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Supporto Messoanuovo
27 Sep, 2022

Smartwatches: what they are and how they revolutionized watchmaking

They managed to give vigor to an accessory that seemed increasingly anachronistic, we are talking about the watch and its great-grandson, the smartwatch .

Smartwatches

Always a symbol of organization, power and punctuality, the watch, both in the pocket and wrist versions, has been an obligatory accessory for years.

An uncontested dominion, rendered useless by the appearance of the first mobile phones. A display always available that shows the right time, updates itself when the time changes and can also act as an alarm clock.

A technological tool that has put the wristwatch in serious crisis.

A crisis from which it emerged by strengthening itself and hybridizing with technology.

A disruptive process, which gave birth to SmartWatches .

The SmartWatch

As can easily be understood from the analysis of its name, we are faced with a "smart watch".

This watch, whose history began 40 years ago, has undergone rapid evolution, benefiting from improvements and upgrades developed for other technologies.

The Seiko Pulsar, launched on the world market in 1982, is in fact the first SmartWatch in the world, equipped with a digital display and 24 buttons, the grandfather of modern SmartWatches immediately proved to be very interesting.

Today the Smartwatch (also available in the SmartBand version) is an intelligent device, equipped with a large display (also in color), some navigation buttons (or even touch screen) and many sensors that allow the most disparate functions.

How does a SmartWatch work?

In principle we can consider the SmartWatch as an extension of your smartphone. These two instruments are in fact connected to each other via a Bluetooth connection, which allows the bidirectional exchange of information.

In fact, the smartphone sends notifications, time synchronization and many of the information that is displayed to the watch. On the contrary, the watch sends the data detected by the sensors with which the smartwatch is equipped to the phone.

Sensors and functions of different types, which allow smartwatches to be divided into four different categories (a division that is not rigid, but with many contaminations, based on the model and manufacturer.

Types of smartphones

Sports-type smartwatch or smartband: they measure, verify and support any type of training. They are usually equipped with pedometers, GPS, calorie consumption calculation systems, compass, fitness, weather and much more.

Smartwatches dedicated to health: these watches usually include continuous heart rate monitoring, oximeter, body temperature measurement and sleep quality.

Security and tracking: this particular category of Smartwatch includes GPS, the ability to send an SOS manually or automatically and to send emergency communications in the event of preset critical levels or fall detection.

Smartwatches that act as an extension of the smartphone: they can be considered almost like a second display of the smartphone, given that they allow the viewing and management of calls, notifications, emails, text messages and reminders

Depending on the brand of the smartwatch , the model, the price and the type of customer or market for which it was designed, we could find smartphones that include all the aforementioned functions in a single device.

Some smartwatches also allow you to insert a Micro SIM, thus making the smartwatch a real twin of the phone and therefore even allowing you to leave it at home while maintaining all the mobility and connectivity features.

Functionality

There are so many features that could be part of a Smartphone, here are the main ones:

display of date and time even across different time zones. Stopwatch, countdown and alarm clock

built-in brightness sensor for intelligent management of the lighting level

GPS antenna to calculate your position with respect to the GPS satellite network (but also GLONASS and Galileo)

Pedometer functionality, with automatic sedentary lifestyle warning

distance traveled per day by walking

sports features dedicated to the most diverse sports, from movement ones such as running and cycling to more static ones such as body building or meditation

count of the time you are active

real-time and average heart rate measurement, with statistics that are combined with those of effort and hours slept

calories. Calculation of the total calories of the day and in real time, also based on effort and physical activity

sleep monitoring. Modern smartwatches can detect not only the entire duration of sleep, but also divide it into various phases. REM sleep, light and deep. Thanks to the detection of movements, the Smartwatch is able to precisely divide the various phases.

training statistics. How many days of training were carried out? How is the intensity of it? How long did it last? What benefits did it bring? There are many metrics that a smartphone can display and show.

weather forecast. Directly on the smartwatch if it has a barometric pressure sensor or by interfacing with the telephone and the internet, it is possible to know the weather forecast for a few hours and a few days.

altimeter sensor for detecting climbs and floors

all the telephone functions that can be accessed directly from the telephone. From notifications to calls, from various apps to the ability to take photos on your smartphone

Sensor that measures the heartbeat and which in some models can also act as an oximeter

NFC functionality and sensor for contactless direct payments

The components of the smartwatch

In addition to the sensors that allow the functions listed above, there are three fundamental components of the battery, together with the software that controls the smartwatch itself:

Battery: rechargeable lithium ion, has a duration ranging from a few days to two weeks also based on sporting activities and activated sensors. Some watches also benefit from solar charging

Screen: it can be Amoled or Super Amoled for clear colors that are visible even in sunlight. LCD for lower cost and good features. E-Paper for maximum durability and visibility at the expense of color

Strap: smartwatches and smartbands are not only useful but also beautiful and design objects. For this reason, many of them have interchangeable straps, for features that allow you to go from a sports watch to an elegant one in just a few seconds.

The smartwatch brought technology to the wrist, for a technological improvement that quickly caught on thanks to the many features and advantages it is equipped with.