Withings – which is now a part of Nokia – has always made activity tracking wearable devices that don’t look like normal smartwatches or fitness bands. Its products have always looked similar to traditional watches and nothing stays true to that tradition than its new Withings Steel HR. Withings says that this is the first analog watch that features heart rate monitoring.
The Withings Steel HR combines classic French design and a stainless steel case with advanced heart rate monitoring. Withings also says that this device has “best-in-class battery life” of ~25 days. The Steel HR automatically measures continuous heart rate during workouts as well as the average heart rate during the day. It even measures resting heart rate while sleeping.
Using the dynamic digital screen of this device, users can easily see their overall health data and also keep up with notifications from their paired smartphone. The Withings Steel HR is available is 36mm and 40mm sizes along with 18mm and 20mm straps respectively.
Steel HR has hand dials like its predecessors which show the time and a sub-dial located at the bottom of the watch face which shows the percentage of daily activity goal achieved. The goal and other settings can be configured using the Withings Health Mate app for iOS and Android.
The smartwatch has a dynamic digital screen on top of the traditional watch face which is used to display health data and notifications. A multifunctional button on the side of the watch can be used to configure which information is shown on this dynamic display.
The wearable device has a rechargeable battery which is good for 25 days after which it automatically transitions to power save mode, providing users with an additional 20 days of battery life. It will continue to track basic activity in power save mode, including swims and steps.
Withings Steel HR 36mm can be pre-ordered starting today in white and black colors exclusively on Withings’s website for $179.95. Retail availability has been confirmed for October. The Steel HR 40mm will be available later this month for $199.95.