The 15 Best Smartwatches to Track, Tally, and Even Tell Time

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Today in two things being true at once: You can love and appreciate mechanical watches and recognize how useful a smartwatch is. Contrary to what the hair-on-fire types say about the Apple Watch and successors or imitators, this isn't a "one side or the other" situation. Hell, even some of the best Swiss watchmakers in the game—Tag Heuer, Hublot, and Montblanc—make exceptional smartwatches to complement their mechanical marvels. If you've been yearning for a Rolex but suddenly find yourself eyeing a Garmin, too, were down with that. Don't feel guilty. Live your truth, man.

But let's face it, figuring out which smartwatch you want is just as difficult as tracking down the mechanical number you want. These things are more infinitely powerful than the computers that put a man on the moon. The best of them will track vitals, hold a charge for days while you check your texts, make a few calls, or tap to pay for that oa tmilk cortado. Some will help you train for a marathon or connect with friends to stay accountable to fitness goals. Others offer classic style with analog-esque faces that don't look a thing like the gen-one fitness trackers of yesteryear.

At this point, there's a perfect smartwatch for everyone but the truest of Luddites. So go ahead and dive in. Here are 15 of our favorites.

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Apple Watch Series 8

The grandaddy. The OG. This is its eighth iteration, which is fitted with a feature that measures your blood oxygen. For many folks the Apple Watch is still the standard against which all other smartwatches are measured. The GPS model can't make calls or receive texts on its own, but let's be real: When's the last time you went anywhere without your iPhone, anyway?

Venu Smart Watch

If taking to the trail sounds nice but you're interested in a whole suite of fitness activities, the Venu might be your best bet from Garmin. The 43mm smartwatch will still track your heart rate, location, steps, etc., but perhaps the coolest thing about it is the fact that it comes loaded with more than 20 apps that'll show you animated versions of workouts ranging from strength training and cardio to Pilates right on the watch face.

Galaxy Watch6 Classic

We like it.

Fenix 7 Solar

Garmin makes watches well suited to adventuring, and the Instinct is no exception. It'll track your location using GPS plus two more global navigation systems. It'll tell you how high you've climbed. It'll measure your heart rate and sync with your phone and if you're so absorbed with all the bells and whistles on your new watch that you lose your way, the trackback feature will show you the route back to your starting point.

Inspire 2 Health & Fitness Tracker

It's more of a "tracker" than a watch in vibe, but the Inspire 2 does what it does so well that it couldn't in good conscience be left off this list. It'll track your heart rate and steps and REM sleep around the clock, every day. And speaking of days: It'll last about 10 on a single charge. You can wear it in the pool, set up Fitbit Premium to push your progress along a little quicker, or just use it as an unobtrusive accessory to tell you the time.

Versa 4 Smartwatch

The Versa 3 works with both Alexa and Google Assitant, so if you're already onboard with the idea of a virtual helper, you don't have to give it up (well, unless it's Siri). But for fitness fans, the biggest thing to recommend this smartwatch is probably the Active Zone Minutes function, which measures your current heart rate against your resting heart rate to gauge your exertion level while you're excercising.

Machine Gen 6 Hybrid Smartwatch

Another analog-looking watch that hides a lot under the hood, Fossil's Machine Gen 6 works with the Fossil app to provide you with notifications for everything from emails to social media posts. It'll give you a heads up when you've reached your step count for the day, let you control your music, and has all that other good stuff—heart rate monitor, customizable buttons, and more—too.

Galaxy Watch6

Lightweight and Goldilocks-sized at 40mm, Samsung's Galaxy Watch6 is made to wear everywhere. In addition to the standard suite of features like GPS tracking, a step counter, and all the rest, this one also alerts you if your heart rate spikes or dips throughout the day. You can also monitor your stress level.

Carlyle Gen 5 Smart Watch

Fossil makes a whole range of watches that split the difference, aesthetically, between smartwatches and watch watches. The Carlyle, shown here on a metal bracelet, is a particularly enticing execution. The not-too-sporty vibe belies all the fitness-tracking functionality built in, from the standard heart rate monitor and activity tracking to a "swimproof" design meant to be taken in the pool. Plus, you can charge it up in less than an hour.

Skagen Falster 3 Mesh Silicone Strap Smart Watch

At this point, you've got to be tired of hearing about the standard features, so I'll just assure you this has 'em. You can monitor heart rate, track your steps, control your music, use voice-activated controls, and all that good stuff. But what really sets this watch apart from the pack is the look of it. Modern and just a little off-kilter, it's perfect for folks who want a break from the general smartwatch look and feel.

9 Pro

If you plan on running sometime soon, you're going to want to have a Suunto—particularly the 9 Pro Sport smartwatch. Along with GPS navigation, sensors that track your heart rate, and the ability to download and listen to music, this super durable timepiece also allows you to make payments. This means you can leave your phone and wallet at home. All you need for going the distance is the watch on your wrists and a durable pair of running shoes.

Summit Lite Aluminum Smartwatch

We're now entering the realm of genuinely high-end smartwatches. Here, it's less about what they can do technologically—Montblanc's Summit Lite, like many others on this list, is powered by Google's Wear OS and uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 processor—and more about what makes high-end watchmakers so beloved in the first place. The fit and finishing of the case are unrivaled, the look is undeniably on-point, and it's the kind of watch you'd be proud to wear for years to come.

T-Touch Connect Solar

Tissot's T-Touch is a honker of a watch at 47.5mm. That kind of size, while still beloved by some, is not generally the sort of thing we'd recommend for regular watches. But for a smartwatch, it means that much more real estate to read notifications and engage with the touch screen. Think of it like an iPhone Max (though, it's worth noting that the interface can sync with both iOS and Android devices).

Connected Calibre E4 - 45mm Smart Watch

Perhaps the greatest trick Tag Heuer pulls off with this connected watch is the face. That gorgeous skeletonized movement you're looking at? Fully digital. You can also switch it out for all sorts of other displays, each as impressively executed as this one. Being a Tag Heuer, the fit and finish are top-notch. And, of course, it does all the basic stuff, too, like tracking your heart rate and activity throughout the day and night.

MARQ Aviator Watch

Bold and attention-grabbing, Garmin's MARQ Aviator has all the classic functions of a smartwatch in a sleek, modern style that looks like the next evolution of the classic, purpose-built tool watch. (To be fair, that's pretty much what it is.) Along with a long battery life, the watch has a GPS display, sunrise/sunset times, an alarm clock, a timer, and health monitoring functions.

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