Blood pressure watches

Besides the well-known blood pressure monitors for the upper arm or wrist, there are some devices integrated into a wristwatch. These watches have a cuff built into the strap that inflates to take a measurement, just like standard devices. Thanks to this cuff, blood pressure can be determined using the conventional oscillometric method. Each watch comes with a manufacturer-provided app without it the devices either don't work or are very limited.

Because of their design and measurement method, blood pressure watches are completely different from smartwatches or fitness bands, some of which are advertised as being able to measure blood pressure. As mentioned above, blood pressure watches use a long-established, proven method: an inflatable cuff temporarily stops blood flow in the vessel beneath it. Blood pressure values are then determined from the vibrations that occur in the blood vessel. This oscillometric method is used in nearly all available wrist and upper-arm blood pressure monitors.

Omron Heartguide und Medisana BPW 300 ausgepackt

The method used by smartwatches and fitness bands is completely new. It relies on pulse wave velocity (pulse transit time) and is not yet accurate enough to provide reliable readings. Many product descriptions explicitly note that the measurements are not validated for medical use. For people with high blood pressure, this method currently doesn't give dependable results.

Although blood pressure watches are a niche product, we've taken a closer look at two models currently available.

Omron HeartGuide

Since the end of 2019, Omron has offered the Omron HeartGuide, a wristwatch with an integrated blood pressure monitor. The limited edition watch is currently only available directly from Omron.

In the elegant packaging youll find the watch itself, the charging cable, and the user manuals, each as two-page leaflets in several languages. There is also a two-page illustrated quick guide in the box.

At first glance the HeartGuide impresses with its modern look and round shape. But a first drawback becomes apparent when you take it out: the watch weighs a hefty 120 g, much more than the average smartwatch. Every blood pressure reading feels a bit like a mini workout. The watch measures 48 mm in diameter with a case thickness of 14 mm, and the strap is 30 mm wide all of which make it better suited to a fairly sturdy wrist. The manual states it's suitable for wrist circumferences between 16 and 19 cm. So the user's wrist shouldn't be too slim or too thick.

The strap is made of relatively flimsy rubber. Underneath is the preformed blood pressure cuff. It's handy that the cuff cover can be removed for cleaning.

Putting on the HeartGuide is fairly tricky despite the preformed cuff, because the strap is so flexible that it slips away. The longer part of the cuff is supposed to slide a bit under the shorter part when fastening so that the two parts overlap slightly which is hard to do alone.

The manufacturer's app, Omron Heart Adviser, is required to use the watch. Without first pairing with that app you can't take measurements. Once paired, you can start a measurement without the app. Unfortunately, in our test the connection didn't work with all mobile devices. You also need to register with Omron to use the app.

Unfortunately, measurements with this watch can't just run unnoticed in the background. The watch must be positioned exactly at heart level and body posture must be correct, otherwise you often get invalid readings or the measurement won't start. Since the display faces away from the body when the arm is held correctly, it's hard to check whether the position is right or whether the measurement has started. After a few tries most people get the hang of it and measurements then work fine. They're relatively comfortable because the reading happens while the cuff is inflating. However, adopting the correct posture in public drew curious looks because it looks a bit awkward.

In our test some measured values differed noticeably from comparison measurements using a blood pressure monitor. We couldn't identify the source of the error since the measurements were taken under the same conditions.

The watch's internal memory holds 100 entries for one user. That means you can transfer data to the manufacturer's app only from time to time. Stored measurements cannot be deleted from the watch. That's important to know if you lend the watch to someone else their readings will appear in your history and distort it.

The battery life is specified as 48 hours with ten measurements per day. In our test we did slightly fewer measurements and still had sufficient battery after two days. If you charge it roughly every two days, the watch can be used continuously.

The Omron HeartGuide offers other features like a step counter, sleep tracking, and notifications, bringing it closer to a smartwatch. However, notifications are barely noticeable and only partly configurable. The step counter recorded noticeably fewer steps than our comparison smartwatch. Sleep tracking would be a useful feature, especially together with blood pressure, but the watch's size and weight make it very uncomfortable to wear at night.

The HeartGuide is suitable for occasional blood pressure checks during the day. But even with this device it's not completely inconspicuous. It's also questionable how meaningful measurements taken without proper rest are. The extra features are nice but don't match the functionality of cheaper smartwatches.

At a price of 549.00, the Omron HeartGuide is not only the most feature-rich but also the most expensive of the blood pressure watches we know.

Medisana BPW 300

The Medisana BPW 300 is another wristwatch with a blood pressure cuff integrated into the strap.

When you open the box, the first thing you notice is the watch's size. The square case measures a substantial 4 cm x 4.6 cm and is 1.5 cm thick. The strap has to make room for the internal cuff and is therefore quite wide at 2.7 cm. The watch is suitable for wrist circumferences between 13.5 and 21.5 cm. It weighs 65 g, a bit more than a larger smartwatch.

