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I have been torn between wearing mechanical watches and smart watches. I don't need/want/like notifications on my wrist, but I really enjoy the activity and hea

I have been torn between wearing mechanical watches and smart watches. I don't need/want/like notifications on my wrist, but I really enjoy the activity and heart rate tracking of the Apple Watch. I have been reluctantly wearing a Samsung Withings watch that looks mechanical but is actually smart, but a mediocre compromise (you need to wear it higher up the wrist than I usually do, and I don't believe it gives accurate heart rate and activity measurements). 30 day battery life is pretty cool though. I may just start going back to my Vostok and Seiko watches full time at this point. (I don't like spending a lot of money on watches, anyone who is curious on getting into them should check out both brands as economical starters - the Vostok Amphibia has a storied history!)

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
mattkopecki 3y ago
Consider something like a Whoop or Oura Ring which monitors health metrics but doesn’t rely on a watch? That’s what I’ve settled on so that I have the best of both worlds.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  Those are subscription based though.
  - 0xffff2 3y ago
    Wow. I had looked at the Oura Ring before and thought it looked cool, but I missed that it basically requires a subscription, which is wild considering it seems like I get all of the same metrics from my Garmin watch with no subscription required.
akshayrajp 3y ago
Try Garmin Instinct? It's a digital watch (not analog) and more of a fitness tracker than a smart watch. You can disable any notifications you don't want.
- Ginguin 3y ago
  That's where I ended up. My Instinct has replaced my mechanical watches for every occasion except for the most formal. The app is decent, the metrics are awesome, and the accessories work without fuss (I pair mine with the Heart Rate strap when doing kettlebell stuff). I love my other watches and still have one or two I will eventually convince myself to buy, but the Garmin Instinct 2 has been on my wrist for 90% of the last year.
atmosx 3y ago
Mechanical watches these days are primarily about aesthetics. Although I must say that I find myself reaching less and less for my mobile these days to find out the time because I wear a mechanical watch. A smartwatch is about data, primarily. You can have both. Use the mechanical watch for occasions that require a formal attire and use the smartwatch as your daily driver and sport companion.
wkat4242 3y ago
For me it's the opposite. Notifications and payments are my main benefit. I would never wear a watch that shows only the time (hence I never wore one since the late 90s until mid 2010s). Sleep tracking with SpO2 is a big thing for me too though. I think mechanical watches are much more about being jewellery than function, even though it's impressive engineering. But I'm not a very flashy guy (I don't even own any shirts that fit anymore, just T-shirts lol) so I don't really care. But it's good to see everyone can get what they like. I'm personally really happy with how far smartwatches have come.
- lawn 3y ago
  I'd like a watch that does two things: - Shows the time (and possibly date) - Vibrates when I get a call (or maybe other notifications) Other than that I'd like it to be small and have a long battery life. Is there anything like this? I currently use a Garmin smartband, but there are so many features I don't use.
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    Yes I've seen that kind of watch too. I forget which brand it was but it was one of the mechanical brands. For what it's worth, the amazfit and Xiaomi products also have very great battery life (around 2 weeks) and some are very light. With the gadgetbridge or notify for Android apps they're really privacy conscious too.
  - criddell 3y ago
    Maybe the basic (and old) Fitbit Charge? It has a pedometer, time, and vibrating alarm.
  - peebeebee 3y ago
    I think Fitbit Inspire would do the job. Loved that multi-day battery life too.
  - steezy13 3y ago
    If that's your use case, definitely check out the Withings Scanwatch line. If you're not using a lot of the other features, the battery can prob go well over 30 days between recharging.
DriverDaily 3y ago
For me it was an easy choice. First, I was starting to worry about heart health. Second, my mechanical watches could be sold for more than I paid for them.
al_borland 3y ago
I wear a smart watch at the gym to track my heart rate, but when not at the gym I wear a mechanical watch (or some other normal watch... I recently got a Casio World Time I have love way more than I probably should). I had an Apple Watch, but sold it, as I felt guilty not wearing it more, with all that it can do. I ended up getting the cheapest Polar watch option, that does everything on-device (I don't have an account or anything), and can wear that to the gym if I just want to check out my heart rate.
I_Am_Nous 3y ago
