Are smart watches worth it?

Digital watch for 40-50k is absolutely bananas to me. Like you could buy a really decent Tissot/Seiko/citizen that will literally last you 40-50 years and look way better.

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Looks are not everything.
Digital Watches are doing much more than just simply taking calls and counting steps. Health information are very vital too. It is saving life too.

Recently a friend had been using apple watch ultra and he had joined me for short hike with me. Now he was not feeling well and we took a rest and even during rest his heart beat was showing over 120.
The apple watches started warning him about this.

We immediately stopped and let it go for the rest of the day instead of moving ahead. This was very important information and things could have been serious had we gone ahead.

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@@solo_wing how much does your friend weigh? My mom is a doctor, and I am over weight, 110-120 on just walking up 2 floors of stairs is pretty normal for me according to her (people who are overweight likely have higher heart rates). I mean still I wouldn’t say he definitely 100% didn’t have issues, check with a doctor by all means! But 120 is pretty normal. My heart reaches 110-120 sometimes during sleep, and I find it happens when I sweat. Still normal per all the doctors.

I and my cousin (who is very much in shape, younger than me and an athlete) regularly go 160+ on treadmill for 10-15 mins every other day.

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close to 110kg.
He was not doing anything. Just sitting after the hike and resting for several mins. It was not even a difficult hike and we were already doing it very slowly yet The watch warned him that this heartbeat is not normal as he has been in resting position .

He looked extremely tired and I gave him some dehydration drink and we decided to just stop and chill for the rest of the day.

he is already under doctor care for medical issues.

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110-115 is safe, I suppose. I used to weigh 110 kg last year, and my heart rate was around 120-130 while doing mild physical activities.

I lost 41 Kg (I’m 69 now), and my heart rate is around 110 after walking or climbing stairs.

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Why would I pay 40k-50k for a watch that can do nothing more than show me time that my phone, my car, my bike, my scooter will show?

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Same reason people pay to get a nice suit made when any clothes will offer them the same warmth. Or get jewellery made when a coin of gold in your safe has the same monetary value. Or go eat at a fancy restaurant when food at home will fill them up too.

Same reason why a mini mobile phone on your wrist looks ugly and cheap as hell but a nice watch looks classy.

Because its not always about brute practicality. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Need I remind folks that -

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Don’t have to pay that much. I wear a Casio G-force or digital watch and have no need for a smartwatch which is what your thread title should have read

I really like how I only need to change the battery every four or so years instead of recharging the damn thing every other day. Already do this with the phone, TWS, laptop, BT speaker and power bank. NO MORE

It’s also built like a tank so plenty durable. Took a long time to find the right mix of features but I got it in the end.

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eh, depends on the person I guess, for me all android watches are pretty bad looks wise, Apple watches look way better though its a pity they dont work with Android. In the end, most of the features are gimmicky at best unless you really need calling capabilities etc on your wrist, and like the other commenter said, battery life is pretty much shit on these

need to document this, coz damn that’s a helluva lot of weight

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110 during workout or walk is okay but HR recovery is very important. As per age, post workout there is a metric used for cardio recovery. For me, at 40, HR should fall about 40 bpm atleast after intense cycling. Where HR goes above 150.

One can set when to notify in Health app.

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The only time Apple Watch warns me about anything is before a critical meeting with the prompt that heart rate is too high while being stationary. Guess need to find a way to control my anxiety.

Yeah. It won’t warn you during workouts unless it is too high. It warns if HR is abnormal. Also warnings are sent if HR is irregular.

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I would say it is worth it for the health and sleep metrics. I have checked various watch forums where people have given up wearing luxury watches for day-to-day use because the data proves too invaluable to them.I doubt anyone purchasing smartwatch is obsessed with the watch face alone.

Also, it is possible to dual wrist a mechanical with a smart watch, if you can pull it off.

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I used to wear a Fossil watch. Started using Apple Watch and never looked back. I take breaks while doing cycling based on state of HR and I am working to have better HR recovery and lower HB so that I can do longer rides. Had to pause cycling due to this weather and heavy winds.

Might as well create a new thread on your weight loss journey and give us some tips if possible.
Congrats on your weight loss journey. I was 86kg last year and lost 15kg within a year. Now reached a stagnation point.

I agree with that statement to some extent. 50K for smartwatch is too expensive for some folks but okay for others, depending on their financial situation.
A smartwatch that actually has great sensors and tech, is more useful than any luxury watch for any price.

I highly doubt all those 40K+ priced watches really deserve such high price, except for company profits and marketing. I wish there is a near perfect smartwatch for an average human for less than 30K price.

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Depends. I find digital watches to be one more moving part in life to track, charge, and maintain. Personally, I don’t like it.

Weight loss: I don’t see any reason why you should track your steps or any other data. If you want to lose weight, just eat fewer calories consistently, and your weight will naturally decrease.

Heart rate tracking: If you have a family history of heart-related issues, it’s advisable not to engage in strenuous activities at all. Take frequent breaks in any activity you do. There is no need to do intense training/activity unless you are an athlete. Take frequent breaks in every activity and there is no need to make a personal record of any sort. If somebody wants to build muscles, they can work out twice every week with low weights and build a decent body. Always carry an aspirin with you and take it immediately if you feel any symptoms of an attack or stroke. Make sure to teach CPR to every person whom you take along on your hiking or any other trip.

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What? Please don’t say things for the sake of saying. I had this exact same view of a smart watch. Used to wear Fossil. I did all this dieting bull shit to reduce weight. For last two years, my weight is constant, thanks to workouts and healthy food. Now, I wear watch from waking up till I finish my daily workout and walking targets. Apart from giving stats, the rings and charts push me to do better the next month.

Dieting alone is the worst way to lose weight and majority rebound the moment they get the cravings back. Also, workouts are necessary to stay healthy, especially in mid life. Proper smart watches give valuable stats that can then be used to enhance performance. VO2 is one that is one such metric. There are countless instances of Apple Watch detecting anomalies in HR and saved lives. Apple Watch also is amazing for those who go on hiking. Features like backtrack help a lot. Automatic fall detection and call, using siri to control devices and more.

Saying that smart watch is not useful because it can count steps is like saying smart phone is useless because it has color display. A dumb phone is still a dumb phone even if it is studded with diamonds and gold.

Ps: if you have never worked out in life, you may not understand all this and I do suggest you add some form of exercise into your life. Your analogue watch can’t detect your HR anomalies.

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That’s possible, but as soon as you eat more calories, you gain weight again. One cannot eat fewer calories their whole life.
Also, weight loss is different from fat loss. One needs to check what kind of ‘loss’ they are getting. You definitely don’t want muscle loss.

I am sad we only have apple watch to talk about fitness situation.

I had Amazfit GTR2e. Nothing amazing in that watch except the price. It was a glorified pedometer.