The 13 Best Smartwatches for Men 2020 Are About Form as Well as Function

Switzerland, though known for its enduring neutrality in times of conflict, found itself a little ticked off when smartwatches hit the border. For this nation of fine, meticulously made Swiss watch purism was seemingly under siege from a threat. This wasn't a passing fad. Smartwatches were gaining traction.

So if you can't beat them? Yes. That's right. You join them. Which is exactly what some of the most classic watch marques have done, loading timepieces with tech to rival all the blue sky thinkers out in San Fran. There's lots of options, then: smartwatches that look like the smartwatches of near-future vision, and the smartwatches that look like the traditional watches from the days of yore. There are a few in-between, too.

That is, perhaps, too much choice. And such a purchase is riddled with tech-speak that can foggy up the matter further: what's the difference between a fully digital watch, and an 'optimised' analog? Do you really need measurements of your sleeping pattern? And how does FaceTime even work on a watch anyway?

To answer these questions, and more, we've picked through the best smartwatches on the market to suit your no doubt very busy, hectic and urbane lifestyle.

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Best for: iPhone Purists

The Apple Watch. Also known as patient zero. As the Church of Jobs swooned, Switzerland shuddered – and with good reason. This game-changing smartwatch sold a staggering 15 million units upon its release.

So why the popularity? Well, it's Apple for a start. But there's merit behind the marketing, with the Series 6 boasting multiple vital sensors (now including blood oxygen monitoring), a robust operating system and customisation options with the likes of Hermès – all of which is a huge improvement since the first generation of 2015.

Apple Watch Series 6, £399, johnlewis.com

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Best for: Budget-conscious iPhone purists

The Series 6's budget-friendly little brother is ideal for those looking to monitor their fitness, rather than their entire life. As well as those saved pennies, you get all the expected health and exercise tracking (heart rate, step counts, calories) plus keep tabs your progress. If you can live without an always-on display and blood oxygen readings, then get the Apple Watch SE.

Apple Watch SE, £269, johnlewis.com

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Best for: health obsessives

Reliable, sleekly designed and feature-packed, this is the smartwatch for the health nerds. The Fitbit Sense will track your usuals – heart rate, activity – and your unexpected vitals – stress levels, skin temperature. You can keep tabs of everything in the integrated Health Metrics Dashboard, which is your one-stop shop to either peace of mind or sleepless nights. Oh, it'll track those, too.

Fitbit Sense, £299, amazon.co.uk

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Best for: Futurists

The Swiss effort to assimilate tech into classic designs is a noble one. Emporio Armani however, has done the reverse, leaning into the whole AI vitals analysis vibe of Blade Runner 2049, and creating a rubber and aluminium case to match. Powered by OS, this 44.5mm smartwatch is swim-proof and features heart rate tracking and GPS, as well as a fully personalised dial and interchangeable watch band.

Rubber & Aluminium Smartwatch; £258; armani.com

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Best for: Android users

Apple users haven’t got to think too hard about their choice of smartwatch. It’s not so simple for Android users: the smartwatch world is basically the Apple Watch, then everything else for non-iOS users. The latest entry into that busy market floor is the Honor Magic Watch 2.

This super-slim, pleasingly-designed sports watch features an excellent battery life, lasting two weeks on one charge, and a full menu of features including Bluetooth calls, music playback, sleep, stress and heart rate monitoring, alongside GPS tracking. Its water resistance (to 50m) and lack of bulk make it an excellent fitness monitor. All this, plus an ‘always on’ display, which levels the playing field with those smug Apple Watch Series 5 owners.

Honor Watch Magic 2; £132; amazon.co.uk

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Best for: Organisers

Chances are you've never heard of Ticwatch, the wearable tech line-up from Chinese AI company Mobvoi – but if you're in the market for an powerful and affordable all-rounder, then we recommend you check them out.

The design itself is pretty unremarkable, but the 30-day battery life, high contrast LCD (anti-fingerprint) screen, military standard durability and accurate health measuring features are up there with the best.

Ticwatch Pro 2020; £194.60; amazon.co.uk

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Best for: forward-thinking classicists

Another step into the smartwatch world by one of luxury horology's big boys, Hublot's Big Bang E takes the brand's craftsmanship and adds smart guts, courtesy of Google's Wear OS. In other words, this is a smartwatch for people with more than one understanding of the word 'smart'.

Hublot Big Bang E, from £4,300, hublot.com

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Best for: Understated cool

A classic chronograph combined with state-of-the-art smartwatch technology, the 45mm TAG Heuer Connected (water resistant to 50 metres) features a stainless steel case, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and an ultra-light black ceramic bezel.

It's not just the design that's clean, but also the full touch screen interface: it's easy to navigate and features a number of super accurate health monitors, including calorie, heart rate, GPS and sleep tracking.

TAG Heuer Connected 2020; £1,495; goldsmiths.co.uk

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Best for: Minimalists

Smartwatches can look clunky. We like the minimalist display of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active2, which offers minor upgrades on its predecessor (though a curious function allows you to snap a photo of yourself, then the watch will put together a watch face to match your outfit).

There’s automatic workout detection, with a real-time running coach allowing you to set targets and prompt you when you veer off track. The digital bezel is a new twist on an age-old design.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2; £226.15; amazon.co.uk

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Best for: Swiss aficionados

Combining conservative Swiss sentiments with high-tech functionality is difficult, though not impossible. Just ask Montblanc: a storied European maison that released the Summit Smartwatch to praise from both sides of the aisle.

The watch itself has the appearance of Montblanc's mainline, yet hides some thoroughly modern touches underneath, namely full music download capabilities and super quick performance from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor.

Summit 2 Smartwatch, £1,040, jurawatches.co.uk

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Best for: The action man

As with all things Breitling, the Exospace B55 Yachting - the brand's first connected chronograph - is very much for the would-be adventurer; the sort that prefers abseiling down a ravine to two weeks in Barbados.

No bad thing, of course, especially when you look at the features on offer: digital and perpetual calendar, up to seven independent daily alarms and full smartphone compatibility. You'll have to buy your own fedora and whip, though.

Exospace B55 Yachting, £5,810, breitling.com

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Best for: Undercover tech

Tech is useful. And it's also utterly unavoidable. Still, many of the boffins behind essential gadgetry don't really consider aesthetics - or at least they didn't until Mondaine stepped in.

The Helvetica MH1B2S20RB continues the brand's minimalist (and achingly cool) signature, but simply hides smartphone compatibility and a multitude of tracking features beneath.

Helvetica MH1B2S20RB, £612, watchshop.com

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Best for: Keeping it classic

Few smartwatches can double up as smart-casual material. Fossil however, has managed to kill two ticks with one watch: the Gen 5 Smartwatch.

Based upon versatile brown leather, this watch offers all the mod cons you'd expect, but gets more flexible still thanks to an interchangeable strap mechanism.

Gen 5 Smartwatch, £279, fossil.com