Névo watch takes on Withings Activité by 'putting tech in the background'

We could kick off this story with a lazy stereotype, saying something like, "Typical French, they even have to make smartwatches super stylish," but we won't; we're better than that.

What we will say is that Névo, like its French counterpart Withings, is prepping a slick looking analogue-style smartwatch for the ever-expanding wearables market.

The Névo watch packs in, just like the Withings Activité, activity tracking; hidden beneath the exterior of a regular looking timepiece. The premium stainless steel and leather finish is certainly a far cry from some (not naming names) rubber and plastic smartwatches that we've come across.

Review: Withings Activité

Joseph Casto, communications director for the Lille based company explained to Wareable:

"We know that activity tracking can solve an important problem for people; helping to develop healthy habits to improve health, but to really become part of our lives we need to put the technology in the background and design beautiful products that people actually want to wear and incorporate into their own personal style."

The company states "form and function should coexist and that people want activity accessories that don’t look or feel like cheap gadgets," and we totally agree. That's why we're so enamoured with the gorgeous looking Activité and it's why our ears pricked up when we first heard of the Névo watch.

And it's not just an Activité rival either. Whereas the Withings effort uses a secondary analogue dial to display activity achievements against goals, the Névo uses a Fitbit Flex-esque LED light indicator to visualise progress.

Wareable verdict: Withings Activité Pop review

And, like the Cogito smartwatches, it also offers basic smartphone notifications as it can pair with your mobile using Bluetooth 4.0.

In terms of activity the Névo tracks steps, swims, calories burned, and sleep and the companion app has a social sports aspect to it, we're told.

Battery power is via a regular CR2016 coin, so you can expect a life cycle of around six months. The Névo is also water and shock resistant.

There's no word on pricing as of yet but we can expect to see the Névo watch hitting stores early next year.