A new Hybrid HR FTW7019 and updated review
Love them or hate them, smartwatches are here to stay. I’ve typically shied away from posting about them too much because we all love traditional watches, but these hybrid watches from Fossil really do press all the buttons! I’ve enjoyed quite a few of the Q series from years past and now I’m on my second in the Hybrid HR series – moral of the story they look like traditional watches, but have smart features without looking like a tablet on your wrist!
Love them or hate them, smartwatches are here to stay. I’ve typically shied away from posting about them too much because we all love traditional watches, but these hybrid watches from Fossil really do press all the buttons as of late. I’ve enjoyed quite a few of the Q series from years past and now I’m on my second in the Hybrid HR series: moral of the story they look like traditional watches, but have smart features without looking like a tablet on your wrist!
Last year I reviewed a Hybrid HR Collider FTW008 when they first launched. My immediate attraction to the HR series was the battery life plain and simple. Features were lacking at the time as I highlighted in the very thorough review, but I was assured that improvements were coming from our friends at Fossil. Fast forward a year later and Fossil really has kept the updates coming and the few complaints I had with the earlier software has been solved. Even today as I write up this article I noticed a new iOS version has launched with a face gallery and some new updates to the watch in 4.6.0!
https://www.fossil.smartwatchstations.com/releases/4.6.0?locale=en
At the time of my initial review my biggest complaints were not being able to change the face with a custom picture (FIXED), the fitness tracking for cycling (FIXED), not all the apps I use were supported (FIXED). The one complaint I didn’t include in the review was the look of the watch, while it does look like a traditional watch it wasn’t in the style that I normally wear……I don’t have to say it, but I will anyways – I’m a fan of military/aviation style watches!
Let’s introduce Latitude, a new series from Fossil that mysteriously appeared on their website and then disappeared and then reappeared with some traditional & hybrid HR models not that long ago. I saw the FTW7019 and right away thought its time for an upgrade to my Collider. Merry Christmas to me (in November).
Right away you can see the styling differences between the 2. The Collider is 42mm and the Latitude is 50mm! Collider really looks small next to its cousin. You will notice the similarities in the interface however, that hasn’t changed with these new models as both of them were running the same firmware.
Earlier in November amidst all the sales & emails, Fossil unleashed a plethora of new models in the HR line. While the technology and interface changes with every update and it’s the same across the devices, the main point in my review is the upgrade in available styles including some for the ladies. Mrs. Fossil Underground Collectors Club is already eyeing a few of the ladies models for Christmas 2020.
I’m looking forward to exploring the updates more in the coming weeks and really looking forward to sporting the latest HR Hybrid with a design that I really enjoy. I even joined a dedicated Facebook group for HR Hybrid owners and learned a few tips and tricks and have gotten some fun background images.
For now enjoy this picture of my new favorite hybrid watch playing my favorite song of all time!
I always wondered if in Australia they sing “I Bless the Rains UP in Africa”
A review of the Fossil HR Collider Hybrid - FTW7008
A Fossil Hybrid smartwatch that goes 2 weeks without charging? I had to investigate for myself and almost 2 weeks ago it came delivered to my house
A Fossil Hybrid smartwatch that goes 2 weeks without charging? I had to investigate for myself and almost 2 weeks ago it came delivered to my house. I don’t normally due full reviews, but this watch was something I got excited about as soon as I saw the launch content and knew I had to share my experiences with the collector community because like it or not Fossil is a technology company too (and we love that)
Okay let’s dig in!
The look
To casual onlookers there isn’t anything at first glance to tell you that it is a smartwatch. The case is 13mm thick and 42mm in diameter and by any accounts a normal watch size these days without being a dinner plate on your wrist. The display for the smart features is very Pebble-ish…and if you don’t know what that is, it’s something called e-ink, which is very low energy similar to the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. I found the display to be really dark most of the time, but the watch has a backlight feature with 2 taps on the screen. The 2 taps didn’t always work for me and sometimes I had to give it some pressure on the taps to get the light to appear.
The watch hands sit above the display and sometimes they get in the way of reading the display. I do some cardio (against my will) and it seemed like every time I did cardio the hands were blocking the timer – Fossil incorporated a really nice feature that allows the hands to move (or clap) at the quick flick of the wrist which allows you to see the display and in my case see the timer so I know how much longer before I could stop exercising!
