Banbgalore, March 3 2019: Fossil is a  company  that  has  a name for adding a touch of style to mundane products. Their range  in smart watches  is extensive  -- and the  latest Gen 4 series  combines a touch screen to the standard  features like  Bluetooth phone syncing, exercise and steps  logging.
Other than the two push buttons  to  start/stop through functions, there is a central   knob that is a real beauty: it  lets you quickly toggle through all functions even as you use  the touch mode.  By making the watch Android 4.4-ready, the makers  have opened up  all the tools of the  Google Wear OS app.  You  can talk to your phone,  switch from listening to music to reading about it: the screen is a generous  4 cms diameter. The heart rate function needs you to strap the watch on tight. 
At 140 grams ( with a metal strap) the  model I tried -- Explorist HR -- is not exactly light on the wrist.  But everything about this watch spells class plus toughness. The four  Fossil Gen 4 models  ( including ladies variants) launched in India start at  around Rs 20,000. Abroad  they call it The Beast. We can see why. Anand Parthasarathy