The Perfect Daily Companion

Thanks to their functionality and convenience, digital sports watches and smartwatches are now all the fad these days. And for good reason too, they’ve pretty much become indispensable and go hand in hand with our smartphones as with our everyday lives. With their practicality and usability, its small wonder why they actually make really fantastic gifts! A watch is of course, something that is more than for telling the time, it’s a memento or a mark of a milestone for us. And what better gift to gift someone than one that they can always use every day, and remind them of you whenever they look at it?  

But with such a wide variety of digital sports watches and smartwatches around, finding the right one can be intimidating. However, fret not, as we have, as we often do, narrowed down the top 10 (In our opinion of course) digital sports watches and smartwatches we’d really love to receive as gifts.

GARMIN VENU SQ MUSIC GM-010-02426-82 NAVY/LIGHT SMARTWATCH

There’s no hiding what Garmin has its sights set on when developing the Venu SQ; The Apple Watch. What it essentially is, is a distilled Venu with all the features you’d come to expect but at a much lower price point. You do get (as the name suggests) music compatibility too, as well as a slew of trackers and GPS too. Pretty staple stuff from Garmin, and that’s not even a complaint. Running, cycling, swimming, heart monitors and many, many more are just some of the base features that this smartwatch is capable of. Add that with an incredibly user-friendly UI and what you have is an incredibly capable smartwatch at an ‘Apple-watch’ killing price of well under $400. Honestly, if you like the aesthetics of the Apple watch but want something a bit more affordable without compromising on the features, then the Garmin Venu SQ Music offers an undoubtedly great proposition. 

FOSSIL CARLYLE FTW4025 GEN 5 SMARTWATCH

If you’re looking for a fitness smartwatch that is good looking and functional enough for you to use daily, then the Fossil Q Carlyle is definitely for you. You’ll be getting the essentials that you’d expect from a device of this price, with Google Fit being the main app here. You’ll get a pedometer (step counter), movement minutes, and heart points too. It’ll also monitor your heart-rate in the background too and when sensing that you’re stressed, will guide you through breathing to destress yourself. It can track a lot of work outs too, though it will consume the battery life of the device if you do so, so that’s something you’ll want to take note off. Third party apps are available as well, if you want something more customizable. And apps like Nike Run Club, and Cardiogram do come pre-installed. Overall, it offers the essential health and fitness monitoring that any average consumer needs. Oh, and it also comes with quick release strap pins for ease of change, allowing you to easily swap the straps to match the activity/occasion. All in all, if you’re looking for a modern smartwatch that operates well and ticks enough boxes to be a stylish alternative to a traditional fitness tracker, then the Fossil Q Carlyle is certainly a strong contender.

GARMIN INSTINCT SOLAR CAMO EDITION GM-010-02293-56 LICHEN CAMO SMARTWATCH

The Garmin Instinct Solar is a rugged sports smartwatch that shares a similar DNA with the Fenix range. Though the current Instinct has been given an update to be solar powered, that only means better news for hikers and outdoors types in terms of a more significant battery life and performance. The Instinct already provides many of the power-saving modes featured on the Fenix as well, making it an even more indispensable companion on your adventures. The Instinct is capable of tracking: hiking, running, swimming, cycling, climbing, skiing and even boating along with other types of outdoor pursuits. Built to withstand the toughest of elements, the Instinct has all the usual functions you would come to expect from a high-end Garmin smartwatch. A GPS for plenty of mapping coverage, barometric altimeter to measure elevation when you’re climbing up mountains as well as a heart rate monitor and an oximeter. Which can be used to check elevation against blood oxygen on its new Acclimatisation widget. It should come as no surprise that this tough as nails outdoor smartwatch places a large emphasis on features that will come in incredibly handy when you’re out trekking or hiking, making it the perfect companion to have in the great outdoors.