Putting it on is difficult even for an average wrist size. The built-in cuff is in the longer part of the strap the side with the adjustment holes. When you put it on, part of the cuff has to slide under the other strap part with the clasp. This is really hard to do alone and requires some dexterity.

The E-Ink display is the size youd expect on a wristwatch. Numbers are shown in white on a black background. Unfortunately the digits are rather dim, so reading them in the dark isn't easy. The digit size is fine in good light, though. One exception is the weekday and date display, which is small and appears at the top of the screen you have to look closely to read it. When the display switches, for example before a measurement or when viewing the memory, the screen flashes and goes briefly black before the new display appears. It just takes a moment the watch is not defective!

There are two buttons on the side of the watch. One starts (and can stop) a measurement, the other recalls the last measured value. That shows the last recorded pulse and the systolic and diastolic blood pressure but without date and time.

You can start a measurement with the mentioned button. In the manufacturer's VitaDock+ app you can also set an automatic measurement interval. More on that below.

When a measurement is started, the screen first flashes and then shows an English message about the correct measurement position. After another flash the measurement begins without checking whether the position is actually correct. That means measurements taken with the arm in the wrong position are possible. If the watch detects an error (for example movement during the measurement), an English error message appears that is not always clear. One message shown was "Measuring inappropriate." It's not clear whether that means the measurement was invalid, the blood pressure is out of range, or another problem occurred.

The measurement itself is fairly comfortable because the reading happens while the cuff is inflating. After the measurement the display flashes again twice in a row then shows the values. These values can then be transferred to the manufacturer's app.

We couldn't determine whether automatic synchronization called "Sugarwatch" in the app works. Every time we opened the app we were asked whether to synchronize the watch. The sync takes a few seconds even when no new readings are transferred. Without synchronization the existing data in the app stays grayed out.

We could only choose the automatic measurement interval during the initial setup. After that the setting could no longer be found in the app. Another tester was able to change the setting later, so there may be differences depending on the smartphone used.

In addition to the blood pressure watch, other Medisana devices can be connected to the app.

The battery life is very good; the watch charges via the included USB cable (no power adapter). The manufacturer's claim of five days battery life with two measurements per day was easily exceeded. Even after six days our watch still showed two out of four bars. It was only empty after nine days. However, we didn't measure every day.

The user manuals are included as folded leaflets in several languages. Overall the instructions are rather sparse. Some pictures help explain how to operate the device. Unfortunately there is no detailed information on using the app beyond the initial pairing.

Overall, the BPW 300 is a very large retro-style wristwatch that performs its basic function. The manufacturer states the measurement accuracy is good, but that accuracy can only be achieved when the watch is used correctly i.e., with the proper measurement position. Keep in mind that a quick spot check, like those this device enables, does not give true resting values. Comparing these readings to the usual home measurements taken while sitting quietly is difficult. We found the apps functionality to be something to get used to.

The Medisana BPW 300 is priced at 349.95 clearly higher than typical blood pressure monitors.

Newgen Medical BPW-100

Pearl also offers a wristwatch with an integrated blood pressure cuff. We researched that watch as well:

Visually and in terms of the stated technical data and features, the watch is very similar to the Medisana model practically identical. Only the case color differs: black instead of silver. The Pearl app wouldn't connect to the Medisana watch in our tests. We couldn't tell whether this indicates a difference between the two watches or whether the Pearl app simply has problems. The few reviews of the watch and app are terrible, so we skipped a hands-on test. We suspect Medisana may have used the same watch as Pearl and integrated it into their app. The Pearl watch has been on the market since 2019. It's much cheaper than the Omron and Medisana models, but at about 200.00 it's still fairly pricey.

There are now such blood pressure watches available without medical device approval, like the KU5 Pro from Kumi. You shouldn't expect medically reliable measurements from these.

Hybrid: Huawei Watch D

Huawei's Huawei Watch D is a real smartwatch that also offers blood pressure measurement with an integrated cuff. Being a full smartwatch, it surpasses all other devices mentioned here in terms of features. At a retail price of about 400 it's not cheap, but it likely offers the best value for money here. (Photo: Huawei)

Update September 2024: The Huawei Watch D2 is now available. According to media reports that tested the blood pressure function, it is unfortunately not very accurate. One specialist magazine reported generally too-high readings, another reported too-high systolic and too-low diastolic values.

Kardena CARE Air and Kardena CARE Air 2

The German manufacturer Kardena offers watches with "Air" in the name, referring to a micro-airbag used for blood pressure measurement. The watches are marketed as health watches, but they are not certified as medical devices. The Kardena Care Air 2 was released in January 2024.

Sources:

This article comes from BloodPressureDB – the leading app since 2011 that helps hundreds of thousands of people monitor their blood pressure every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based information and is continuously updated (as of 02/2026).

Author Horst Klier has been dealing intensively with high blood pressure since 2002 – initially from personal experience and since 2009 as a developer of BloodPressureDB – and, thanks to his app and specialist platform used millions of times and numerous publications, he is now regarded as an established blood pressure expert. As the author of several health guides and professional articles, he explains complex topics clearly and in a practical way.