Skip to main content

This new Withings smartwatch puts the Apple Watch to shame

A render of the Withings ScanWatch Nova watch.
Withings

Withings has announced a new addition to its smartwatch collection, the ScanWatch Nova. This luxury version of the ScanWatch 2 hybrid smartwatch, introduced earlier this year, features a traditional diver-style design and advanced health and activity tracking capabilities.

Recommended Videos

The ScanWatch Nova comes equipped with all the essential health features of the ScanWatch 2, including an on-demand electrocardiogram, SpO2, 24/7 body temperature monitoring, advanced activity tracking, and detailed sleep analysis. It also boasts a battery life of up to 30 days between charges.

The ScanWatch Nova is water-resistant up to 50 meters and can be paired with Android and iOS devices, just like other Withings watches.

Someone wearing the Withings ScanWatch Nova smartwatch.
Withings

The watch has a rotating bezel made of ceramic and stainless steel, with laser-engraved markings that include the standard codes of diving practice. The watch hands, indicators, and indices are hollow and filled with Lumina, making them visible in low-\light conditions. The indices are thick and raised, making them easy to read.

The ScanWatch Nova also features a sundial and a mirror-polished stainless steel case. The display is protected by sapphire glass with anti-reflection coating, and notifications are displayed on a user-friendly OLED high-resolution grayscale screen. It’s a stunning piece of craftsmanship — one that makes even the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 look pedestrian by comparison.

Someone wearing the Withings ScanWatch Nova smartwatch.
Withings

According to Etienne Trégaro, product manager at Withings, “the splendid timepiece imperceptibly embeds a powerful health scan, with all the cutting-edge innovations to enhance your health, wrapped in a stylish aesthetic inspired by the timeless tradition of diver-style watchmaking.”

The ScanWatch Nova, like its predecessor, the ScanWatch 2, offers a medical-grade electrocardiogram that can be used on-demand to detect potential heart anomalies, including atrial fibrillation. It also tracks fluctuations in body temperature during the day and night, which can indicate the onset of an illness. The watch can also measure blood oxygen levels or SpO2 on demand. A value below 90% could indicate poor blood oxygenation, also known as hypoxia.

Someone wearing the Withings ScanWatch Nova smartwatch.
Withings

Additional features include sleep tracking and traditional fitness parameters such as steps, calories, elevations, and workout routes.

The ScanWatch Nova is now available for preorder on the Withings website. The price of $600 includes an oyster bracelet that tapers from 20mm to 18mm, ensuring a comfortable and secure fit. You can choose from three colors: blue, green, and black. The first batch of watches is expected to arrive in mid-January.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
How the Apple Watch saved my life
Medical ID and Emergency Call Quick Access on the Apple Watch Series 10

Have you ever almost died? I used to think my health was infallible, but one moment in November 2020 upended my life and made me realize just how important technology is in our daily lives.

Everyone has probably heard stories about how the Apple Watch can save lives, but I never believed I would one day call on Apple’s wearable to save mine. As it turns out, it did so repeatedly, and it played a key part in helping me rebuild my life.

Read more
Apple’s tabletop device might usher in a new OS with Apple Intelligence
Apple HomePod 2023

Apple has reportedly been working on a new kind of display-focused smart home device for a while now, and it seems it will arrive as early as next year. Now, Bloomberg reports that Apple is eyeing not one but two such devices across different price points and that they will mark the era of a new AI-first software approach.

Codenamed J595, this one is a high-end machine that features a large iPad-inspired screen and robotic limbs. The other one, which internally goes by the J490 identifier, is more like a conventional smart display — think a screen slapped on a speaker base – that would predominantly serve as a FaceTime machine and smart home control hub.

Read more
Why I’m ditching my Apple Watch Ultra 2
The front of the Apple Watch Ultra.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a fantastic smartwatch. It's big, stunning, and still the most capable Apple Watch you can buy today.

It's the Apple Watch I've been wearing for the past year, but recently, I decided to get rid of it in favor of a different model. Why? Let me tell you.
My relationship with the Apple Watch

Read more