GARMIN FENIX 6S SAPPHIRE SHALE GRAY GM-010-02159-8P SMARTWATCH

The Garmin Fenix 6a is part of the very strong line-up of flagship smartwatches from the brand and for good reason. It has an extremely premium finish to its materials; from the brushed bezel to the matte finished case, polished buttons and sapphire crystal screen, it also packs a punch with its wide array of features. Equipped with a heart-rate and pulse monitor, GPS, ABC Sensors, smart notifications, Garmin pay services, multi-satellite support and multi-sport watch OS, there will be almost no situation in your life where you won’t find this watch useful for. Of course, the design plays an equally significant factor in choosing this watch, it’s a proper good-looking piece of kit. With a shale gray vintage style leather strap paired against a gray case with a brushed gold bezel and sleek, unobtrusive buttons. The Fenix 6S certainly looks the part of a flagship model, and with its features, it goes like one too. If you’re looking to gift your loved one a truly high performance, practical and eye-catching smartwatch, it’s hard to do better than the Shale Gray Fenix 6S.

GARMIN FENIX 6X PRO SOLAR TITANIUM GM-010-02157-5F SMARTWATCH

 The Fenix range is the pinnacle of Garmin’s line-up and the Fenix 6 series is undoubtedly one of the best sports smartwatches you can buy today. The fitness watch is built to tackle the great outdoors and look good doing it. Featuring modes to track hiking, climbing, cross country skiing, cycling, swimming, running, indoor workouts, triathlons, golf and much, much more. Water resistance rating is up to 10ATM, so it’ll easily survive laps in the pool with you. The model also features tracked metrics to the extreme, offering full insights for VO2 Max, race prediction, stress scores, training effect and training status. You don’t need to be an expert to know that these are seriously useful and meaningful data. Runners will absolutely adore the PacePro feature which uses a library of user generated GPS routes to help you pace your runs, even up and down hills. And for trekkers, the TOPO mapping feature allows you to see what’s around you, including major trails and navigate to points of interests right from your wrist. All in all, if you’re looking to get the best performance outdoors smartwatch, the Fenix 6X is gonna be your best option.

FITBIT VERSA 3 FB511GLNV-FRCJK MIDNIGHT/SOFT GOLD SMARTWATCH

 The Fitbit Versa 3, the latest of the Versa line-up is one of the best devices that the brand has to offer today. Parked in between the Versa 2 and the higher end Sense, it delivers all the useful features and functionalities of the Sense, less certain more advanced heart health and stress monitoring features. But at over $100, that’s not exactly a complaint. It’s certainly a strong value proposition, especially for android users, and with its strikingly good looks, is an incredibly versatile piece of kit too. The Versa 3 adds an integrated GPS as well as an SpO2 sensor to measure your blood oxygen level while you sleep and supports Fitbit’s Active Zone Minutes metric; Which accumulates the time you spent working out. Fully charged, the Versa 3 can last over 6 days, though this of course varies entirely based on your usage and settings. Overall, if you’re in the market for an affordable, functional and overall good looking fitness tracker that can be worn in most environments and situations, then the Fitbit Versa is definitely for you.

FITBIT CHARGE 4 SPECIAL EDITION GRANITE REFLECTIVE FB417BKGY WOVEN TRACKER

 Let us start by saying that the Fitbit Charge 4 is the most advanced fitness tracking band that the company makes. It possesses a potent mix of features that makes it an incredibly unique fitness tracker. The hardware is similar to the previous Charge 3, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s still a good-looking device that’s comfortable to wear, and there’re tons of aftermarket bands available too if you want to swap it out. The Charge 4 comes with an in-built GPS, step-counter and sleep tracker, blood oxygen tracker, Spotify controller for ease of controlling your music while you’re working out, work out tracking modes, oh and a hefty 7-day battery life too. The in-built GPS allows you to get your distance, speed, pace, time and heart rate too. Oh, and it’s worth pointing out that the previous Charge 3 required a phone with you for the GPS tracking, but for this, it’s good to go on its own. The accuracy of the heart rate monitor is solid as well, though at the highest intensity, like most optical monitors will as well; it’ll let you down on that department. Overall, it’s still a great tracker and a high performance one at that too, and if you’re looking for a specialized running tracker, then the Fitbit Charge 4 is certainly for you.

