Hybrid smartwatches have become my favorite middle ground watch on the market. Often times smartwatches are, well, just too smart. Not everyone wants a screen on their wrist with every bell and whistle. The Fossil Q Jacqueline is a fantastic ladies hybrid smartwatch that sits perfectly in middle ground. It looks and operates much like a traditional watch but offers a few smart functions that are very handy. Read on for the full review of the Fossil Q Jacqueline hybrid smartwatch and find out why it’s a Techaeris Top Pick for 2018.

Specifications

The Fossil Q Jacqueline hybrid smartwatch has the following features and specifications:

Compatible with iOS and Android
Stainless Steel Casing
Rose Gold Hardware
36mm Case
Auto Update Time & Date
Filtered Notifications
Fitness tracking no heart rate sensor
Bluetooth 4.1
No Charging Necessary
Lithium Battery Cr2025, 3V Included
Remote Control Activation
Tracker/Non-Display
Clasp Fastening and leather calfskin strap
Sleep tracking
2-Year Warranty

What’s In The Box

Fossil Q Jacqueline hybrid smartwatch
Quick Start Guide
Warranty
Case Back Tool

Fossil Q Jacqueline — Lovely rose gold case and nice design.

Design

The last woman’s hybrid watch we reviewed was the Fossil Q Accomplice. In that review, I mentioned that my wife much preferred the more traditional look and feel of a hybrid watch than that of the Apple Watch I had purchased for her. She really took to the Q Accomplice and when I showed her the Fossil Q Jacqueline she was very happy.

The fact that there is no screen interface on the Fossil Q Jacqueline is what she loves the most. While she uses her smartphone a lot, she believes that too many screens in her life are overwhelming, so having a traditional glass face with mechanical hands and movements is a huge plus for her.

The band on our review unit was Navy Blue and made from genuine calfskin leather.

The case of the Jacqueline is outfitted in Rose Gold and looks very elegant. The band on our review unit was Navy Blue and made from genuine calfskin leather. The band was a little short for my wife’s taste. Women with small wrists shouldn’t have a problem but if your wrists are bigger, you might not like the fit.

Like all of the Fossil and Michael Kors hybrids, the Q Jacqueline has three side buttons which look like your traditional watch buttons. The bottom button is called the Remote Control button and it commands the Fossil LINK feature which lets you control music, take a picture, or ring your phone if you lose it. The middle button is the multitasking button which controls the arms of the watch as well as alarms and alerts. The top button allows you to see the date: when pressing the button the arms move to the name of the day and the date.

Overall, while the Jacqueline differs in some ways from other Fossil hybrids, it’s not far off from them. It’s a familiar design that still holds up well and my wife enjoyed the look very much.

Software/Ecosystem

We’ve gone over the Fossil Q app in many past reviews and it’s simple to use. The app works with both Android and iOS and it’s the place where you’ll set your preferences and get sleep/step tracking data. You can set your alarms within the app and set the second time-zone should you be tracking time elsewhere. The second time-zone is activated by pressing the crown (center button), after which the hands will move to show the second time-zone you chose. The Q Link button is right under the crown and you can program that in the app to ring your phone, control music, take a photo, or track goals.

Overall, this is very easy software to use and the ecosystem is simple and works very well with both Android and iOS.

Ease of Use

The Fossil Q Jaqueline is very simple to setup using the Fossil Q app. The hardest part is probably choosing what notifications you want going to the watch. Overall, this is as simple as a smartwatch gets, nothing overdone and everything as simple as it can be.

Performance

Bluetooth connectivity to my wife’s iPhone X was spot on, there were no dropped signals, and notifications came through in a timely manner. The addition of glowing hands is a plus to see the time in dark rooms, though we do wish there was a light for those times the coating on the hands wears off. Overall, as with all of the other Fossil hybrids we’ve used, the Fossil Q Jacqueline performed admirably.

The CR2025 battery is easy to replace with the included tool.

Battery Life

Like full on smartwatches, there’s no need to plug this watch in. It comes with a regular CR2025 watch battery that should last up to 6-months. I’ve had them last longer than that, it all depends on how many notifications you have coming through and the strength of the Bluetooth signal.

Price/Value

Fossil kept the price point the same as the last watch we reviewed at $155USD. For what you’re getting here I think that’s a tremendous value.

Wrap Up

This was once again a winner for my wife. She loves being able to see what sort of notifications she’s getting but not having a screen on her wrist. The Fossil Q Jacqueline is a simple watch with a few smart tricks up its sleeve. It’s exactly what one needs and nothing more. I won’t lie, I am a big fan of hybrid watches and if you’re looking to get into smartwatches, Fossil’s hybrid lineup for men and women is a great place to start. Plus this could make an excellent mother’s day gift for that special mom!

*We received a review unit of the Fossil Q Jacqueline hybrid smartwatch for the purposes of this review.