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The Best Smartwatches for Every Sort of Man in 2023
Stylish digital wearables that do more than just tell the time
Smartwatches aren’t a passing fad, and while they’re unlikely to replace meticulously made timepieces worn by Swiss watch purists, even the luxury brands have embraced tech in recent years, replacing precise mechanical gears and springs with touchscreens and computing power. You may not keep an Apple Watch as a family heirloom, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a stylish device to have strapped to your wrist.
You don’t have to settle for a device from a California tech giant, either, with some of the world’s most respected watchmakers – including Tag Heuer, Montblanc and Skagen – now packing smart tech into their sophisticated, elegant designs so you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Do you want to go fully digital? There are loads of options from brands including Garmin, Apple, Samsung and Fitbit that give you tons of futuristic features, and look great while doing it.
We've picked through the best smartwatches on the market to suit busy, urbane lifestyles, featuring a variety of aesthetics and budgets. The models on our list are all connected – meaning they’ll pair with your phone for enhanced features – but not all will let you change watch faces or be a perfect gym companion. While some are hybrids with subtle smart modes, others have powerful sensors for tracking your workouts, sleep and health, plus getting smartphone alerts, making contactless payments or using built-in GPS.
Not sure which one to go for? There’s a guide under our product recommendations that’ll help to find the perfect model.
The Best Smartwatches
It’s no secret that we appreciate classic mechanical watches here at Esquire. From our 35 favourite timepieces of 2023 to the best men's watches under £1,000 (and yes, even James Bond’s watch) we spend our time admiring collections from watchmakers including Rolex, Omega and Breitling. It’s exciting to see brands experimenting with smart technology in their own unique ways, and we’ve built this list drawing from our own hands-on time with smartwatches, plus rigorous research.
Jason Murdock is our former Deputy Technology Ecommerce Editor, contributing to multiple titles including Good Housekeeping, Esquire and Digital Spy. With more than eight years’ experience covering tech at publications including Radio Times, Newsweek and the International Business Times, Jason has extensive knowledge on the latest gear and gadgets – reviewing phones, tablets, laptops, headphones, smart home products and more – and covering the biggest shopping events of the year, including Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. For his coverage on cybersecurity in the International Business Times, he won Digital Writer of the Year at The Drum's Online Media Awards in 2017. When not writing and testing the latest gadgets, you’ll find Jason playing the guitar or learning how to parent his new baby. You can follow Jason on Twitter at @Jason_A_Murdock.
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