FITBIT INSPIRE 2 FB418BKBK-FRCJK BLACK FITNESS TRACKER

 The Fitbit Inspire 2 is a welcome upgrade to the Inspire; Fitbit's most affordable tracker. It’s a replacement to the Inspire and Inspire HR trackers that sticks to the formula and adds a handful of new features. It’s meant to be a 24/7 activity tracker with an added heart rate monitor to provide much more comprehensive sleep, workout stats and insights. It comes with an improved display which was the bane of previous models, and provides arguably the best battery life of any Fitbit device in the market currently. With a water resistance of up to 50m, it’s easily capable of accompanying you to a swim or a shower. Though it’s the features that you’ll be most interested in when it comes to a fitness tracker and for something this compact, it certainly doesn’t lack in that department. There’s a 3-axis accelerometer to track indoor and outdoor activities and an optical heartrate monitor too, allowing you to continuously monitor your heart rate during your work outs or sleep. There’s a connected GPS support available too, which allows you to use your phone’s GPS to accurately track your outdoor activities. You can also access your individual daily stats too, which includes things that you can manually enter too such as water intake and food tracking. Overall, the Inspire 2 is an incredibly well-rounded tracker that, justifies its slightly higher price well. And if that’s what you’re looking for, then it’s hard to do better than this.

CASIO G-SHOCK SPECIAL COLOUR GA-2110SU-3ADR MEN’S WATCH

The GA-2110 line, fondly known as the Casioak (A not so subtle abbreviation of its design resembling the ever-iconic and unattainable Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.) The public generally accepted these affordable and functional Royal Oak homages and the rest is history. The GA2100 and GA2110 series have been selling like hot cakes since their release, and its small wonder why. For one thing, they’re still pure blue-blooded G-shocks, despite their much slimmer and svelte appearances make lead you to believe. Functionally, they’re identical as well with the usual, world timer, stopwatch, alarm and timer. But it’s the looks that we always go back to for this piece. Whether you’re a fan of G-Shocks or not, there’s no denying that the GA-2110 is a staggeringly good-looking watch. And this one, in an olive-green resin case and strap with a matching black dial and bezel, is certainly one of our favourites of the bunch. Whether you’re looking for a stunning and practical daily watch, or a serious tool watch, or just really like the Royal Oak’s aesthetics and are looking for a decent affordable homage, the GA-2110SU-3ADR is certainly hard to beat.     

CASIO G-SHOCK G-SQUAD GBD-800-1DR MEN’S WATCH

The GBD series is Casio’s take on what a tough smartwatch can and should be. With all that incredible technology packed into the rugged, distinct and ever recognizable G-Shock resin case, it’s a recipe for success. And surprise, surprise, it’s a great entry level smartwatch that’s not just functional, but really great looking as well. With the usual slew of G-shock functionalities paired with a simple to use UI and some basic smartwatch features, the GBD-800-1DR is a fantastic daily companion. Whether you’re taking it for a day out, or to the gym, or even to the forest, its functionality and toughness will capably keep you out of the weeds. With Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone and a built in GPS, it’s the perfect smartwatch for the rough and tough sportsman in all of us.

The Perfect Gifts

So, there you have it, our look through 10 of the best digital watches perfect for Christmas. Whether you’re looking to get one for yourself or for a loved one, we hope that this article did at least help you find one that you/your loved one will really like. Or at the very least, shortlist a few potential candidates to get. Whichever one you get though, you can be rest assured that you’ll be getting a properly brilliant piece of kit that’s gonna give you the best bang for your buck. Whether you’re looking for a proper fitness watch to use, or a functional daily statement piece/beater, these watches certainly punch way higher than their prices would suggest.