One of the most challenging jobs out there is that of a construction worker. They work hard in harsh conditions involving working in high altitudes, accident-prone environments, and far-off remote areas. Wearing a smartwatch was a dream that these workers could never be fulfilled.
Due to the nature of their job, their watches are very likely to get damaged as it’s sensitive electronic devices. Earlier, smartwatches were not too robust to withstand the wear and tear of use, especially for construction workers.
With time smartwatches evolved a lot, and manufacturers started giving importance to the quality of raw materials used in these watches. This eventually led to the emergence of smartwatches in the market that are stronger and more prone to breakage.
I remember doing a lot of research to get a smartwatch under $150 for one of my uncles, a construction worker. I learned numerous things throughout this process, and here I am with a guide to share all the information gathered with you.
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Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Heavy Duty
Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch is one of the best fitness watches for outdoor activities and tracking. It has managed to secure the top position for the longest time, and sports enthusiasts and fitness lovers worldwide have relied on it.
Be it the diversified tracking features of the watch or its fitness characteristics; no watch can beat this one. What makes it even more remarkable is its strengthened construction and high-quality design.
Quick Features
- Design & Display
- Power Manager
- Battery Life
- Heart Rate Zone & PacePro
- Multiple Screens
The Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch is a chunky watch with a large-sized dial. The watch’s overall design seems appropriate for people indulging in hardcore physical work.
Over time, Garmin has worked on its on-screen display. The watch comes with five buttons on all sides collectively. You will also find screws on the bezel of this watch.
One exciting thing about the display of the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch is that you can easily see and read the text on the watch no matter what your outside conditions are, making it an ideal smartwatch for working men.
The power manager feature of the watch makes it easier for you to handle the power usage of your gadget. In addition to getting the standard icon for battery percentage and the remaining power in the watch, you get much more on this watch.
It also lets you know of the battery remaining in your watch as per hours and days. This way, you can easily manage battery usage by closing some apps and using others that don’t consume too much battery.
As the construction workers aren’t sure of their working hours, and it can take them several hours and even days to finally get back home, they need a device to survive these conditions. Most importantly, the watch needs a longer battery life for a hassle-free working experience.
Thanks to the long battery life of the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch that can last for several days, you can focus solely on your work. Its battery can run continuously for up to 25 hours at maximum usage. The Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch can run comfortably for even 10 days without a charger.
Depending on the degree of physical work you are involved in, the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch comes with a heart rate zone.
Using the sensors on the watch, it monitors your heart rate continuously and allows you to color in the heart rate zone depending on the heartbeat. The red zone points to excessive running or physical activity advising the users to take a break.
Another exciting feature of the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch is the PacePro app. It is helpful for racers as the app makes racing plans for them with goals every few miles. All you need to do is set a target and decide your pace, and the PacePro app will make a plan for you depending on these requirements.
For people who don’t want to waste their time viewing each activity monitoring separately, the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch has a fantastic feature on the go.
Thanks to the larger screen size of the watch, you can now adjust eight different activities together on the circular screen. This way, you can monitor them all at a glance and carry on your daily chores easily.
Traits of the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch
- The PacePro app makes racing fun with short goals.
- It comes with a heart rate zone for heartbeat monitoring
- You get a considerable battery life of up to a week or 10 days
- You can view eight activities on a single screen
Drawbacks of the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch
- It is expensive
- The watch is not too stylish
In addition to keeping track of long-term goals and activities, the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch is equally functional regarding daily goals. You can also track your overall body energy and metrics on the watch. Overall, it’s a reliable watch with all the features you want from a fitness watch.
Some downsides of the watch are that you need to pay a considerable amount of money to get it and it’s not too stylish compared to other watches in the town.
Polar Grit X Smartwatch
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With so many advanced smartwatches in the market coming with all the extraordinary features you can ever ask for, no one cares about the watches with moderate-level characteristics. But these mid-level watches get all the user’s attention when they are on a tight budget.
The Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch is also one of these mid-range watches. When it comes to features, though, it is equipped with more advanced features compared to other high-end watches.
Quick Features
- Strong Build Quality
- Feedback
- Battery Health
- Polar Flow System
- Harsh Conditions
The Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch is on the margin line for being a solid watch and comfortable at the same time. Its robust build quality is enough to pass all the strict durability tests, and its frame and wrist rest are also quite comfortable.
The same goes for the strap that’s made using high-quality raw materials and is prone to damage but comfortable simultaneously. Due to this, wearing the watch for long hours gets even easier for outdoor workers.
In addition to accessing all the physical activities of the users using different apps, for instance, the FitSpark app is known to recommend other workouts for recovery, Training Load Pro keeps a check on the impact of your physical efforts and training sessions, and Sleep plus Stages and Nightly Recharge keep a check on your sleeping schedule.
After collecting all the data from these apps, you are provided with feedback on what areas need improvement and what ones you can compromise on lately. This helps you get to a proper regime and achieve your physical well-being goals.
The Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch features a battery health of 346mAh. Though this battery health is meant to last for 25 to 30 hours on paper, the reality is otherwise. You can freely use this watch for around four to five days without charging it. If you indulge in hardcore work during this time and use heavy apps continuously, the battery may drain a little earlier.
Another feature on the hat of the Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch is the polar flow system. On syncing with the watch, this system will provide you with all the data you will ever need.
It ranges from the data compensating the activity totals to sleep reports, training plans, progress charts, and other reports so you can access your goals and progress quickly.
The Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch is the best smartwatch for outdoor work as it can survive harsh conditions well. The sapphire glass protection over the transflective display of the watch makes it wear-resistant to 328 feet.
The watch can even operate in low weather conditions. I wore this smartwatch on one of my trips to cold regions, and while climbing the hill, I did bump into several stones. The watch not only survived well between -4 to 122 Fahrenheit but also survived the whole journey without any scratch, proving to be an ideal scratchproof smartwatch.
Traits of the Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch
- Sturdy design that can survive harsh conditions well
- The watch provides you with in-depth analysis and feedback
- You can avail yourself of the responsive training sessions
- The polar flow app is the best
Drawbacks of the Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch
- It doesn’t feature Spotify
- You cannot get offline navigation on the watch
The Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch is more of a mixed purchase. For anyone wanting the perfect navigation system to reach the desired destination or people wanting to examine and access their fitness goals for an improved regime, the Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch is undoubtedly a great fit.
But the watch does come with some flaws too. For instance, you can’t use Spotify, and it doesn’t provide you with navigation when offline. For these features, you can get the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch paying some extra bucks.
Fossil Gen 6 TouchScreen
With the emergence of Alexa in the market, Google Assistant became a vital part of every house. People started looking for ways to give voice commands to their gadgets. Smartwatch manufacturers also went on the mission to introduce Alexa in their watches. The Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch is a result of these efforts. With this outdoor watch, you will now have Alexa in your hand.
Quick features
- Performance
- Sensors
- Extended Battery Mode
- Water Resistance
- Storage
The Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch is a feature-rich smartwatch with a 1.25-inch screen and AMOLED display. It is one of the fastest and best-performing watches out there due to the high-quality processor installed in it. The Snapdragon Wear 4100 is the processor it comes with, along with 1GB RAM for improved speed.
Like all other smartwatches in the market, the Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch also comes with a wide range of sensors. These include the heartbeat monitoring sensor, which provides the precise and accurate measurement of your heart rate. There is also a SpO2 sensor in the watch to track the blood oxygen level in your body.
You get multiple other sensors, including the gyroscope, compass, accelerometer, ambient light sensors, and others in the watch. Each is meant to give you a different rating, so you know your body and what’s up with it.
In addition to being equipped with good battery health that makes the watch last for over 24 hours with all the heavy apps running, you get an extended battery mode, which resembles the battery saver mode in your phones and laptops.
With the extended mode enabled in your watch, all the apps consuming the maximum power are automatically turned off. You will only be allowed to use light apps that don’t use too much energy. This way, your watch’s battery can last even longer.
For workers functioning in areas closer to water tides, a watch that can withstand water pressure and is waterproof is needed. Thanks to the 3 ATM water resistance of the Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch, you can also wear it too watery places.
If you are someone who loves listening to music on the go, the Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch is the best gadget for you. You cannot only connect your audio device to the watch to easily listen to your playlists but can also download the playlists on the watch so you can listen to them later.
The watch has 8 GB of storage and can use music-playing apps like Spotify. Using the microphone on the watch, you can give your watch a voice command to play your favorite songs. This way, you can quickly fulfill your dose of entertainment with the Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch.
Traits of the Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch
- The always-on display of the watch is pretty bright
- You get Alexa inside the watch
- It comes with 3 ATM water resistance
- The extended battery mode adds to the overall battery health of the watch
Drawbacks of the Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch
- The Operating System, i.e., Wear OS, is not the best
- You won’t get multiple customization options
For people wanting a watch that is suitable to be worn in water and has multiple apps for tracking their activities at a reasonable price, the Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch is the perfect purchase. Though it doesn’t come with the latest OS and has few customization options, getting the watch is still no harm because of its fast performance.
Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch for navigation and polar flow app, while the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch is a high-end watch featuring several ratings on a single screen.
Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Smart Watch
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The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch is made to keep the classic look in mind. It’s one of the best-recommended gadgets for users wanting a watch that’s a perfect combo of retro and modern. This watch comes in two different designs. One is the leather strap, and the other is a fluoroelastomer. Depending on the usage, you can pick any one of them. The second one, conversely, is an ideal Fitbit for construction workers.
Quick Features
- Android and iPhone
- Affordable
- Zepp OS
- Music Player
- Assistants
One feature of the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch that has increased its user base significantly is its compatibility with both Android and iOS phones. Unlike most of the watches out there that are compatible either with an Android phone or an iPhone, limiting its features with the other one, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch works in its full potency with both Operating Systems.