I had both a Pebble v1 and a Pebble v2 and loved them both. Pebble went defunct though, so I switched back to a Seiko 5 automatic dive watch once I found I didn't really care for any of the other available smart watches at the time. There's something beautiful to me about a mechanical watch being tied to my personal relativity. Compared to an NTP synchronized smart watch, nothing should update the time on my watch but me. The actual usefulness of this feature is merely philosophical but it makes me happy to consider. The only thing I miss is weather at a glance on my Pebble. I used a watch face with the temperature on it and to this day I still look at my wrist when I'm thinking about the temperature lol
HPsquared 3y ago
I have a Pixel Watch and I must say, I enjoy the sweeping second hand.
shepherdjerred 3y ago
Is there any reason you don't just disable notifications? That's what I've done on my Apple watch and I've loved it.
- macintux 3y ago
  I disabled all but the most important notifications (calls, texts primarily) and it's been great. I no longer have to drag my phone out of my pocket when someone calls me, and all unnecessary notifications can wait until I'm bored.
bayindirh 3y ago
I was wearing a MiBand and getting ready to get an Apple Watch. Then my wife got me a Longines auto. I'll never go back to smartwatches again. I'm not a collector when it comes to watches, and I can happily wear that Longines until the end of time, and will be happy. Having a tactile watch with real hardware with no electricity inside brings me more joy than some capable electronic toy which needs constant tending and replacement. If I was climbing mountains, maybe but mere outdoor activities I have a ProTrek. More than enough.
- pklausler 3y ago
  In a similar story, my wife gave me an Omega calibre 1861 Moonwatch years ago, and I nearly always wear it. But a few years ago, I got an Apple Watch for running, and now I often wear both, because I like the heart monitor, the haptic hints while driving, and don't always have my phone along. I wish the Apple Watch had a face that didn't have a time display.
bpesquet 3y ago
Personal and subjective opinion ahead. Any smartwatch will become unusable, polluting garbage a few years (months?) from now: a canonical example of planned obsolescence. Their self-tracking functions are a double-edged sword, a source of stress as much as relief. Any well-built and well-maintained mechanical watch will last you decades. No dependencies on electricity and network connectivity, it's a self-contained and entirely autonomous piece of human engineering. Mine was built in 1975 and is one year older than me. In a world where everything fades away so fast, wearing it everyday feels like owning a precious relic. Easy choice if you ask me.
- naremu 3y ago
  >No dependencies on electricity and network connectivity, it's a self-contained and entirely autonomous piece of human engineering. This already veers straight back into the marketing territory that everyone in this thread remarks was an eye opener when they actually got a mechanical watch. I have a mild prepper tendency and I had to eventually kill my romantic views of mechanicals when I realized it just time drift and wouldn't last long without regular maintenance from someone with the tools and knowledge/skill, not to mention someone in this very comment section mentions a mechanical watch suffering a death from drop onto carpeted floor. Mechanical watches are cool, but I easily spend less time without my PineTime (which I'm surprised nobody else in these comments has even mentioned) working than my friend spends manually syncing his seiko back to time/maintaining it.
  - nequo 3y ago
    I never heard about PineTime until now! Looks like a cool gadget. What has your experience been with it, apart from it being more accurate than a mechanical?
    - naremu 3y ago
      It's an interesting experience, I have github send me an email on the odd occasion the community developed "OS" gets an update. Then I download the zip file on my phone browser and upload the file on Gadgetbridge for the update. I sometimes call it my "soviet in a good way" watch, it ended up becoming my "function over fashion" watch, which means almost all day every day wear for a few years now. pros: decent battery life (1-2 weeks, i turn off bluetooth and gps on my phone overnights which helps both devices) "good enough" design (durable enough for all but swimming/showering) easily replaced or modified (even takes standard watch bands) flashlight, notifications and all traditional digital watch functions multiple community "OS" options cons: community development can be slow, buggy water droplets particularly from natural rain can trigger the touchscreen, not amazing if you bike in seattle or something anemic hardware The charger is cheap and isn't that quick but again, the pinetime kind of excels in knowing the difference between good and good enough, as I once heard an engineer say (about something else), and I rarely find myself bothered by it's lack of luxuries.
runeb 3y ago
I wish I could buy an Apple Watch without screen, crown and button. Just a smart disc to record all my Health and activity data, worn under my wristwatch
Volrath89 3y ago
wouldn't this be the perfect use case for the hybrid watches? I am looking forward to buy a Kronaby for next year.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

