NORTH EDGE Laker Bluetooth Smart Watch

Smart tracking without the fragile, thirsty touchscreen.

Most smartwatches do not last long where you work. The glass cracks on a ladder rail, the screen washes out in midday sun, and if you forget the charger the whole thing is a dead weight by Tuesday.

The NORTH EDGE Laker runs the other way. It is a chunky digital watch first: metal housing, hardened mineral glass, real buttons and an FSTN display that stays on around the clock. The battery is a standard CR2430 coin cell you replace yourself, so there is no nightly charge and no cable to lose.

The smart part rides on top. Pair it with your phone over Bluetooth and it counts steps, distance and calories, flags incoming calls and messages, and takes a heart-rate reading when you ask for one. Off-grid tourer, deckhand or shift worker, it does the job without babysitting.

What It Does

• Stays readable: the FSTN screen is always on, so the time and your step count are just there, in full sun, no wrist-flick.
• Tracks the basics: counts steps, distance and calories on the watch and syncs them to the supplier's Sports+ app over Bluetooth.
• Keeps you reachable: incoming call, SMS and app alerts such as WhatsApp show on the display while the phone stays in your pocket.
• Spot-checks heart rate: an optical sensor in the caseback takes static and dynamic readings on demand.
• Swims with you: water resistant to 50 m (5 ATM), so rain, wash-downs and surface swimming are all fine.

Key Features

• Full metal housing: solid metal case with hardened, wear-resistant mineral glass over the display.
• Runs on a coin cell: user-replaceable CR2430 battery, so there is no charging cable and no dock to forget.
• Four-button operation: real buttons that keep working with wet hands and gloves, where touchscreens give up.
• Backlit for night work: one press lights the display for pre-dawn starts and night watches.
• Stopwatch and alarm: stopwatch runs to 23:59:59, plus alarm and 12/24 hour time.
• Remote camera control: trigger your phone's camera from the watch.
• Switchable units: distance reads in kilometres, with a mile option on the display.
• Heavy-duty silicone strap: ventilated strap that copes with sweat, salt and sunscreen.

Limits

• Not a dive watch: the 50 m (5 ATM) rating covers rain, wash-downs and surface swimming. Scuba, water skiing and other high-speed water sports are out, and so are hot showers and spas; heat and pressure spikes are what get past watch seals.
• Not a touchscreen smartwatch: there is no GPS, no maps, no music and no apps on the watch itself. Notifications are read-only alerts; you cannot reply from your wrist.
• Heart rate is a guide: the wrist sensor suits training spot checks. It is not a medical device and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.
• No compass, altimeter or barometer: the Laker tracks movement and heart rate; if you are picking a watch for navigation, pick an ABC model instead.
• Sleep tracking unconfirmed: some seller listings mention it, but it does not appear on the supplier's own function panel, so we do not claim it.
• Samsung phones: the supplier states the Sports+ app may not work on some Samsung models.

Q & A

Do I have to charge it?

No. It runs on a standard CR2430 coin cell you can replace yourself, the same way as an ordinary digital watch. The supplier does not publish a battery-life figure, so we will not invent one.

Can I swim with it?

Yes, surface swimming sits within the 50 m (5 ATM) rating. Keep it out of spas and hot showers, leave it behind for diving, and rinse it in fresh water after the ocean.

Does it work with my phone?

It pairs over Bluetooth with the supplier's Sports+ app on Android and iOS. The supplier notes the app may not work on some Samsung models.

Is the screen a touchscreen?

No, and on this watch that is the point. Four physical buttons run everything, and they keep working with wet hands or gloves on.

What notifications does it show?

Incoming calls, SMS and app messages such as WhatsApp and Facebook. It is an alert on the display, not a conversation; you read it there, then deal with it from the phone.

Specs