The presets
There are many features and customizations you can include on this watch, but be warned it’s nowhere near as robust as other smartwatches including those from Fossil and that is by design. This isn’t a watch for a fitness buff or someone who wants to do everything including paying for coffee from their phone. Features at a high level offered currently (as of November 24, 2019) are:
For the Face
Current Temperature
Steps
Second Timezone
Heart Rate
Day-Date
Chance of Rain
Active Minutes
For the Pushers
Workout Mode
Wellness Dashboard
Stopwatch
Past Notification
Music Control
Timer
Weather
You can change the presets anytime and the face of the watch too. I experimented with them all and wanted to provide a few notes that I would want to know if I were buying this watch.
I found the steps were a mixed bag. I went on a few walks with other pedometers and multiple phones and the numbers were all very close to the watch within a few steps sometimes and other times the HR Hybrid was way over the actual amounts. I also enjoyed waking up and seeing that somehow in the night I took 76 steps.
I am addicted to the Heart Rate feature. It is on continuously and I found it very interesting how certain food (or drinks) or dreaded conference calls really sent my heart rate up.
The notifications from third party apps are weak and I’ve seen some reviews really hurting this watch for the notifications available to you. For someone who looks at several monitors all day for work I’ve never been a fan of having yet another screen to see my emails on, so I really didn’t care that not all apps are supported (yet). I found that I was constantly doing double duty however to monitor my watch for emails and then checking my phone for messages/alerts for other apps. I went ahead and actually shut off all the app notifications syncing with the watch and simply used it for incoming calls & texts. You can change this at any time and I’m sure while traveling I will open it up again to other apps.
The notifications also cause quite a vibration on your wrist that is very noticeable, which I like. I do wish there was a way to set the number of vibrations especially for emails coming in.
Workout mode was a feature I was most excited about. I like seeing my heart rate, timer and knowing that watch is smart enough to know I’m running vs. using an elliptical machine. My cardio of choice is always cycling and whether indoors on a trainer or outside in the real world, the workout mode doesn’t include any cycling options! At the moment there are simple options for workout, treadmill, weights, run and elliptical. If you are fitness buff, this watch isn’t for you at this time, but I imagine after some updates and new versions the technology will be on par with other smart watches around the fitness component.
Move alerts – this is by far one of my favorite features and probably the simplest. Sitting is the new cancer and every 40 minutes if the watch sensed I didn’t move I would get an alert. I decided right away that I would get up and walk around the office every 40 minutes (or sooner) to avoid getting dinged by the watch – just a game I played.
Companion App
Unlike the Explorist smartwatches and others from Fossil that sync with the Wear OS app, the HR Hybrid uses a Fossil branded companion app available in the appstores. The syncing between watch and phone was flawless every time – I never had an issue. The app is basic at most with some settings & customizations that you can change in realtime on your device. I found that I would sync all the time just to see the dashboard populate with the latest numbers. Screenshots below showcase some of the elements of the dashboard.
My only real complaint of the software is that in order to save any changes to the watch I had to turn location settings on to always (on iOS). I don’t do that for any other app on my device and even if I left the location settings to only when using, Fossil still required me to change it to always to save the changes. Not a huge issue and I would go back in and change my settings preferences after I saved the presets on my watch.
Battery Life
If you hate charging any devices on a regular basis, then the Fossil HR Hybrid is for you. I love testing claims especially around numbers and this watch is TRUE to advertising from Fossil. I found on average I lost 5-7% battery life after a full day of emails, calls, 4000-5000 steps a day and 30 minutes of cardio. The battery life appears on the app after each sync - everyday I was amazed that I still had majority of the power left.
In Conclusion
I maybe heavily biased to Fossil, but hear me out. The Fossil HR Collider watch could not have been launched at a better time for me. I’ve crossed over into my 40’s this year and after several doctor’s appointments I’ve been told to move more and that I need to monitor my heart rate. I’m no fitness buff and I’ve had a few fitness bands in the past, a few different Fossil Q Hybrids and even currently own a Gen 4 Explorist smartwatch from Fossil. Whether it’s due to charging frequencies or the look of the smartwatch - neither of these have been something in my regular routine.
Knowing that Fossil has introduced a very traditional looking watch with fantastic battery life and that more updates and third party app support is coming is enough for me to stay tuned and keep the Fossil HR Collider in my rotation.