mattkopecki 3y ago

Consider something like a Whoop or Oura Ring which monitors health metrics but doesn’t rely on a watch? That’s what I’ve settled on so that I have the best of both worlds.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago
Those are subscription based though.
- 0xffff2 3y ago
  Wow. I had looked at the Oura Ring before and thought it looked cool, but I missed that it basically requires a subscription, which is wild considering it seems like I get all of the same metrics from my Garmin watch with no subscription required.

akshayrajp 3y ago

Try Garmin Instinct? It's a digital watch (not analog) and more of a fitness tracker than a smart watch. You can disable any notifications you don't want.

Ginguin 3y ago
That's where I ended up. My Instinct has replaced my mechanical watches for every occasion except for the most formal. The app is decent, the metrics are awesome, and the accessories work without fuss (I pair mine with the Heart Rate strap when doing kettlebell stuff). I love my other watches and still have one or two I will eventually convince myself to buy, but the Garmin Instinct 2 has been on my wrist for 90% of the last year.

atmosx 3y ago

Mechanical watches these days are primarily about aesthetics. Although I must say that I find myself reaching less and less for my mobile these days to find out the time because I wear a mechanical watch. A smartwatch is about data, primarily. You can have both. Use the mechanical watch for occasions that require a formal attire and use the smartwatch as your daily driver and sport companion.

wkat4242 3y ago

For me it's the opposite. Notifications and payments are my main benefit. I would never wear a watch that shows only the time (hence I never wore one since the late 90s until mid 2010s). Sleep tracking with SpO2 is a big thing for me too though. I think mechanical watches are much more about being jewellery than function, even though it's impressive engineering. But I'm not a very flashy guy (I don't even own any shirts that fit anymore, just T-shirts lol) so I don't really care. But it's good to see everyone can get what they like. I'm personally really happy with how far smartwatches have come.

lawn 3y ago
I'd like a watch that does two things: - Shows the time (and possibly date) - Vibrates when I get a call (or maybe other notifications) Other than that I'd like it to be small and have a long battery life. Is there anything like this? I currently use a Garmin smartband, but there are so many features I don't use.
- wkat4242 3y ago
  Yes I've seen that kind of watch too. I forget which brand it was but it was one of the mechanical brands. For what it's worth, the amazfit and Xiaomi products also have very great battery life (around 2 weeks) and some are very light. With the gadgetbridge or notify for Android apps they're really privacy conscious too.
- criddell 3y ago
  Maybe the basic (and old) Fitbit Charge? It has a pedometer, time, and vibrating alarm.
- peebeebee 3y ago
  I think Fitbit Inspire would do the job. Loved that multi-day battery life too.
- steezy13 3y ago
  If that's your use case, definitely check out the Withings Scanwatch line. If you're not using a lot of the other features, the battery can prob go well over 30 days between recharging.

DriverDaily 3y ago

For me it was an easy choice. First, I was starting to worry about heart health. Second, my mechanical watches could be sold for more than I paid for them.

al_borland 3y ago

I wear a smart watch at the gym to track my heart rate, but when not at the gym I wear a mechanical watch (or some other normal watch... I recently got a Casio World Time I have love way more than I probably should). I had an Apple Watch, but sold it, as I felt guilty not wearing it more, with all that it can do. I ended up getting the cheapest Polar watch option, that does everything on-device (I don't have an account or anything), and can wear that to the gym if I just want to check out my heart rate.

