Picture this; you shake a man’s hand and notice he’s wearing an exquisite timepiece.
You compliment him, but to your surprise, he doesn’t say a word about your brand new smartwatch.
Is this a bad thing? Are smartwatches worth it? Or should you stick to a traditional watch and save your money?
These are the questions I’m here to answer. I’ll go over the reasons you might want to wear a smartwatch and a few as to why you may want to avoid them.
I’ll be covering:
- Are Smartwatches Stylish?
- What Are The Advantages Of A Regular Watch?
- What Are The Advantages Of A Smartwatch?
- Should You Buy A Smartwatch Over A Regular Watch?
#1 Are Smartwatches Stylish?
This is a tough one to nail down. On the one hand, yes, they can be stylish, and on the other, they can look quite bulky and unstylish.
This boils down to the specific watch itself. A few years ago, smartwatches looked more like activity trackers than watches. However, they have come a long way in terms of design.
The design shift allowed watch manufacturers to enter the smartwatch space and create smartwatches that look like traditional watches with an intelligently enhanced interface.
This gives you the best of both worlds as you get the style and appearance of a traditional watch with the added tech of a smartwatch. So yes, these types of smartwatches can be very stylish.
The most significant key factor is to determine if a smartwatch will benefit you or not. If you are constantly on the go and receiving emails and calendar notifications, a smartwatch can be a huge help.
But if you need a watch to complement your outfit and tell the time, you don’t need anything more than a regular watch. It is very specific to the person.
#2 What Are The Advantages Of A Regular Watch?
Regular, traditional watches have a host of benefits over smartwatches. The most significant advantage is that they look like a watch. Hear me out.
A traditional timepiece is one of the most recognizable accessories in a man’s wardrobe. Everyone knows what it is, and it can help complement your outfit accordingly.
When you enter the space of luxury timepieces, you also have the added advantage of carrying a status. And this doesn’t only apply to watches from Rolex; it can be as simple as a trusted name like Timex.
Watch enthusiasts know these brands inside and out, and by wearing a trusted timepiece, you can gain style points for having a watch worth buying.
Regular watches are also simple in design. There is something pure about wearing a mechanical watch that seems so primitive compared to today’s smartwatches, yet it gives you a feeling of enjoyment with a timeless piece of hardware.
This is not to say you cannot have both types of watches – I highly encourage trying both. This just means that regular watches are more recognizable, more traditional, and will never go out of style.
Pros And Cons Of Regular Watches
With all of the advantages that come with regular watches, they have their own set of pros and cons.
Pros of regular watches:
- More recognizable as a watch
- Can last decades and break less easily
- Don’t have to charge batteries daily
- Never have to worry about updating software
Cons of regular watches:
- They mostly only tell the time and date
- Lack the capability of smartwatches
#3 What Are The Advantages Of A Smartwatch?
Since the introduction of the smartwatch, manufacturers have worked hard to perfect the design and make them easier on the eyes.
Smartwatches are designed for one thing – access. This applies to telling the time and date as well as giving you access to emails, text messages, and activity tracking.
These all-in-one powerhouses can do it all. They excel past regular watches by acting as a hub for your smartphone and other tech devices.
You can answer phone calls, listen to music wirelessly, and know precisely how well that new workout routine is going – all from your wrist.
This makes them highly worth it if you want a wristwatch that can do everything.
Smartwatches also excel in the health field as they can be life-saving devices. Most smartwatches now can monitor your heart rate and even more body diagnostics that can be useful in preventing certain health-related events.
There are even smartwatches for the blind and visually impaired that can help by aiding in time telling and other features.
Pros And Cons Of Smartwatches
Even with all of the capabilities of smartwatches, they also have their own pros and cons.
Pros of smartwatches:
- Have more capabilities than regular watches
- Can receive calls, texts, emails, and more
- Built-in activity tracker
- Can swap straps like regular watches
Cons of smartwatches:
- They can appear more ‘childish’
- Streamline design can look less like an actual watch
- Constantly getting and looking at notifications can come off as rude
- Even the nicest looking ones are not considered ‘dressy’ enough for black tie
#4 Should You Buy A Smartwatch Over A Regular Watch?
So even though, technologically speaking, a smartwatch has more capabilities than a regular watch, does that mean you should buy one?
It depends. The reason it depends is that even with all of the capabilities that smartwatches have, they are by no means necessary. You can tell the time and date just fine with a regular watch.
A smartwatch offers that next-level experience of having access to your smartphone and other devices all while sitting neatly on your wrist.
To find out if a smartwatch is right for you, think of your day-to-day routine and how it could help you. If it would streamline your communication and make it easier, as well as track your activity, then it is worth it.
But if you only need to tell the date and time and are attracted to classic and timeless design, a regular watch is all you need.
There you have it, gents.
You can finally determine if a smartwatch is right for you and if they’re worth it.
If you enjoyed this comparison of watches, check out the reasons why you should be wearing a watch in the first place.