The Bauhaus style (German: Bauhaus) originated in Germany in the 1920s. Today we will talk about watches with a built-in activity tracker Withings Activite, the design of which would be appreciated by the artist and avant-garde artist Wassily Kandinsky, and we will draw conclusions about their functionality, accuracy and reliability.

Briefly about the watch

Control: using a smartphone
Diameter dial: 36.3 mm.
Glass: sapphire
Frame: stainless steel
Mechanism: quartz
Food: element CR2025
The weight: 37
Water resistance: You can swim, but not dive.

What can:
– Show the time on the main dial using the hour and minute hands;
– Count steps and display activity on the second dial using the auxiliary hand;
— Determine the phases of sleep;
— Wake up with vibration.

What can’t:
– Notify about missed calls, mail, etc.

Style

When Withings announced the Activite in June 2014, many people were struck to the core: the watch turned out to be so minimalistic, comfortable, unbearable in its nudity, with clear, understandable outlines. The new gadget satisfied all the principles of the Bauhaus, not only externally, but also internally.

I knowingly touched on the style in the first paragraph. Without it, Activite simply would not be sold, because the market is oversaturated with all kinds of trackers.

To understand the peculiarities of style, I propose to look at the example of the Bauhaus in architecture.

Or here’s an option. I would live there.

Many masterpieces of industrial design belong to the Bauhaus.

The best representatives of the Bauhaus in watches are German brands such as Baume & Mercier, Junghans, Junkers. From the picture below you can see the accessory Withings Active to a style that captivates with its clarity.

Thin hands, minimalism in the design of the dial, high readability of indicators are the most recognizable features of the classics of the genre, the Bauhaus.

Set

The watch comes with a replaceable silicone strap for sports, a round “clip” and a spare battery.

To start working and pairing with the phone, you need to press the reset button with a paperclip.

And if the battery is dead, then you need to disconnect the strap, then open the lid with the other end of the paper clip and insert the battery. Batteries should last for 6-8 months.

Now everyone is praying for the convenience of changing Apple Watch bands, but I will tell you that Withings has a good solution too. We pull the fingernail sideways on the small head of the spring rod, and the strap comes unfastened.

Setting

Please note that there is no crown on the case and no protruding buttons that interfere with the even circumference of the dial.

All watch management is done through the Withings Health Mate proprietary application.

Sleep analysis

Withings Activite can analyze sleep phases. Unlike the Jawbone UP24 bracelet, which must be forced into Sleep mode, our hero does everything automatically. You go to bed and the clock itself understands that the owner has come to sleep.

The world hasn’t come up with a perfect sleep monitoring technique yet, so Activite’s automatic values ​​differ from the UP24’s manual mode, which I find more accurate. Here is the data for one night.

Withings Activite/Jawbone UP24

Sleep — 5:55 / 6:03

Light sleep — 3:55 / 3:32

Deep sleep — 2:00 / 2:30

Awakening — 3 / 2 times

I would completely trust Withings Activite data did not – especially when it comes to overall sleep statistics for the day. For example, if you take off your watch and leave it on the table for two hours, it will consider the state of rest as your sleep, although maybe you were chopping wood or poking around in the car engine, and the watch was removed so as not to damage it.

Alarm

The alarm clock is set from the iPhone. At the appointed hour, the device will vibrate 12 times. There is no «smart» alarm clock here. Sound effects too. To find out the time for which the alarm is set, you need to double-tap on the dial.

Pedometer and activity tracker

Attention! Before exercising, put silicone strapand after use, rinse the watch under running cold water and dry it with a towel.

Withings Activite keeps track of your activity, and the blue arrow on the second watch face shows you what percentage of your daily value you have passed.

To test the accuracy, I got on the treadmill and walked for 15 minutes at different speeds with three gadgets: iPhone, Jawbone UP24 and Withings Activite. In comparing the accuracy of six pedometers, the iPhone was the best at counting steps, so I always start from its data. Here’s what happened this time:

iPhone — 1590 steps;
Jawbone UP24 — 1603;
Withings Active — 1589.

All three trackers on the track showed almost the same results, which indicates their good calibration.

But the hustle and bustle of life has made adjustments. When you are not walking, but, say, typing, rearranging, eating, playing with children, then this is what happened in three hours:

Jawbone UP24 — 2854;
Withings Active — 2603.

I don’t know who is right here, because the number of micromovements per day can only be calculated using special medical sensors.

Withings Activite is available in two color options: white dial with brown strap and black with black. They cost $450 on Amazon.

There is also a cheaper version of Withings Activite Pop for $180. The filling is identical, but the materials are cheaper.

conclusions

Withings Active — this is a stunningly beautiful watch that, in addition to time, shows the activity of the day. There is nothing superfluous in them, but something cannot be thrown out either. Calling them «smart» language does not turn, as they do not display notifications from the smartphone. From a sports point of view, we have a pretty good tracker. From household — hours. A classic stylish watch, looking at which all the fuss of the world comes to naught.

It’s amazing that Withings has managed not to confront any of the existing gadgets on the market — be it Jawbone UP24, Misfit Shine or Apple Watch. The company has carved out a narrow niche with a product that has the inscription «Swiss Made» on the dial, although the manufacturer itself is French.

What is Swiss about them, you ask? The fact is that the design was developed in the small town of Le Locle (Le Locle) — the birthplace of such brands as Ulysse Nardin, Tissot, Zenith. And now Withings Activite.

pros:
– Amazing design;
– Minimalism;
– Interchangeable straps;
– The presence of a sports tracker;
— Smartphone control.

Minuses:
– Alarm clock without sounds;
— Arrows without phosphor illumination and in the evening are read poorly;
– The application urgently needs a redesign;
While writing, the brandy ran out.