"I already have a watch on my wrist — why would I need something on my nose too?" That question comes up in our showroom more often than you'd think, usually from someone already wearing an Apple Watch or a Garmin, genuinely curious rather than dismissive. It's a fair question. The honest answer: for most everyday tasks, the smartwatch does more today. But there are two specific situations where the glasses win — and they're worth looking at properly instead of a blanket "not worth it."
Short answer: a smartwatch is the more versatile device for most people today — mature ecosystem, health and fitness tracking, calls at the wrist, a wide app selection. The Even G2 wins where your eyes need to stay up: navigation cues and notifications appear in your line of sight without turning your wrist or freeing your hands. If you already own both, the glasses don't replace the watch — they cover a gap the watch structurally can't close.
Two different directions of attention
The core difference is simpler than it sounds. A smartwatch requires an active glance downward and usually a small hand movement to wake the display. The Even G2, by contrast, shows information at the edge of your field of view while you keep looking straight ahead — no turning your wrist, no hand needed. Neither is fundamentally "better" technology; they're different interaction models. Which one fits depends on what your hands and eyes are already doing in that moment.
Task by task
Here's how a smartwatch and the Even G2 compare on the tasks that actually come up in daily life.
| Task | Smartwatch | Even G2 |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation cues without glancing at your wrist | Brief wrist glance needed | Yes, in your field of view, eyes stay forward |
| Reading notifications while both hands are busy | Wrist needs to be visible/free | Yes, without using your hands |
| Heart rate, step, sleep tracking | Yes, core function | Not among the advertised features |
| Taking calls or voice messages hands-free at the body | Yes, on many models | Not the G2's focus |
| Reading live translation directly in your field of view | No suitable display for it | Yes, core function (up to 33 languages per Even Support) |
| Mature app and accessory ecosystem | Yes, established platforms | Growing, younger category |
| Barely recognisable as a device to others | Visible on the wrist, reads as a watch | Reads as ordinary glasses |
Even G2 details per Even Realities / Even Support Center, checked 30 July 2026 (manufacturer claims). Smartwatch details describe general traits of common models, not a specific product's spec sheet.
Where the glasses genuinely win
Those two rows marked "in your field of view" aren't a coincidence — they're exactly the tasks a display-glasses category was built for. Walking through an unfamiliar city with a suitcase in one hand and a coffee in the other, a turn cue at the edge of your vision is honestly more practical than a wrist glance that costs you your balance. Cycling, carrying shopping bags, holding a child's hand: anywhere your hands or attention are already committed, the advantage shifts to the glasses. The same logic applies to notifications — a brief glance forward instead of a wrist gesture that reads as more conspicuous than you'd think, in a restaurant or a meeting.
Where the watch still does more today
The other side deserves the same honesty. Health and fitness tracking — heart rate, steps, sleep, workout history — simply isn't among the Even G2's advertised features; it's display glasses, not a sensor wearable. Taking calls directly at the wrist is routine on many smartwatches and isn't what the G2 is built for. And the app and accessory ecosystem around established smartwatch platforms is simply older and broader than any still-young display-glasses category. If you were only buying one device today and eyes-up navigation or notifications aren't a real need, a smartwatch will cover more of your everyday tasks.
The smartwatch fits if …
Health and fitness tracking matters to you, you like taking calls at the wrist, and you want the most mature, widest app ecosystem available. For most people, that's the more obvious single-device choice today.
The Even G2 fits as an addition if …
You navigate regularly while your hands are busy; you want to read notifications without looking down; or live translation in your line of sight is a genuine need for you. It doesn't replace the watch in these cases — it covers a gap the watch can't structurally close.
So: keep the watch, add the glasses, or test first?
Stick with the smartwatch if your day is mostly fitness tracking, calls at the wrist, and notifications a quick downward glance handles just fine. For that profile, the watch is honestly the more complete device today.
Add the Even G2 if you're regularly in situations where your hands or eyes are already occupied — navigating on foot or by bike, carrying things, translating mid-conversation — and looking down simply isn't practical there.
Test first because "information in your line of sight" is hard to describe and easy to experience. Try the G2's overlay at our Zürich showroom, compare specs in the AI glasses database, and read our primer What Are AI Glasses? for how the category differs from a smartwatch overall.
Disclosure: AI-Eyewear is the authorised Swiss reseller of Even Realities and does not sell smartwatches. We have no commercial reason to talk down the smartwatch — for most people it's honestly the more versatile device today, and the glasses solve a more specific task.