Smartwatches are high-tech and tough watches designed to withstand extreme elements to meet the needs of adventurous men and women in unforeseen circumstances while outdoors. By dictionary definition a smart watch is “a mobile device with a touchscreen display, designed to be worn on the wrist.”

Smartwatches should have particular characteristics built for severe outdoor conditions and intense sports circumstances in order to achieve the toughness standards. Shock and water resistance, chronometer, backlight and luminosity, solar capacity, GPS and satellite tracking, climate and weather tracking, and compass are among the difficult characteristics.

More essential, your smartwatches must be dependable and legible. You must ensure that you can rely on your watch at all times and in all places. Some people prefer a digital watch for its accuracy and ease of viewing. Others, on the other hand, acquire a sense of the time simply by seeing the hands of a watch move on the dial. That manner, people may simply modify their pace or momentum to achieve their goals.

When you’re out hiking or exercising outdoors where you need to be able to tell the time accurately, go for a smart watch with a quartz movement. This way, you won’t have to worry about your watch stopping in the middle of an activity, or rewinding it to start if you have a mechanical watch. Quartz watches are more accurate simply because they are less sensitive to changes in elements and temperature.

Smartwatches that run on quartz movement can bear environmental and physical impacts better than mechanical watches. So, these shocks have little effect on the accuracy of the watch.

Smartwatches should be able to withstand not just environmental shocks and fluctuations but also regular wear and tear. This goes without saying that the case and body of your watch need to be strong and highly durable. For the case, resin and stainless steel are preferred because they can protect the inside of the watch better.

The strap should either be rubber, nylon, or stainless steel. As for the crystal used to protect the dial, sapphire is considered the most durable and scratch-resistant. You don’t want your watch to have scratches on the dial because it will be difficult for you to read the time and information on it. Among the things that you should take note of is proof of tests done for its durability.

One of the reasons you need a good Smartwatch is for you to be able to tell the time easily even in the dark or difficult situations, such as in the middle of climbing inside a cave or swimming in the dark. So, you need your dial to be designed in such a way that you can get the information you need at a glance. At the same time, vital features such as the hand and hour markers need to be luminous in the dark. They should be coated with luminescent paint.

Most brands use Super-Luminova, a fluorescent material that is used to make watch features glow in the dark for maximum legibility. This is a required feature for all smart watches so that you’ll be able to tell the time in the dark without using your other hand to switch any backlight buttons. When you’re holding a gun, driving, or jogging — you need to be able to tell the time or get information from your watch just by tilting your wrist towards you.

The most important feature of a smartwatch is, of course, accuracy. In team sports or if you are competing you need to be able to rely on the accuracy of your watch.. As mentioned above, quartz watches are better suited for tactical watches because of their precision and accuracy, as well as their ability to withs and environmental and physical shocks.

• Compass. A built-in compass in the watch helps you navigate and identify locations so you are able to find your way even in the middle of the outdoors in an unfamiliar location, or even in the dark or whiteout conditions.

• GPS. With a GPS in your watch, you can customise your smartwatch to get the information you need, whether for specific sports or fitness goals or, when you are on a hiking trail. The built-in GPS can help you with navigation, data logging, fitness/movement tracking, and other specific sports assistance.

• Altimeter. The altimeter or the altitude meter helps to measure your current elevation or altitude level, track your ascent or descent, and gauge your overall progress on a climb.

• Barometer. The barometer is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment, which allows you to forecast changes in the weather. If your watch has a built-in barometer, it will be easy for you to monitor air pressure changes to determine if there’s any upcoming storm, etc.