Not everyone needs a full-fledged smartwatch, one that can run numerous apps without the need for your phone. While these can be great for those who constantly need to be connected, others like me just want something that can help keep track of all our daily activities and health-related metrics. This is why Fitbits are still so popular and why watches like the Withings ScanWatch we looked at late last year are so desirable. In 2022, Withings released an update to their popular ScanWatch with the new Withings ScanWatch Horizon, which takes the formula to new luxurious heights, with what could be one of the best looking health-tracking watches out there.
DESIGN
We’re going to start off with the design and look of the Withings ScanWatch Horizon because honestly, that’s what really caught our attention when we first saw it a few weeks back during the unveiling. While we love the design of the original ScanWatch and its classically styled good looks, the ScanWatch Horizon is on a whole other level. Based on the “diver style watch”, the ScanWatch Horizon is influenced by such classic icons as the ROLEX Submariner and the OMEGA Seamaster.
This is what sets the Witchings ScanWatch Horizon apart from other health-tracking watches in this category. This hybrid smartwatch looks like a luxurious analog watch and comes with either blue or green accents. Withings didn’t cheap out on the materials for this watch as the ScanWatch Horizon utilizes a stainless steel case and rotating bezel, a sunray brass dial with stainless steel indexes with luminous coating, brass hands with luminous coating, sapphire glass, and a stainless steel wristband. You even get a durable water-resistant fluoroelastomer wristband as well.
The “smartwatch” portion of the watch comes in the form of a small digital display located on the top hemisphere of the watch and a small analog dial on the bottom one. The dials on the bottom show your activity in percentages while the top digital display shows everything else. The digital display is controlled using a digital crown.
Other than that, the Withings ScanWatch Horizon is their best-looking watch to date.
SPECS
For the most part, the Withings ScanWatch Horizon functions exactly like the regular Scanwatch, so it’s no wonder that the feature set and specs are virtually identical. It packs pretty much the same advanced tech and sensors that monitor just about every health-related item you want metrics on. The ScanWatch Horizon features the following:
- Heart rate: beats per minute
- Breathing disturbances: detection via oxygen saturation
- Electrocardiogram: tracing of a 30-seconds ECG recording on a millimetric grid
- Oxygen saturation level (medical-grade SpO2)
- Walking and running: steps, distance, calories, based on user’s profile for high precision
- Calories: metabolic calories and total calories expenditure
- Running: automatically detected, in-app daily recap of duration and distance
- Swimming: automatically detected, in-app recap with duration and calories burned
- Sleep: deep and light sleep phases, irregular heartbeat detection, sleep interruptions
- Fitness Level: assessment via VO2Max estimation
- Elevation: meters and floors climbed
On the back, you’ll see the three sensors in the middle. These are the multi-wavelength PPG sensors. The ECG Electrodes are actually built all around the watch, and there are three of them. This is why you have to use both hands when taking ECG readings in order to close the electrical loop. More on that later.
Last up, the battery in the Withings ScanWatch can last up to 30 days depending on usage and features activated.
EXPERIENCE
The experience I had with the Withings ScanWatch Horizon was not that much different from the regular ScanWatch. In fact, they were virtually identical in terms of use. The only real difference came with the amount of attention you’ll garner wearing it. But we’ll get to that in a bit.
In order to properly use the Withings ScanWatch, you’re going to have to download the Health Mate app which is available on both iOS and Android. This app will manage all key aspects of your health and show detailed information on all metrics collected. You will also use the app to customize whether or not the ScanWatch can receive notifications and what types. Notification can consist of phone calls, messages received, calendar events, and regular notifications from a variety of apps you might have installed on your phone.
In terms of usage, you don’t really need to interact too much with the ScanWatch Horizon, unless you’re proactively conducting a manual test. It will track steps and sleep automatically and you can also set it to track your breathing automatically as well. This also goes for heartbeats. What you will need to measure manually is the ECG and that has to be done with both hands and while you’re sitting very still. Workouts also should be entered manually at the start of each one. Other than that, most things are done automatically and don’t require much input.
What I do find really neat and this is due to a recent firmware upgrade is that the hour and minute hands can move out of the way of the main digital display if they are in a position that blocks them. You just need to press the digital crown once and the hands will move to the ten and two o’clock positions.
The ScanWatch Horizon is fairly comfortable to wear. It’s not much different from wearing a regular watch and it’s as comfortable as it can be with a metal band. It is quite a bit heavier than the normal ScanWatch, and I’ll attribute that to the stainless steel and beefier bits. You can increase the comfort a bit by switching to the fluoroelastomer wristband as well as lightening it a bit. If you’re using the ScanWatch Horizon to work out, I’d probably switch the band too since it’ll be more sweat-resistant and probably more durable for workouts. I would clean that band after workouts though so it doesn’t get all funky smelling.
Now back to the compliments, the ScanWatch Horizon turns a lot of heads. People comment about how great it looks and just think it’s a regular watch until I tell them that it also tracks all your health metrics. Then they are even more amazed because it doesn’t look like your typical health tracker. I’ve always been a watch guy and this has to be one of the best-looking smartwatches I’ve worn to date.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So this new Withings ScanWatch Horizon is now my new favorite health tracking hybrid smartwatch. That’s not surprising for me because I really enjoyed wearing the original ScanWatch on a daily basis. The ScanWatch Horizon just ups the ante in a more luxurious package. This is a watch you can really wear on any occasion whether it be a casual affair or a suit and tie event. The ScanWatch Horizon really looks the part of a sophisticated analog watch while hiding some really fancy tech underneath. Not only can it tell the time, but it can also track your steps, heart rate, sleep, and more. It’s also FDA-approved for ECG and SpO2 levels just like the original ScanWatch.
I also really like the Withings Health Mate app which got an update recently which makes it even better. The app will still sync to Google Fit or Apple Health if you use those too.
So with all that said, the ScanWatch Horizon is literally my perfect watch right now. Not only does it looks like a gorgeous traditional watch, but it also tracks every health metric I could ever want.
The Withings ScanWatch Horizon is available now for $499.99 in both Blue and Green and can be purchased here on Amazon.