Fossil.com - All current Hybrid Watches including HR Hybrids
Limited Edition Fossil Q x Cory Richards – a new Blue
Have you seen the news? There’s a new Fossil Blue in town and it couldn’t come at a more popular time. There’s a video, a blog entry, a press release and I got a special email about the new Limited Edition Fossil Q x Cory Richards smartwatch based on an old Blue watch Richards has. My first thought in reading the coverage, was “Hey I’ve been a Fossil enthusiast longer than Richards, where’s my collaboration?” I’m famous in my own world and I just so happen to be an expert in my opinion. I’m open for any collaboration, I have lots of ideas – let’s do this! Okay jealously rant aside, this is wonderful news and Richards seems like a great guy and from what I read it’s the first of a few collaborations in the future. Now that got my attention.
What makes this collaboration timely and why I'm highlighting it so soon after it's launch is the mention of the Blue watch. When the Underground Fossil Collectors Club site launched in 2010, a lot of the questions and comments were about the watches & advertising from the early to mid-90’s. In recent months a shift has happened and more and more comments and emails and search results are coming in around fans looking for particular Blue models. With all things nostalgic there is a known 20 year cycle where those things become popular again as we age and look for items from our past. Look at the popularity of the Classic NES console this past Christmas or the re-launch of DuckTales coming in the summer of 2017 or the retro Nike Air Max shoes I just bought that came right out the 90’s.
20 years ago just so happens to be when I started college and you know what watch I wore to college? Yep a Fossil Blue. What watch did all my roommates have in the dorm? A Fossil Blue. What watch did my girlfriend buy me for Christmas in 2000? Yep a Fossil Blue. They were everywhere and for years it seemed that the only watches Fossil made in those years were Blue models. I'll be disproving that theory shortly as I post more catalog scans.
Our beloved Defender series launched about 20 years after the original run. Could Blue be next? Fossil has hinted at some of the Fossil Blue series in recent launches with the Breaker, but we’ve yet to see Blue written on the face. It was refreshing to see it in this current release and let’s hope for more. Pictured below are 2 of my Blue watches that like most older Fossil watches have a special place in my collection.
AM-3054. Received as a birthday gift in 1999 from my good friend Tricia, who later that year was killed in a car crash. One of the most generous people I've ever met.
BQ-9065. Received for Christmas in 2000 from my then girlfriend and now wife. She was making big bucks selling Sprint cell phones at Best Buy!
Fossil Smart Watches
Have you seen the news? There is a lot of talk around Fossil's line of new connected devices called Q. My inbox, my Facebook and my Flipboard are covered in updates from Fossil and tech sites touting this new device. As the owner of a Microsoft Band and a previous owner of a FitBit, I can personally say I'm excited that Fossil took the fashion approach to make these trackers look good and still do all the cool things we've come to expect from our connected devices.
Several articles I read gave readers the impression that this is Fossil's first entrance into the smartwatch/connected device realm, which is true for this decade. However those of us in the know will remember that Fossil was a very early adopter of connected devices as early as 2003/04 with the MSN Direct watches from both Fossil and Abacus. As mobile phones became smarter in the mid-00's, Fossil even released a bluetooth enabled watch (FX6001) that received text messages on your watch along with caller ID. Sadly the watch only worked on Sony Ericsson phones from the period, but it still looks cool and occasionally it's worn.
As a techie and a watch nerd I give you 3 watches + 1 random cool one from my personal collection that I would classify as early examples of Fossil's entrance into this space. I wish nothing but the best for Q and maybe a review will be forthcoming this holiday season once the Founder is available.....wink wink nudge nudge.
Pictured below are the:
- Fossil Dick Tracy FX3002 watch featuring WristNet for MSN Direct. MSN Direct was a wireless service that allowed news, weather, messages and sports coming into your watch. In 2004 that was a BIG DEAL and it was $275
- Fossil Called ID FX6001 bluetooth watch.
- Abacus Smart Watch AU4004 featuring WristNet for MSN Direct. Almost the same watch as the Dick Tracy model minus all the coolness. It was marketed as Smart Watch all the way back in 2005.
- Abacus AU4008 Atomic Watch - not really a smart watch, but I'm fascinated with Atomic Watches and this watch uses its global reception to access the correct time from the Atomic Clocks located in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. Great for the global traveler -- I will say it didn't work in India!
