You come across moments in life where you have to dress up for a client meeting, a dinner party, or a simple date, and that’s when you realise your usual smartwatch just feels out of place. The sport bands, bright screens, and chunky frames tend to clash with anything remotely formal. That’s exactly where the Withings ScanWatch Nova finds its edge.

At first glance, it looks like a classic analogue watch built with premium materials. But beneath the polished exterior is a full suite of health features that include ECG, SpO2 monitoring, sleep tracking, and more. It’s a hybrid smartwatch that combines the best of both worlds, without skipping the essentials.

After over four weeks of wearing it daily, here’s how the Withings ScanWatch Nova fits into a world of wearables, dominated by gadgets with a screen. Spoiler alert, we loved it!

Build and Design

The ScanWatch Nova effortlessly attracts the analogue watch crowd. Its 42mm stainless steel case fits comfortably on the wrist, and the curved sapphire glass adds a premium touch, something you don’t get on a smartwatch. The rotating dial has a chamfered finish, which gives a royal feel, similar to that of a Rolex. It also feels a bit weighted on the wrist compared to a smartwatch, but in hindsight, it’s more like jewellery.

The small grayscale OLED display on the top is tiny yet functional. It shows the health metrics, notifications, and time-based data. You need to use the rotating dial to navigate between menus, and the experience is super smooth. The screen is not obtrusive, and the main focus always remains on the time hands and the dial when someone looks at it.

The back of the watch hosts four fitness and activity tracking sensors, surrounded by the steel casing. The overall design language of ScanWatch Nova is such that it feels like something straight out of Switzerland.

Health Tracking

Withings is known for a clinical approach towards health tracking, and the legacy is carried forward by the ScanWatch Nova. Instead of packing in 1000 sports modes which one may never use, the watch gets the basics right with perfection.

Starting with the most unique feature is the electrocardiogram, better known as an ECG. It is FDA approved, which highlights its reliability and accuracy. To start your ECG recording, you need to cover the screen with your other hand for approximately 30 seconds, after which the watch will vibrate and send a notification on the companion app on your smartphone to check the readings. This is extremely helpful to detect irregular heartbeats, AFib, or other signs of cardiovascular problems.

For monitoring SpO2 or blood oxygen levels, you again need to cover the screen with your hand. This is a minor drawback as you cannot have 24/7 tracking. However, when we compared the results of the watch with an actual oximeter, we found the results to be 99% accurate. The precision was much better compared to standard fitness bands, which are used by the majority of people.

The watch supports continuous tracking of heart rate and body temperature in the background. You can view these metrics in the HealthMate app. We compared the data from the watch to the Apple Watch Ultra, and the numbers were nearly the same. Firstly, this was not surprising considering the reputation of Withings. But for someone who loves classic watches but needs accurate metrics for health tracking, the ScanWatch Nova is exactly what one can ask for.

The sleep tracking feature kicks in automatically when you fall asleep. It tracks your cycles and measures the duration of light, deep, and REM sleep. The app also shows a sleep quality score based on the recorded data. Other basic features include step tracking, walking detection, workout monitoring, average heart rate metrics, and other small details.

The watch does not have GPS, but it can use your phone’s location to map your running and walking activities. However, this requires your watch to remain paired with your smartphone. If you are someone who does not carry your mobile to your morning runs, then you can’t trace your route on a map. But again, this is not a watch that you will wear to the gym or the ground. It fits more for office and professional usage to combine with formal outfits, while retaining the fitness features.

This data can only be accessed from the smartphone app, and you can’t view it directly on the watch. This can be annoying for some, while others may like it. On one hand, this setup keeps things simple and classic, avoiding the unnecessary screen interaction on an analogue watch. The flipside is that it adds friction to check everything on your phone, compared to taking a quick glance at your wrist.

To sum it up, the accuracy of the data recorded by the ScanWatch Nova is impressive and on par with other high-end smartwatches and fitness bands. It is perfect for someone looking to have precise metrics over the health, while not having to use a watch with a flashy touchscreen.

HealthMate Companion App

The HealthMate app is available on both iOS and Android platforms. It has a beautiful and easy-to-navigate interface, where all the tracking data is displayed on a dashboard. It shows you your step count, average heart rate, SpO2 tracking, average walking distance, sleep data, and more.

You get a chart view of each metric. The app offers many options to compare your daily numbers to prior records. The watch can also sync with Apple Health, Google Health Connect, and Google Fit apps, if that’s something you prefer.

Withings also offers a paid subscription where it analyses your data and provides personalized fitness training advice. These include special workouts based on your movements, AI-powered insights, and even options to speak with a certified doctor. The paid plans start at $9.95 per month. These are not mandatory, and you can continue to access the recorded data for free.

Battery Life

The battery on the ScanWatch Nova lasted for 20 days on a single charge. Since the watch does not have a large screen, the numbers are not surprising. It supports proprietary magnetic charging.

If you drain the battery of the watch, then the analogue time will also stop functioning. But don’t worry, as this is a far extreme step. When the watch is low on power, it goes into reserve mode that disables all smart features, keeping only time functions active. But if you push it to zero, the watch turns into a bracelet.

Considering that many fitness bands, Amazfit, and Garmin watches offer up to 30 days of battery life, that too with a screen, the ScanWatch Nova is somewhat disappointing. Having to charge it every two weeks is still better than charging it daily, but it could have been better.

Withings ScanWatch Nova: Verdict

The Withings ScanWatch Nova is a unique product. At Rs 49,999 in India and $549 in the United States, it does not compete with the high-end smartwatches such as the Apple Watch Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, or the Garmin Forerunner Series. What it does is to bring the precise fitness tracking abilities of these watches, in a classic analogue design.

You can’t reply to notifications, use voice commands, or use the watch as an extension of your smartphone. That’s not what it is designed for. The ScanWatch Nova is made for people whose lifestyle or personal preferences do not fit a smartwatch with a screen. The quality of fitness tracking metrics, ECG, continuous heart rate monitoring, and recording your daily walks, make the watch an excellent fitness companion. It’s a hybrid watch that serves its purpose very well, and is worth every penny.

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