Which high end smart watch?

[ChocolateFrog]

Feel like taking the leap. I tend to buy infrequently and keep for a long time so if I get a watch I'm expecting it to last atleast 5 years hopefully longer.

I'm after something I'll wear most days.
Basic smart functions, Google pay, WhatsApp messages etc.
Health tracking.
Ski, hiking and biking tracking.

I value long battery life anything more than charging once a week I think would get on my nerves. I'm used to a cheap watch that will last 3 or 4 years without replacing the batteries.

I'm leaning towards the Garmin Enduro 3. The only features it looses to the likes of the Fenix 8 are stuff I wouldn't use and the battery life seems phenomenal. Popped in Curry's and they had a Fenix 7 on display, it did seem very plasticky for the money.

Is there anything else I should consider? Will I regret not getting something with an AMOLED screen?

I'm an Android user so wouldn't consider Apple.

[Elroy Blue]

I bought a second hand Garmin Marq adventurer on ebay for £250.
It was like new and has great features and a phenomenal battery life. Has a much more up market look than the regular Garmins. Mines the original version without the amoled. I came from a Samsung galaxy watch and thought I'd miss the vivid screen, but haven't done in the slightest.
Different types of Marq watch available.
Definitely worth a look.

[x5tuu]

Suunto watches seem to have very positive followings.

[Brother D]

If you are not Apple the latest Samsung 7 Ultra is pretty good. I think 5 years for a smart watch is asking a lot... I like the samsung as upgrading to the latest watch they often give hefty discounts (I think I maybe paid $200? to upgrade this watch). I just wish they would release the blood pressure monitoring function in the US...

[ChocolateFrog]

Am I right in thinking the ECG function doesn't work outside the US?

[SP_]

What phone (specifically) do you use?

[ChocolateFrog]

Elroy Blue said:

I bought a second hand Garmin Marq adventurer on ebay for £250.
It was like new and has great features and a phenomenal battery life. Has a much more up market look than the regular Garmins. Mines the original version without the amoled. I came from a Samsung galaxy watch and thought I'd miss the vivid screen, but haven't done in the slightest.
Different types of Marq watch available.
Definitely worth a look.

That seems a great price.

The new price is somewhat eye-watering.

[ChocolateFrog]

SP_ said:

What phone (specifically) do you use?

S20 at the moment.

[Elroy Blue]

ChocolateFrog said:

That seems a great price.

The new price is somewhat eye-watering.

They're usually around £350-400 on ebay but I just dropped Lucky.
You can get fully refurbished ones for £500ish.
I can't speak highly enough of the Marq series. Feels a really solid, high quality watch. Definitely not plasticky

[Griffith4ever]

Just bear in mind, OP, when you say you can't be doing with charging more than once a week....... Most people (maybe not you?) take their watch off every single night when they go to bed, so its literally a case of placing the watch on its wireless charging stand, instead of laying it flat on the same table.

To say the change is insignificant, is really downplaying how little a change it is in your daily routine :-) Pretty much the same as chucking a toothbrush in a pot, or standing your electric toothbrush on its charging base.

So I'd not rule out regular smartwatches. (which typically run charge free for about 2 days)

[MustangGT]

Griffith4ever said:

Just bear in mind, OP, when you say you can't be doing with charging more than once a week....... Most people (maybe not you?) take their watch off every single night when they go to bed, so its literally a case of placing the watch on its wireless charging stand, instead of laying it flat on the same table.

To say the change is insignificant, is really downplaying how little a change it is in your daily routine :-) Pretty much the same as chucking a toothbrush in a pot, or standing your electric toothbrush on its charging base.

So I'd not rule out regular smartwatches. (which typically run charge free for about 2 days)

I would not say most people. My wife does not, her Garmin monitors quality of sleep etc.

[RizzoTheRat]

If you go Garmin, check if your bank supports Gamin pay. Santander does but I'm not sure which other UK banks. In general it's not as well supported as Google pay. I thought it was a gimmick I'd never use when I bought a watch for tracking runs and playing music, but I use Garmin pay quite a bit now.

Griffith4ever said:

So I'd not rule out regular smartwatches. (which typically run charge free for about 2 days)

If he's planning to use it to track activities, the battery life while doing stuff is way more important than the watch only life. My Fenix 5s is the smallest battery model of the range, and does about 5 days of just smart watch use, or about 5 hours of GPS tracking and music. My wife's 635 lasts well over a week including recording multiple hours of cycling and running.

[Funk]

If looking at Garmin, be aware that Garmin Pay only works with a few cards in the UK (you can't have Google Pay on a Garmin watch unfortunately).

