The gorgeous Guess Connect Touch will make you love rose gold again, but the good thing is that if it doesn’t, there’s a wide choice of alternatives.
Are you at the point where you don’t want to see another rose gold tech product? We’ve had iPhones, Tag Heuer Carrera Connected watches, and many others in the hue, after all. Don’t be too hasty, because we were suffering from rose gold overload as well, until we put the new Guess Connect Touch smartwatch on. It comes in rose gold and blue, and we fell instantly in love. Maybe it was the glitzy surroundings of Baselworld 2017 where we first saw the watch, the eye-catching design, or maybe it just went well with our shirt at the time; either way it’s a head-turning combination that has reignited our love for the color.
There are eight different Guess-designed watch faces, each with unique ambient modes.
Guess is no stranger to wearable tech. It started out working with Martian several years ago to create hybrid smart watches, and has recently brought Amazon’s Alexa voice control to the range. The Guess Connect Touch is its first full smartwatch, utilizing Google’s new Android Wear 2.0 operating system, and combining it with a wide range of body styles for men and women. Guess really understands one watch style isn’t enough.
There are six 44mm styles for men, six 41mm models for women, and another four 41mm models that are considered unisex. The main difference between the unisex and women’s watches is the addition of clear crystal stones around the bezel on the latter. The unisex versions have a polished look instead. Guess also makes 10 different alternative straps for women, and five for men, increasing the customization options even further. It doesn’t end there either, as there are eight different Guess-designed watch faces, each with unique ambient modes. All are based on analog watch faces, and there are five designs for women, and three for men.
Fashion brand knowledge
Do you see a theme here? Guess has definitely thought about women with the Connect Touch, and it’s no surprise due to women making up 70 percent of its global customer base. Why so many choices? Guess doesn’t expect you to only own one watch. “Fashionable girls have a wardrobe of watches,” Annie Santo, Guess Watches vice president of Global Marketing, told Digital Trends, adding that having a different watch for different outfits is highly desirable.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Built using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 2100 platform and Android Wear 2.0, the Connect Touch is as up to date as smartwatches get. It also has Google Assistant onboard. However, it doesn’t have GPS, 4G LTE, or a heart rate sensor. This is a relatively simple smartwatch that focuses on style rather than technology. However, the touchscreen was bright and responsive, and Android Wear 2.0 is a vast improvement over the first version, meaning it’s still a perfectly capable smart device.
While we loved the rose gold version, it’s impossible to deny its flashiness, and it may not go with all outfits. Luckily, Guess’s range is extensive, and a solid black version caught our eye, along with a women’s version in silver with a denim strap. Guess as a brand is synonymous with denim, and the combination looked great. We tried on the rose gold model, and it was lightweight and comfortable — exactly what we want for everyday wear.
Competitively priced
More fashion and luxury brands are launching smartwatches, and prices can vary wildly. Does the Guess name mean the Connect Touch is unobtainable? No, the 41mm versions will start at $300 and the 44mm models at $350 when they launch around September or October this year. Many luxury smartwatches cost three or four times that amount, yet don’t always look as good, making the Connect Touch very tempting.
More: Our first take review of the Montblanc Summit smartwatch
What we really like is that if you’re reading this and hating the rose gold and blue look — incidentally, the color scheme has been Guess’s best seller for three years on its analog range of watches — it doesn’t matter. It’s easy to choose another one, because Guess is approaching the Connect Touch like a fashion brand, not a technology company, and that’s excellent news for us.
Highs:
- Wide choice of style
- Versions for men and women
- Android Wear 2.0
- Competitively priced
Lows:
- Missing specs like GPS available on comparable smartwatches