Withings adds to line of hybrid smartwatches
Withings has added the ScanWatch Horizon to its line of hybrid smartwatches. It is inspired by the luxury diver watch tradition to deliver medical grade technology that can monitor heart rate, ECG, breathing disturbances, blood oxygen levels, sleep, and physical activity.
ScanWatch Horizon is reminiscent of the Withings Activité - the device that launched the genre in 2014, arriving ahead of the first Apple Watch. Then as now, Withings has opted for a unique analogue face design but with the addition of features expected of a high-end diving timepiece. These include a stainless-steel rotating bezel with laser engraved markings that incorporates the standard codes of diving practice and Luminova hollow watch hands, indicators, and thick indices that allow it to be used in low light.
It comes with stainless steel wristband for the classic Diver watch look and a more elasticated rubberised wristband for sports usage. In addition, it boasts a 30-day battery life and a 10 ATM water resistance, which makes it the perfect accessory for swimming, snorkelling, and water sports, which can be monitored using its sport tech features and the connected Health Mate app.
Mathieu Letombe, CEO of Withings, said: “ScanWatch Horizon will get your heart racing and take your breath away with its stunning design yet can detect the disturbances and physiological effects with its medical-grade sensors. Our core mission is to create beautiful devices people choose to use and wear every day so the clinical data they provide can make meaningful impacts on their lives. Diver watches were created in the 1920s to give navy personnel an underwater timepiece for accuracy during manoeuvres. In the 1950’s SCUBA divers and enthusiasts made them fashionable for any occasion. Now enthused with advanced medical capabilities, Withings aims to bring connected health timepieces to even more users.”
Like the original and Rose Gold ScanWatch models, ScanWatch Horizon was developed with medical experts and validated in three clinical trials. It offers extensive and advanced health and fitness capabilities.
AFib is the main form of irregular heart rhythm that is often underdiagnosed as it can be intermittent and easily missed if symptoms do not occur during infrequent doctors’ visits. ScanWatch can detect if a user has AFib thanks to its ability to take a medical-grade ECG on-demand. ScanWatch also enables users to identify if their heart rhythm is slow, high, or shows signs of AFib through a proactive heart scanning feature. The device can monitor heart rate through its embedded PPG sensor, alerting the user to a potential heart event even if they don’t feel palpitations. ScanWatch then prompts the user to record an ECG in just 30 seconds via the watch display.
One billion people are estimated to suffer from mild to severe sleep apnoea. However, eight out of ten people don’t know they have it. ScanWatch can detect the presence of night-time breathing disturbances (a sign of sleep apnoea) with an algorithm that analyses blood oxygen levels, heart rate, movement, and breathing frequency, collected through ScanWatch’s accelerometer and optical sensors.