Withings Unveils Two Health-Related Smartwatches

Connected-health specialist Withings has hopped on the smartwatch bandwagon, announcing the availability of Activité and Activité Pop.

The smartwatches were presented this week at watch and jewelry trade show, BaselWorld, Switzerland. Marketed as ‘game changers’ in the consumer electronics space and giving a new face to activity tracking, the range of watches is said to be disrupting the traditional watchmaking know-how with a unique mechanism: the Connected Movement. Activité and Activité Pop are already available for purchase in some key consumer electronics stores, as well as in some premium watch distributors.

Withings has been specialising in health-related consumer electronics since 2008. The company is now following the tradition of fine watch making with Activité and Activité Pop, two analogue watches and activity trackers that have been developed with a unique mechanism. The Connected Movement has been created by Withings with a simple idea – being able to control both time and activity tracking in one assembly, connected to a Smartphone via Bluetooth Low Energy. While most analogue smartwatch companies are adding an activity tracker to a movement available off-the-shelf, Activité and Activité Pop are running with just one system, controlling both hands and electronics (activity tracking sensors, Bluetooth connectivity). The result is said to be the first watch, the hands of which are entirely controlled by a Smartphone application via Bluetooth Low Energy.

Ergonomics and energy consumption both benefit because only one battery is needed instead of two. Activité and Activité Pop are designed to be energy-efficient, with eight months battery life. The Connected Movement means that there is no need for a watch crown. When users look at the hands of their watch they will automatically be displaying the right time, and when they move from one time zone to another, it will always be the right time wherever they are – no action required.

Activité and Activité Pop integrate sophisticated sensors that allow their users to track their daily activity including walking, running, and swimming, as well as monitoring their sleep. It also wakes the user up with a small vibration. While the main hands display the time, the sub dial shows the percentage progress of activity goals. Objectives are set from the Health Mate application, acting like a daily coach, which includes an interactive leaderboard, personal data insights, smart reminders and achievement badges.

Julien De Preaumont, Withings CMO, said: “We are delighted to be at Baselworld this year, showcasing both the Withings Activité and Activité Pop. We are literally bringing the Withings Activité home, as it is a Swiss Made watch, whose dials have been manufactured locally in The Locle. The two products come as game-changers in the activity tracking field but also in the watch industry. The Connected Movement that powers both models controls time, activity tracking and Bluetooth connectivity with one single battery cell. It is the first healthful complication to ever exist!”

Withings Activité is a high-end Swiss Made watch, the dials of which have been manufactured in The Locle. The watchcase is made of stainless steel 316L, with a crystal made from unbreakable sapphire glass. It comes with a fine leather strap from the ancestral « Tanneries Haas », one of France’s most successful tanneries used by many prestigious French design houses.

The Activité Pop is lightweight with a PVD-coated watchcase and smooth silicon strap. In order to match and express any personal style, the watches comes in three distinctive pop chic colors – azure, shark grey and Sand).

Activité is available to buy from Withings.com for £319.99 or in store at Harrods or Selfridges. Activité Pop is available to buy from Withings.com for £119.95 or in store at PC World/Curry’s and Harrods.

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