Finding an affordable smartwatch is arduous, especially if you don’t want to compromise on its unique features. The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch has all the features you can ask for at an affordable price. From sports and fitness tracking features to sleep tracking, GPS, and other sensors, you get it all at a reasonable price.
The main highlight of the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch is its Zepp OS. This is introduced in the watch to improve the performance front and its interface. Unlike the previous Amazfit apps with complex features, most of which are controlled by the Power Button, the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch is different.
You can find the Zepp store on your phone and download the apps you find helpful. But all the high-end apps that you mostly think of aren’t available on the Zepp store. Fortunately, the manufacturers are thinking of improving the store and introducing some new features in addition to watch faces. So, you can also expect some more recent additions to the store.
The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch is a treat for music lovers. In addition to featuring music controls, it also features a built-in music player. You can easily keep and play anywhere between 250 to 500 songs on the watch. To keep the songs on the watch, however, you must download all the songs on your phone first.
You can easily control the watch on the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch with a voice command. It features two assistants that respond to your order and perform accordingly. One of them is the Zepp official assistant, who is active even when you are offline. Controlling the music, and monitoring the fitness controls, are some of the functions you can control with this assistant.
When online, you can also use the Alexa assistant on the watch. It makes the whole process of answering calls, recognizing your queries, and providing you with answers relatively hassle-free. No one can even think of getting an Alexa assistant at such an affordable price.
Traits of the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch
- The design of the watch is pretty attractive
- It comes enriched with multiple fitness features
- The watch features an intuitive interface and is easy to use
- Both Zepp OS assistant and Alexa assistant make it super reliable
Drawbacks of the Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch
- You won’t get all the apps you want on this watch
- Its sleep-tracking feature is not precise
The Amazfit GTR 3 Pro Heavy Duty Smartwatch is a user-friendly watch with all its apps and features focusing solely on user convenience. Getting your hands on this watch isn’t a big deal as it’s available in the market at a reasonable price. My brother owns this watch, too, and I love stealing it whenever I get the chance.
Some disadvantages of the watch include the lack of all the apps you need and the inaccurate sleep-tracking monitor. The Fossil Gen 6 Alexa Built-In Smartwatch is another watch you can get if you are into retro gadgets.
The Polar Grit X Premium Strong Smartwatch is a good fit for users wanting affordable luxury. For those needing all the features, even if they have to pay a lot of money, the Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch makes a great purchase.
How to get the best smartwatch for construction workers?
Chasing perfection is not the best thing you can do when getting a smartwatch for yourself if you are a construction worker. But it’s always beneficial to find a nearly perfect watch with all the features you need and want. This buying guide will make the buying phase a lot easier for you.
· GPS
As workers aren’t always sure about the site they will work on, a GPS feature in the watch will significantly help them. While purchasing a watch, always prioritize the one providing the best navigation so you can reach your destination easily in no time. You can even download the whole map and use it offline on some digital watches.
· Water and Dust Resistance
Though smartwatches are not entirely prone to water or dust, you can always try to get a product that is less likely to get damaged. Before buying a watch, do the water and dust resistance test, if possible, and get the one you are most optimistic about.
· Shock Resistance
Unfortunately, very few smartwatches in the market are shock-resistant. What you can best do in this case is get a watch equipped with a gorilla glass display or another protective glass sheet over the actual transparent glass. This way, the accurate display is significantly less likely to get damaged.
· Altimeter
Usually, these outdoor workers work at a considerable height from the sea. An altimeter in the watch will give them their precise height from the sea so they can manage their tasks accordingly.
· Other Features
Some other features you need to consider while getting a smartwatch include a compass so you don’t lose direction easily, a barometer, easy to use interface, music storage, a high notification alert, so you don’t miss out, a health and fitness tracker, along with some other features.
FAQs
i. Are construction workers allowed to wear smartwatches?
Yes, construction workers can wear a smartwatch robust enough to tolerate the wear and tear of time and weather. But they need to take full responsibility for any damage that might happen to their gadget.
ii. Is a smartwatch necessary for construction work?
As construction workers usually function in remote sites where they can’t track their heart rate, blood oxygen level, and even their surrounding environmental condition, a smartwatch can keep them connected to the outer world.
iii. Can a smartwatch be helpful for outdoor adventures?
Yes, a smartwatch comes with several valuable features making your outdoor adventures even more fun. You can also track your progress along with having fun.
Summing it up!
I wrote this article so you can quickly get the best smartwatch for yourself. I hope that at least one of the watches I have recommended above fits your needs so you can get your dream watch without further delay.
But if none of my recommendations suits your needs, you can always go through the buying guide, make a list of your own containing the features you want, and set to the market to buy the most suitable watch.
The Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Rough Smartwatch is my favorite watch as it has multiple sensors you will need in harsh conditions. Its battery health is also pretty good for surviving demanding environments, and you get all the fitness features required to be monitored for maintaining a healthy life.
You can find the one suiting your needs the most and get it before it stocks out!
