If you’re like me and you’ve made the switch to a smartwatch during the last few years, there’s a good chance you still miss your collection of Swatch watches. Yes, smartwatches are cutting edge – they can tell you more about your wellness than you can process, and yet there is a robotic similarity. Accessories (read straps) can shake things up a bit but it’s still not as funky as a Swatch from the 2000s. That’s one reason we’ve had our eyes on the Garmin Vivomove Sport since it first showed up at CES 2022. It’s a Garmin and yet it’s not the Garmin that we’re used to. And that’s not a bad thing.
The fashion watch has competition
The Vivomove Sport is a happy meeting place between a smartwatch and a fashion watch. At first glance, it can pass off for a lifestyle watch but shake that wrist or tap the display and the cleverly placed OLED display at the bottom half of the watch. This is a hybrid smartwatch at its very best. It features real ticking hands that move to reveal a hidden touchscreen display. The hands automatically move to a ‘9:15’ position each time you tap the display for an unobstructed view of the functional display. You can swipe for multiple stats and you can also customise the display with multiple watch faces. You can swap the straps (all you need is a standard 20mm leather or silicon release strap) for a personalised style statement. Garmin sent us the Black colour option, we’re partial to the Cocoa and Cool Mint colour variants that
are even more likely to remind you of a Swatch.
The whole Garmin package
Pairing is a breeze with the Garmin Connect companion App. I paired the watch with an iPhone, you get the extra functionality of text responses and rejecting calls with a text message if you’re an Android user. There’s no music storage or speaker on the phone that allows you to use the phone for calls. It’s the Garmin wellness features that sweeten the deal. The Garmin App can be overwhelming for first-time users with its array of wellness tracking options. Aside from standard options like step and calorie tracking, Pulse Ox, we’re fans of Garmin’s Body Battery energy monitoring that shows the body’s current energy level that allows you to plan your workouts better and also tells you when it’s time to slow down. There’s also a stress tracker that is quite handy and breaks down your day into varying stress levels.
The perfect hybrid
Trackers and smartwatches may have become ubiquitous but many users have chosen to play wait and watch on the smartwatch front. The Vivomove Sport is a great option for those users. Hybrid watches have been a thing for a while with brands like Withings and even Swiss manufacturers like Fredrique Constant in the mix. Garmin’s Vivomove Sport is one of the best hybrid smartwatches we’ve checked out. It comes with a raft of Garmin wellness features when you need it and is an elegant fashion statement when you don’t.
The Garmin Vivomove Sport costs Rs 18,990 and comes in Black, Ivory, Cocoa and Cool
Mint.
