Fossil Group executive vice president Steve Evans mused at one point a few months ago about how much the health and wellness industry has converged with modern smartwatch technology — a comment that also tracks the arc of Fossil’s new product announcements and releases of late, which include a growing line of feature-rich smartwatches for health-conscious users.
On Wednesday, the company rolled out its latest addition to its hybrid smartwatch line. It’s a new watch called the Hybrid HR that promises more than two weeks of battery life, an always-on display, and integrated heart rate tracking, with retail availability starting today.
The Hybrid HR will sell at a starting price point of $195 and is available for purchase today via www.fossil.com, as well as in select Fossil retail stores globally.
The highlights
The watch’s power-efficient display supports the ability to show glanceable updates throughout the day, while integrated mechanical hands offer the look and feel of a classic, traditional watch. This one, though, also provides previews of calls and texts, workout tracking, and real-time weather updates. The watch can also be paired via Bluetooth to the Fossil Smartwatches app that lets users take a deeper look at activity and sleep metrics, in addition to setting on-watch features and tracking fitness goals, customizing the watch face dial and much more.
Information that can be shown on the display includes wellness metrics like steps, calories, and active minutes. The watch can also be used to track sleep, workouts, and measure progress over time.
“We know our customers desire both form and function,” Evans said this week. “They have loved how our hybrid smartwatches look like a watch but act like a smartwatch, (and) have requested additional ways to stay connected.”
The full list of the watch’s features, per Fossil, includes:
- Compatibility with most recent iOS/Android devices
- 2+ weeks of battery life
- Activity and sleep tracking
- Custom goal tracking
- Integrated heart rate sensor
- Workout modes
- Auto-time
- Second time zone
- Music control
- Notifications and app alerts
- Real-time weather
- Alarm
- Timer
- Stopwatch
- Ring your phone
- A front light for low-light visibility
- Water-resistant 3ATM
- Accelerometer
- Rapid charging (60 minutes to 100%)
- Bluetooth connectivity
