Health, ECG, sleep: what the ScanWatch still knows how to do very well

This is where the first Withings ScanWatch remains interesting in 2025. It doesn't have all the new toys of generation 2, but on heart, oxygen and sleep, it remains very solid.

ECG and cardiac monitoring: the heart under surveillance, without paranoid

The original ScanWatch has an ECG (electrocardiogram) and heart rate sensor that work together to monitor your rhythm.

Concretely, you can:

• launch a manual ECG from the watch,
• have an alert if your heart rate is too high or too low,
• track your daily cardio in the Health Mate app.

It is useful for detecting warning signals (such as atrial fibrillation), but it obviously does not replace a doctor. The watch helps identify a potential problem, it does not provide a diagnosis, and that is how it should be presented. The ECG of the original ScanWatch already used clinically validated algorithms (medical CE certification), which sets it apart from less serious gadgets, even in 2025.

In short: for a first health watch, the ScanWatch's ECG remains completely credible, even today.

SpO2 and breathing: useful, yes. Magic, no.

The ScanWatch also measures oxygen saturation (SpO2). You can take a one-off measurement or let the watch use this data in its sleep and breathing analyses.

Important :

• an isolated SpO2 figure is useless if you don't know how to interpret it;
• it’s the trend, the repeated drops, the nocturnal dips that interest your doctor.

Here again, the watch provides data, not a diagnosis.

Sleep and sleep apnea: the big strong point of the ScanWatch

The ScanWatch was designed from the start for sleep and nighttime breathing. It follows:

• sleep cycles (light/deep),
• interruptions,
• nighttime heart rate,
• breathing, with an indication of disturbance which can point to a risk of sleep apnea.

Does the watch “diagnose” sleep apnea? No.Can it trigger a real consultation because you discover very fragmented nights, drops in SpO2 or a poor breathing score? Yes, clearly.

It avoids fantasies, of course, but frankly, it doesn't avoid medical consultation if the disturbance index figures are bad, and that's the goal, right?

Frankly, for someone who wants to understand what's going on at night without turning into a data geek, the original ScanWatch remains a very consistent tool.

To go further on the health part:

Sport, GPS, activity: where the first ScanWatch shows its limits

This is the chapter where we break the dream a little.

Daily activity: great for walking, moving, climbing stairs

For the basics – number of steps, approximate calories, detection of activity such as walking, light running, urban cycling – the ScanWatch does the job without any hassle.

It reminds you to move, tracks your daily activity, and gives you an overall trend. For someone coming out of a bare wrist, that's already a huge shift in awareness.

Serious sport: this is not its specifications

Here, we must be very clear:

• no integrated GPS;
• no advanced metrics for running;
• no serious outdoor mode like trail with detailed elevation, segments, etc.

You can get away with:

• a 30–40 minute jog in town (with GPS on the phone next to it),
• a little leisurely cycling,
• some training sessions in the gym.

But if you run semis, if you're preparing for a marathon, if you want to analyze your pace, if you go to the mountains without a phone... That's a bad idea. You will be better served by a real sports watch like Garmin or Coros, or a more robust outdoor watch.

Bulk :– yes for daily activity and “healthy lifestyle” sport;– no if your main objective is sport and track precision.