I_Am_Nous 3y ago

I had both a Pebble v1 and a Pebble v2 and loved them both. Pebble went defunct though, so I switched back to a Seiko 5 automatic dive watch once I found I didn't really care for any of the other available smart watches at the time. There's something beautiful to me about a mechanical watch being tied to my personal relativity. Compared to an NTP synchronized smart watch, nothing should update the time on my watch but me. The actual usefulness of this feature is merely philosophical but it makes me happy to consider. The only thing I miss is weather at a glance on my Pebble. I used a watch face with the temperature on it and to this day I still look at my wrist when I'm thinking about the temperature lol

HPsquared 3y ago

I have a Pixel Watch and I must say, I enjoy the sweeping second hand.

shepherdjerred 3y ago

Is there any reason you don't just disable notifications? That's what I've done on my Apple watch and I've loved it.

macintux 3y ago
I disabled all but the most important notifications (calls, texts primarily) and it's been great. I no longer have to drag my phone out of my pocket when someone calls me, and all unnecessary notifications can wait until I'm bored.

bayindirh 3y ago

I was wearing a MiBand and getting ready to get an Apple Watch. Then my wife got me a Longines auto. I'll never go back to smartwatches again. I'm not a collector when it comes to watches, and I can happily wear that Longines until the end of time, and will be happy. Having a tactile watch with real hardware with no electricity inside brings me more joy than some capable electronic toy which needs constant tending and replacement. If I was climbing mountains, maybe but mere outdoor activities I have a ProTrek. More than enough.

pklausler 3y ago
In a similar story, my wife gave me an Omega calibre 1861 Moonwatch years ago, and I nearly always wear it. But a few years ago, I got an Apple Watch for running, and now I often wear both, because I like the heart monitor, the haptic hints while driving, and don't always have my phone along. I wish the Apple Watch had a face that didn't have a time display.

bpesquet 3y ago

Personal and subjective opinion ahead. Any smartwatch will become unusable, polluting garbage a few years (months?) from now: a canonical example of planned obsolescence. Their self-tracking functions are a double-edged sword, a source of stress as much as relief. Any well-built and well-maintained mechanical watch will last you decades. No dependencies on electricity and network connectivity, it's a self-contained and entirely autonomous piece of human engineering. Mine was built in 1975 and is one year older than me. In a world where everything fades away so fast, wearing it everyday feels like owning a precious relic. Easy choice if you ask me.

naremu 3y ago
>No dependencies on electricity and network connectivity, it's a self-contained and entirely autonomous piece of human engineering. This already veers straight back into the marketing territory that everyone in this thread remarks was an eye opener when they actually got a mechanical watch. I have a mild prepper tendency and I had to eventually kill my romantic views of mechanicals when I realized it just time drift and wouldn't last long without regular maintenance from someone with the tools and knowledge/skill, not to mention someone in this very comment section mentions a mechanical watch suffering a death from drop onto carpeted floor. Mechanical watches are cool, but I easily spend less time without my PineTime (which I'm surprised nobody else in these comments has even mentioned) working than my friend spends manually syncing his seiko back to time/maintaining it.
- nequo 3y ago
  I never heard about PineTime until now! Looks like a cool gadget. What has your experience been with it, apart from it being more accurate than a mechanical?
  - naremu 3y ago
    It's an interesting experience, I have github send me an email on the odd occasion the community developed "OS" gets an update. Then I download the zip file on my phone browser and upload the file on Gadgetbridge for the update. I sometimes call it my "soviet in a good way" watch, it ended up becoming my "function over fashion" watch, which means almost all day every day wear for a few years now. pros: decent battery life (1-2 weeks, i turn off bluetooth and gps on my phone overnights which helps both devices) "good enough" design (durable enough for all but swimming/showering) easily replaced or modified (even takes standard watch bands) flashlight, notifications and all traditional digital watch functions multiple community "OS" options cons: community development can be slow, buggy water droplets particularly from natural rain can trigger the touchscreen, not amazing if you bike in seattle or something anemic hardware The charger is cheap and isn't that quick but again, the pinetime kind of excels in knowing the difference between good and good enough, as I once heard an engineer say (about something else), and I rarely find myself bothered by it's lack of luxuries.

runeb 3y ago

I wish I could buy an Apple Watch without screen, crown and button. Just a smart disc to record all my Health and activity data, worn under my wristwatch

Volrath89 3y ago

wouldn't this be the perfect use case for the hybrid watches? I am looking forward to buy a Kronaby for next year.