Garmin Vivomove HR: analog clock with digital touch screen

Recently, more and more popular are “hybrid” watches, combining the advantages of portable electronics and classical mechanics. That’s the famous company Garmin recently presented at the Berlin exhibition IFA own vision of hybrid smart watches. This is the first such model under the brand Garmin.

In the off state, the watch, called Vivomove HR, is indistinguishable from the usual mechanical ones, with a dial and arrows. You need to touch the glass so that the dial turns on and gives out its true nature – the OLED display.

The touch screen in this watch serves to display a variety of information, just like in a classic smart clock (however, by 2017 we already have the concept of a “classic smart clock!”) Not only service information about time, date, etc., but also the indicators of the user’s activity, and the player’s control widget on the smartphone. If you do not turn on the screen, one charge of the clock is enough for two weeks, and when you use the screen, this period is reduced to 5 days.

Video Garmin Vivomove HR:

Designers Garmin did, it seems, the impossible. While the clock is inactive (more precisely, active in the time display mode), the display seems to be just the background of the dial. The image is projected directly onto a protruding protective glass (at the sight of these hours, developers of 2.5D-screens for smartphones must sit and cry together). At the same time, the objective parameters of the display are not so impressive: it occupies only the lower part of the dial, the dimensions are 9.6 * 6.2 mm, the resolution is 64 * 128 pixels (like the cell phones of the nineties, only the color ones).

The device features resemble an advanced fitness tracker rather than a full-fledged smart watch. Gyroscope and accelerometer serve to track the activity of the owner. A permanent connection with a smartphone via Bluetooth allows you to receive notifications about calls, messages, letters or calendar events for hours. There is a built-in heart rate monitor, a function to measure blood oxygen levels, determine stress, track sleep phases and so on.

Traditionally, for Garmin watches have a good (albeit not perfect) water protection. Diving is not recommended, but you can swim. The dimensions of the case are 43 * 43 * 11.6 mm. As is customary in watch lines, the manufacturer offers four variants of design, in different colors, with different straps or bracelets, in the price range of 200-300 dollars.