The inventor of connected scales, Withings, has recently launched its latest range of hybrid watches, especially the ScanWatch 2, which offers a series of new features. The flagship innovations enabled by advanced technology composed of sensors and tailored algorithms include continuous 24/7 body temperature tracking, sleep tracking, menstrual cycle tracking and a 30-day battery life.
For the first time on the market, a watch monitors body temperature fluctuations continuously day and night. Observing temperature changes allows obtaining a reference temperature throughout the day and night, potentially detecting the onset of illness or determining if recovery is occurring properly during the night or sports sessions.
On the watch, the user has a direct view of their temperature variances and whether they remain in a “normal” zone or not. In the application, they can track their temperature curve over the last 24 hours.
According to Etienne Tregaro, the product manager for the ScanWatch 2:
“Withings can achieve continuous temperature monitoring thanks to new technology consisting of multiple sensors combined with an algorithm that retrieves skin temperature data and its environment.
Temperature monitoring also relies on temperature flow sensors and data from the accelerometer and PPG, which contextualize measurements to be less susceptible to fluctuations in the user’s environment.
All of this allows for better regulation and estimation of body temperature. It’s a major innovation.”
The Best Autonomy on the Market
The ScanWatch 2 also boasts the best autonomy on the market currently and can last up to 30 days without being recharged. This revolution is possible because the user does not activate a screen that will consume the entire dial, as is the case with an Apple Watch that needs recharging every night or two nights.
The watch combines the effect of real needles mounted on a gearbox and a small motor, like a traditional watch, with a small digital screen at the top center that does not take up the entire space. Since 2014 and its first hybrid watch in the world—the Activité watch—Withings has been a pioneer in this field.
Sleep and Menstrual Cycle Tracking
In addition, the ScanWatch 2 offers several other features such as sleep tracking. The user obtains variability in their heart rate and respiratory rate during the night. This allows them to get more information about their sleep, understand it better and know if they need to take action to modify their routine.
Sleep tracking also involves the duration and depth of sleep, alternating between light and deep sleep phases, the number of interruptions during the night, the regularity of bedtime and wake-up hours and any respiratory disturbances during the night, with a sleep score at each awakening.
The ScanWatch 2 also adds a new feature: tracking menstrual cycles, with the option for the user to directly input symptoms related to their menstrual cycle. This information will feed an algorithm in the application that predicts which phase of the cycle the person is in, when the next ovulation or menstruation phases will be, etc. Etienne Tregaro commented:
“It’s a way to mentally unload women from that.”
Medical Features
Finally, the ScanWatch 2 offers a series of medical features, namely, an on-demand electrocardiogram, the average heart rate and the SpO2 (oxygen saturation)—medical data that have CE and FDA approval.
There is also data on physical activity, including the number of steps taken per day and badges that are triggered if the user exceeds certain goals.
The ScanWatch 2 comes with a new Health Sense 3 operating system that will enhance the accuracy and reliability of information retrieved by the sensors. The operating system also allows for the 30 days of autonomy because it ensures that the sensors only activate at the right moment, recognize when the watch is worn or not, etc. The Withings Health Mate application centralizes all experiences and overall data.
Huge Technology in a Small Space
According to Etienne Tregaro, one of the biggest challenges was incorporating significant technology into a miniature space. This is especially true with the new TempTech 24/7 temperature monitoring feature, which includes a thermistor temperature sensor coupled with a temperature flow sensor with more sensors. Additionally, on the PPG, there are more LEDs and photodiodes. He explained:
“So this involves incorporating more sensors into a watch that we want to keep as compact and light as possible. It’s a real challenge to guarantee the space for the motors inside while maintaining our hybrid design, which we really value.”
A Real Focus on Health
What is exactly the advantage of a hybrid watch over a smartwatch? He said:
“There are several advantages, in our opinion: Firstly, we are not in direct competition with a watch like an Apple Watch, a Google Pixel Watch or a Garmin Epix because ours is not an extension of the phone on the wrist.
We really focus on health with all the medical features and others mentioned above. However, we still want to integrate into the user’s daily life and offer interesting features for everyday life, but it remains the user’s choice whether to, for example, see phone notifications on the watch screen.
And the small screen that we offer also allows us to keep a daily item that we care about, that we like to wear—because it’s a real watch with various possible designs—and that we can forget but that, at the same time, silently measures vital parameters continuously for us and that we can check in the application later.”
Once the application is installed on the smartphone, it is not necessary to stay connected to wifi or Bluetooth for the watch to function. The watch will continue to store data for several days and when the user turns on Bluetooth again, the watch will update and synchronize all the information in the application.
If the person has other Withings devices in their home, such as a connected scale, they will find in the application all the data with health scores established by week to see their progress.
Future Addition of Other Metrics
Withings’ advantage is to have integrated sensors and hardware capabilities to add other metrics and markers in the future, always for the benefit of the user. Withings plans to make regular updates and offer features applicable to ScanWatch 1 users as well. The watch is waterproof up to 50 meters and is priced at $349.95.
With this new arrival, Withings once again expresses its desire to be a discreet guardian embedded in the daily lives of its users to prevent health problems. Etienne Tregaro said:
“We are raising the bar a bit higher in health monitoring and prevention with products that are easy to use and that can be worn every day because we pay special attention to design (ScanWatch comes in more than 6 colors today and a 42 mm and 38 mm model to suit all preferences and wrist sizes).”
In the end, we have an elegant watch with premium materials, on which we will monitor vital parameters that are very important for a price similar to traditional watches.”
At the 2023 IFA Berlin, Withings received 18 awards for this new range.
