Garmin Vivomove HR

VERDICT

There’s no GPS, but the Garmin Vivomove HR delivers a highly appealing mix of affordability and features

- Edward Munn

FITNESS TRACKERS AREN’T to everyone’s taste. They deliver neat insights into your health and overall activity levels, but for many people, even the best-looking tracker doesn’t offer the appeal of a good old-fashioned watch with real moving parts.

Garmin’s Vivomove HR is one of a growing list of hybrid smartwatches that aims to fix this by bringing fitness-tracking features to something that more closely resembles a traditional wristwatch. It’s a watch you can wear wherever you go, with a pared-down design that looks great whether you’re wearing it in the gym or on an evening out.

Don’t be fooled by that low-key design, however. The Vivomove HR packs in far more than mere step and calorie counting. It logs your heart rate and stress levels throughout the day, and tracks your sleep quality when you wear it at night. Thanks to its built-in altimeter, it will also keep tabs on how many stairs you climb.

LIGHT RELIEF

The hidden OLED screen also displays smartphone notifications and lets you control music playback on your phone. There’s multi-sport tracking, too, allowing you to manually log walks, runs, weightlifting and cardio workouts. If you forget to start logging, it can even detect what kind of exercise you’re doing automatically, via Garmin’s Move IQ technology.

Lastly, the Vivomove HR estimates your VO2 max and can also be used to broadcast your heart rate (via ANT+) to compatible devices during workouts. Although the watch is waterproof to a depth of 50 metres, sadly there’s no dedicated app for swim tracking, and there’s no built-in GPS either. Still, what we have here is a respectable feature set for only £149. There’s also a Premium variant, with a more formal look and leather strap, but it’s a lot more expensive at £230.