The Best Hybrid Smartwatches Are Connected and Classic at Once
Two forces now vie for the precious real estate of your wrist: one modern, the other timeless. Both analog and “smart” watches are compelling choices, but short of wearing one on each wrist, there’s no way to have both. Or there wasn’t, until a few tech-loving watchmakers came up with a happy compromise: the hybrid smartwatch, offering modern connectivity and classic looks in one package.
Citizen Eco-Drive Proximity
A solar-powered quartz movement allows this watch to run indefinitely on ambient light, and its steel case and mineral crystal make it ideal for daily wear. But that’s only part of the appeal. An understated face shows you everything you need at a glance, including a perpetual calendar and chronograph, and thanks to a smartphone app, the hands can alert you to incoming calls, emails, DMs, and calendar events. Most useful of all, perhaps, is its Smartphone Search function, which helps you locate your misplaced phone.
$750, citizenwatch.com
Breitling Exospace B55 Yachting
This watch is fully capable of alerting you when you’ve got a new email or text message, but its true purpose is far more specialized. Designed to do for sailors what other Breitlings do for pilots, this watch is equipped with an ultra-accurate SuperQuartz movement, a chronograph accurate to 1/100th of a second, and a regatta timer, plus many more programmable functions via the Breitling smartphone app. It’s also waterproof to 100 metres, in case you drop it off the dock.
$8,895, breitling.com
Frédérique Constant Hybrid Manufacture
The soul of this watch is its refined automatic self-winding movement with a 42-hour power reserve. It displays the time via polished hands on a guilloché-textured dial. On its own, that would make this a desirable timepiece, but the brains come in the form of a chip, which (via smartphone app) tracks your movement and sleep cycles, as well as sends you custom alerts and alarms. It also automatically monitors the accuracy of the mechanical movement, alerting you if it’s in need of service.
$4,095, frederiqueconstant.com