Cornèrcard: VISA
Curve: MASTERCARD
Danske Bank: MASTERCARD
FinecoBank: VISA
Genome: VISA
Monzo (Debit only): MASTERCARD
Prepaid Financial Services: MASTERCARD
Revolut: MASTERCARD
Revolut: VISA
Santander: MASTERCARD
Santander: VISA
Starling Bank: MASTERCARD
Wirecard Card Solutions Limited: MASTERCARD
Wise: MASTERCARD
Wise: VISA

Annoyingly none of them are ones I use - and I'm not sure I want the faff of opening a new account just to be able to use Garmin Pay.

Edit: I see that's already been mentioned by Rizzo.

MustangGT said:

I would not say most people. My wife does not, her Garmin monitors quality of sleep etc.

I have a Fenix 6X Pro Solar and wear it nearly 24/7 including for tracking sleep etc as mentioned. I put it on charge when I jump in the shower and it's usually back to 100% by the time I'm dressed. I do give it a wash daily though before putting it back on as sweat and stuff can start to build up otherwise.

Edited by Funk on Tuesday 24th September 16:19

[Uncle Meat]

ChocolateFrog said:

Am I right in thinking the ECG function doesn't work outside the US?

It works fine for me in the UK on my 7 Ultra (wasn't sure what watch you were referring to).

[SP_]

Funk said:

If looking at Garmin, be aware that Garmin Pay only works with a few cards in the UK (you can't have Google Pay on a Garmin watch unfortunately).

Cornèrcard: VISA
Curve: MASTERCARD
Danske Bank: MASTERCARD
FinecoBank: VISA
Genome: VISA
Monzo (Debit only): MASTERCARD
Prepaid Financial Services: MASTERCARD
Revolut: MASTERCARD
Revolut: VISA
Santander: MASTERCARD
Santander: VISA
Starling Bank: MASTERCARD
Wirecard Card Solutions Limited: MASTERCARD
Wise: MASTERCARD
Wise: VISA

Annoyingly none of them are ones I use - and I'm not sure I want the faff of opening a new account just to be able to use Garmin Pay.

Edit: I see that's already been mentioned by Rizzo.

MustangGT said:

I would not say most people. My wife does not, her Garmin monitors quality of sleep etc.

I have a Fenix 6X Pro Solar and wear it nearly 24/7 including for tracking sleep etc as mentioned. I put it on charge when I jump in the shower and it's usually back to 100% by the time I'm dressed. I do give it a wash daily though before putting it back on as sweat and stuff can start to build up otherwise.

Edited by Funk on Tuesday 24th September 16:19

Link your cards to Curve and use that. Free

[ChocolateFrog]

Griffith4ever said:

Just bear in mind, OP, when you say you can't be doing with charging more than once a week....... Most people (maybe not you?) take their watch off every single night when they go to bed, so its literally a case of placing the watch on its wireless charging stand, instead of laying it flat on the same table.

To say the change is insignificant, is really downplaying how little a change it is in your daily routine :-) Pretty much the same as chucking a toothbrush in a pot, or standing your electric toothbrush on its charging base.

So I'd not rule out regular smartwatches. (which typically run charge free for about 2 days)

I wondered about that but isn't one of the things people with them is track sleep?

[ChocolateFrog]

RizzoTheRat said:

If he's planning to use it to track activities, the battery life while doing stuff is way more important than the watch only life. My Fenix 5s is the smallest battery model of the range, and does about 5 days of just smart watch use, or about 5 hours of GPS tracking and music. My wife's 635 lasts well over a week including recording multiple hours of cycling and running.

Very good point.

It seems they do not (Nationwide).

That would be a showstopper for me.

[RizzoTheRat]

Funk said:

Edit: I see that's already been mentioned by Rizzo.

You gave a much more compressive list though


One thing I forgot to mention, if you regularly use different cards, it's a lot more convenient than using Android pay. I regularly switch between Santander (£) and ABN AMRO (€) which on the watch is just an extra button press before paying the first time, and then it remembers the last one you used and shows on the screen which card it is before you pay. On android I have to go in the wallet settings and change the default card, which I invariably forget to change back again when I go home.

[grumbledoak]

For me the novelty wore off and I seldom bother, but you can effectively use any UK card with Garmin Pay using Curve. Add the Curve card to the watch, and your own card to Curve.

[cookie1600]

I have a TAG Heuer Connected and it does everything you have asked for and it gives a regularly updated choice of watch faces (based on classic and alternative TAG normal designs) through the app on the associated phone - a Samsung flip in my case..

I must admit I had a cheap smart watch before and didn't think that spending on a 'smart' TAG could be justified. But now I've owned it for 18 months, I am very pleased with durability, functionality and keeping a charge.