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Ask HN: Would you wear a smart watch that needs daily recharge?

4 points by mromanuk ↗ HN
I remember when I used to wear a Citizen watch, I hated (and annoyed me) to recharge it, once every 2-3 years. I simple don't see myself, taking a watch off my wrist, charging it for the night and wearing it again in the morning. Is this one of this things that I will be doing anyhow, or just a passing fad.

18 comments

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lutusp
> I simple don't see myself, taking a watch off my wrist, charging it for the night and wearing it again in the morning.

It's a simple question of cost versus benefit. I have to recharge myself every day, but I think it's worth it. Electric cars have to recharge overnight.

> Is this one of this things that I will be doing anyhow, or just a passing fad.

To me, the advantage of having a wristwatch that didn't require recharging was offset by the fact that it didn't do anything except display the time, and not very accurately at that.

a3n
I have a Tactix GPS watch. One of the features that swayed me for that instead of cheaper ones is "a battery life of up to 50 hours in GPS mode (depends on settings) and up to 5 weeks in watch mode." So I don't worry about it, and it doesn't take long to charge when I notice it's about half uncharged. And if I ever go that long and forget ... so what? I have a phone.

So probably the answer to your question is no, I would not. I have a long lived GPS watch, and I already charge my phone once every few days (Moto X).

Whenever I'm in a context where I could use a smart watch (as opposed to an athletic watch), I have my phone anyway, which is better (for me).

I'm also curious if a smart watch is subject to a voided warranty if the water detector dot inside indicates water got inside, like a phone. My watch is advertised waterproof to 50m, which is much deeper than the odd creek or a toilet.

junto
As a side note. If you want a 'dumb' watch that doesn't need recharging every few years, try a kinetic one. My Dad had his Seiko Kinetic watch for over 25 years. He managed to smash it in a car accident, and promptly replaced it with another one. No batteries required!

  The caliber also incorporates Seiko's unique Kinetic Auto-Relay
  technology. It is powered by the movement of your body with 
  Kinetic Perpetual quartz accuracy and reliability. With Auto-
  Relay, the watch will, when not worn, operate normally for 6 
  months on a full charge, after which it goes into "sleep" mode 
  for up to four years. The accuracy remains and the calendar 
  continues to show the correct date, month and year, but the hands
  stop, conserving energy, until, once the watch is put on again, 
  the hands automatically reset to the correct time.
http://www.seikowatches.com/world/technology/kinetic/perpetu...

Take that 'smart' watch!

a3n
Those things are great. I had one about 15 years ago for a few days, had to take it back because it felt too heavy on my wrist; personal quirk, no doubt. I'm guessing they could be lighter now, definitely worth looking into.
mromanuk
I like the sensors on the Apple Watch, mostly to track HR, but (definitely) not the notifications and duplication of apps (that are already on the phone).
Someone1234
Just be very careful you know what you're buying. Many of Seiko's automatic watches don't last more than a day without movement.

The "Perpetual" range is just an automatic watch with a backup battery. You have to wear it daily to get it to run for "free," and it is really only going to last 12 hours on the stored energy before the battery has to kick in.

The batteries won't last forever even if you do wear it daily. They degrade.

jfroma
Yes,I've a citizen, transparent at the back so I could see the dynamo rotating on movement. The system still works but the battery doesn't.

I've not been able to fix it in Argentina.

ulfw
No. Maybe i am just too old for it. But I used to go brush my teeth before going to bed, take off my glasses and be done.

Nowadays you go connect your phone to a charger, connect your laptop to a charger, connect your tablet to a charger, maybe connect your bluetooth headphones or headsets to a charger and now also connect your watch to charger. Quite the odyssey.

Brave new world. It's really time to invest tons in new battery research.

Someone1234
Nope.

That's the reason why I haven't been interested in purchasing a Moto 360, Galaxy Gear, Sony Smartwatch, or similar. The Apple Watch is no different.

The Pebble is the only remotely interesting smartwatch around, but I haven't got one simply because the benefit doesn't out-weigh the cost (although if someone gave me one for free I'd give it a fair shake).

The real question for me is: What does a smartwatch do that the cellphone in my pocket does not? The fitness stuff is one answer, but frankly a $350 fitness tracker is a little expensive relative to other products in that category readily available (e.g. Fitbit @ $99).

Terretta
The vibration feedback and glancable message letting you leave the phone in your pocket or bag lets you go back to a less distracted life. The extra effort to dig the phone out stops you from responding unless important. Carrying just the phone doesn't have the barrier.

I think a hassle free smart watch changes a significant portion of a highly connected person's day, lets them be more free, more productive, more organic.

Someone1234
> The vibration feedback and glancable message letting you leave the phone in your pocket or bag lets you go back to a less distracted life.

I'm pretty sure it causes a more distracted life just for the reasons you mentioned. Now I cannot even just ignore my phone or put it out of view, it is literally part of me!

Also is taking a phone out of your pocket really the "problem" they're trying to solve? It isn't something, day to day, that I feel causes me hardship. Maybe if I was a cyclist it would be useful, but I'm not sure you could read the watch while riding (or it would be safe if you could).

> I think a hassle free smart watch changes a significant portion of a highly connected person's day, lets them be more free, more productive, more organic.

So many buzz words. I was half expecting you to use "synergy" there. What you said doesn't really MEAN anything. It is just a bunch of fluff.

Terretta
Perhaps this depends on whether your livelihood depends on responding to the right messages promptly. The smart watch lets you triage in a low interrupt way.

Many people do not have the option of blanket "ignoring" calls and emails. The change isn't fluff, it gives back the ability to stay present, no more interrupted than the glance at a watch to be aware of the time.

lazylizard
i predict the next big thing to be a smart ring or tie-clip or ear-plug or earring or nose-clip/ring or contact lens.. bring you less obtrusive notifications for your smart watch... which bring you less obtrusive notifications for your smart phone..
olivierduval
Agreed, a watch is a kind of fire-and-forget item: it has to work when you need it and to be forgotten the rest of the time!!! If I need to charge it every night (even every week), I won't use it. But maybe I'm not geek enough... Moreover, I don't see enough added-value in this kind of devices right now. BTW... isn't it possible for that kind of devices to recharge like "forever" watch, only by the move of the hand?
lifeisstillgood
Yes. Of course and we all will.

Exactly the same argument was presented for this Nokia flip phones versus my iPhone. I mean I used to have a mobile phone that went a week or more between charges - now I often don't make it from lunchtime to bedtime.

But guessed what I typed this on?

lazylizard
the solar powered g-shocks i think last forever..
sa5
Yes. I take my watch off at home so charging it isn't a big deal. Do most people wear their watch while they sleep?
snoopybbt
I would take it off at night anyway.

If it comes with a nice dock that charges it wirelessly, what's the problem?

Actually, what I don't like is turning watches into phones, meaning we're going to change it every like a year or two, and getting angry because "the watch is old and it got slow".

I've been using the same Casio F-91W for two years and it just works.