see popping everywhere.

The mechanical movement caliber on this watch has the Perlage & Circular Côtes de Genève decoration and can be adjusted by a pusher. The casing of the watch is hermetically sealed, designed to make it swimproof.

Despite equipping technology coming by a by-gone era, this watch has impressive connectivity features. It tracks your activity and connects to your smartphone via an app just like any other hybrid watch. Its fitness support may be even better than that of its competition. The app that connects to this watch brings fitness coaching to a new hybrid watch level by giving you health tips based on your fitness stats. For instance, if you like being hyperactive at noon, the watch will tell you to go softer on you because it may have a negative impact on your sleep. Not many hybrid watches can do that.