Sportline TQR 775 Heart Rate Monitor Watch

While modern digital watches can tell time, calculate your tip at a restaurant, find Wi-Fi and even serve as cell phones, there’s still something to be said for the timeless look – and simplicity – of an analog watch. Perhaps that’s why Sportline, the usual maker of rubber-and-plastic-style digital sport watches, has released its new TQR line of heart rate watches, which allow wearers to keep an eye on the old ticker (as the company pronounces TQR) without having to sacrifice style in the process.

The top-of-the-line TQR 775 comes in men’s and women’s versions: both have rubber watchbands, but metal-rimmed analog faces that look more suitable to the office or night club than the gym. Click a button on the side, though, and the seemingly opaque face of the watch lights up with your heart rate in glowing digital numbers.

The Sportline TQR 775 Men’s and Women’s Watches

Knowing your heart rate while you sip a cup of coffee at the café down the street or typing from a desktop at work may sound a bit unnecessary, but according to Sportline, resting heart rates are a vital indicator of a person’s overall fitness level, making the number an essential stat for athletes, even when they’re “off duty.” And for when they aren’t, the stainless-steel construction of the TQR watches makes them durable enough to tag along on a run or to the gym, too.

The TQR 775 reads heart rate in only three beats, and when it’s not being used for that function, the LED display functions as a digital clock, calendar and alarm, as well. The analog movement is more conventional, with three hands that light upm and an illuminated bezel as well.

Sportline sells both the men’s and women’s TQR 775 for $160, making it much pricier than the generic equivalent, but with the style and features to show for it. More information can be found at Sportline’s Web site.