Over the past years, we’ve seen analog luxury watch brands jump on the smartwatch train by releasing their own versions for that segment of the market looking for quality and technology. They have embraced that this category is not competition but an opportunity to further expand their market. Citizen is one of the latest to do so as they have released their first digital display smartwatch called CZ Smart. Powered by Google’s Wear OS, this smartwatch is for those who want to monitor their health and still have that fashionable device on their wrist.
When it comes to the smartwatch’s aesthetic, the CZ Smart keep what the brand has been famous for over the years, but with an emphasis on the sportier models. It has thick bezels on its 46mm body, crafted in stainless steel and with a 1.28” AMOLED display with 416×416 resolution. You have the option to use several straps including a gunmetal ion-plated bracelet, a black silicone strap, and a blue silicone strap. It has proprietary and customizable dials as well.
Since this is running on Wear by OS, you get access to various apps and services from the Google Play Store. You get support for Google Assistant, Google Pay, and Google Fit and pre-installed third-party apps like Spotify, Noonlight, and Strava. You get all the usual notifications you get from smartwatches like incoming calls, texts, emails, calendars, social media notifications, etc. You also have a built-in speaker and microphone so you can take calls directly.
For those who want to monitor their health, there are advanced built-in sensors like the accelerometer, heart rate monitor, compass, barometer, and gyroscope. Connection-wise you have Bluetooth, WiFi, NFC, and GPS. The rechargeable battery can supposedly last for 24 hours but also has several multi-day modes. It has 8GB of storage and a water resistance of 3ATM. It is powered by the Snapdragon Wear 3100 which is good enough although not the latest processor available.
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The CZ Smart is priced at $359 and is available on the Citizen website. It is of course a bit pricey compared to other devices with similar specs but it is expected from luxury watch brands that branch out into smartwatches.
