Looking for a smartwatch that’s mostly a watch… what options do I have?

Seeking Advice
1

I miss my first smartwatch, the Pebble Steel! It was just a simple, smart watch. My Skagen didn’t do much, Withings had a small screen and messages disappeared too quickly, Samsung was like having a tiny phone on my wrist, and FitBit focused too much on fitness.

I don’t need a fitness companion, I want a smart watch that is just a watch.

Here’s what I need:

Must have:

  • A standard screen option without too much flash. I just want a simple watch showing the time, date, and maybe battery percentage. LCARS interface would be great, but not a must. :slight_smile:
  • At least 5 days of battery life with regular use, ideally more than a week.
  • Vibration alarm and notifications for messages, apps, and calls.
  • Notifications from the apps I choose.
  • Ability to read messages and see caller-ID on the screen.
    • Must be able to receive a message and allow me to read it a few minutes later, unlike my Withings Scanwatch, which just scrolls the message a few times and then deletes it.
  • Standard watchbands

Would like, but not a dealbreaker:

  • Physical clock hands along with the screen.
  • Wake-up alarm that’s optimized for my sleep cycle.
  • NFC payment.
  • Simple pre-set responses for messages.
  • Sapphire glass.

Don’t need, but if it’s not annoying, I might use these features:

  • Health monitoring.
  • GPS or assisted GPS tracking.
  • Answering calls.
  • Workout tracking.

Cost isn’t an issue, I’ll save up for the right watch.

Any recommendations from you guys?

2

You mentioned wanting a “discreet/simple watch face”, but what about the case itself?

Most smartwatches are thick and not very discreet.

To find a thin and discreet smartwatch, we’re mostly limited to cheap Chinese models. They can check off the must-haves, but not the would-likes.

Not many models come with actual hands, except for the Withings you already mentioned, and some Garmin watches.

Currently, my favorite is one of the thinner models, which I reviewed here (sold under names like H06, KM88).

3

@Phoenix
I see now that saying “discreet/simple watch face” was confusing. What I meant was I don’t want a flashy screen that can’t be changed. On my FitBit, I have a simple black watch face with just time, date, and battery percentage in white. I don’t want some colorful screen changing with my steps or anything like that. I’ll update my post to make that clearer. Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll check out the HK06!

4

@Whitney
Here’s a picture of the model I mentioned: Image