Pininfarina Senso Hybrid Smart Watch Review – PMH01A-01

Pininfarina is a design firm that is best known for its range of iconic car designs, including the Alfa Romeo Spider and the legendary Ferrari Testarossa.

They have now partnered with Globics, a firm that specialises in hybrid and digital smartwatches, to produce the Pininfarina Senso.

While I am all in with Garmin, I can see the appeal of hybrid smartwatches, they cater for people who prefer the aesthetic of a traditional analogue watch but want some of the functionality of a smart watch, including health and fitness tracking.

They are not the first brand to do this, with Withings dominating the hybrid niche, but it is much less competitive than the normal multisport and smartwatch market.

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Specification / Features

• Pininfarina Senso
  • Case: 316L stainless steel
  • Wristband: Italian genuine leather strap
  • Wristband clasp: Stainless steel
  • Glass: Sapphire glass with anti-fingerprint coating
  • Watch diameter: 44mm
  • Wristband width: 22mm
  • Display size: 11mm
  • Watch thickness:16mm
  • Water resistant: 5 ATM
  • Built-in rechargeable battery with 30 days reported battery life
• Sensors
  • Accelerometer
  • Optical heart rate sensor (PPG)
  • 3D magnetometer sensor
  • ECG sensor
  • Metrics and features
  • On-demand ECG and SpO2 tracking
  • Heart rate tracking
  • Sleeping tracking
  • Alarm setting
  • 24/7 activity tracking
  • Pre-loaded sport mode
  • Connected GPS
  • Notifications
  • Weather forecast
  • Chrono and timer
  • E-compass
  • Remote control (Music and Camera)
  • Stress level detection
  • Breathe training
  • Hydration and Sedentary reminder
  • Menstrual cycle tracking
• Connectivity
  • BLE 5.0. You must enable Bluetooth connection with location settings to enjoy GPS tracking functionality.
• Compatible OS
  • iOS 16.0 or higher
  • Android 11 or higher

Pininfarina Senso / Gobics vs Withings

Globics does not appear to sell watches directly to consumers. Instead, it produces a range of hybrid and smartwatch platforms that other brands, like Pininfarina, use.

Looking at the product specification and the watch face design I suspected that the underlying hardware might be the same as one of the Withings watches.

The ScanWatch models all have the monochrome OLED display and subdial in the same place, and the subdial can also be used for display steps or activity goals.

Both brands have the same 30-day battery life, 5ATM water resistance and use connected GPS rather than integrated GPS. They both have Sapphire glass displays and 316L stainless steel casings.

The charger design is quite similar, with two electrodes and a small plastic nubbin between the electrodes.

But there are some differences that indicate the Globics hardware is different:

The PPG optical heart rate sensor is a different design than any of the ScanWatches. It has a design similar to the PPG of the Steel HR, but the Globics/ Pininfarina has an additional LED to the right of the square sensor. However, I have never seen the LED activate so that it may be something else.

The Pininfarina watch only does on-demand SpO2 readings, whereas many of the Withings watches can automatically do night readings.

Then, of course, the app itself is completely different.

Design

The overall appearance and build quality of this watch are its main selling point of the Senso PMH01A-01. If it wasn’t for the small digital display, you’d easily think this a luxury watch from one of the big brands.

The Senso boasts a robust and stylish 316L gunmetal grey PVD stainless steel case. Measuring 44mm in diameter and 16mm in thickness, the case features a brushed finish on the body, while the fixed bezel at the top showcases a polished finish, creating an eye-catching contrast. The watch’s crown, located at the 3 o’clock position, is knurled for easy grip and is flanked by two push buttons at 2 and 4 o’clock, allowing the wearer to interact with the dial’s various functions. The dial is protected by scratch-resistant and shatter-proof sapphire crystal glass, ensuring the watch’s longevity and durability.

The textured dial of the Pininfarina Senso features a hybrid analogue-digital display, combining the best of both analogue and digital elements. The analogue display consists of silver baton-style hour markers and a luminous baton-style handset, enabling easy reading of the time even in low-light conditions. At the 12 o’clock position, an OLED sub-dial displays the watch’s numerous functions, while a second sub-dial at 6 o’clock showcases a 60-second display, adding to the watch’s functionality and visual appeal.

Complementing the watch’s premium design is a genuine Italian leather strap in a rich brown hue. The strap not only provides a comfortable fit but also adds a touch of elegance to the overall aesthetic of the watch. Securing the strap is a stainless steel pin buckle clasp, ensuring a secure and adjustable fit for the wearer.

With a water resistance rating of 50 metres, the watch is suitable for swimming and can withstand splashes and showers, though it is not recommended for water sports or diving.

On the underside of the watch is the PPG heart rate sensor, and to the left of this is the metal contact points for charging.

I don’t have extensive watch knowledge, but the overall aesthetic is vaguely similar to the IWC Pilot watches, but with a squarer case. I personally think this looks nicer and more elegant than the designs Withings has used on its ScanWatch models.

Set Up

Setting up the Pininfarina Senso is straightforward. After downloading the companion app and creating an account, you pair the watch via Bluetooth. The app guides you through the process, which involves pressing the crown of the watch when it is on charge.

Once paired, the app prompts you to input personal information like age, height, weight, and fitness goals. This data personalises the tracking features and recommendations.

The app itself has a clean, intuitive interface. The main dashboard displays an overview of your daily stats, including steps, heart rate, sleep, and more. Tapping into each metric reveals more detailed insights and trends over time.

Navigating the watch’s features is equally user-friendly. The OLED display shows the time by default, and you can cycle through different screens using the buttons, displaying data like steps, heart rate, weather, and notifications. Turning the crown accesses a menu where you can start workouts, take ECG and SpO2 readings, set alarms, and adjust settings.

One minor gripe is the slight delay when raising your wrist to view the time. The display takes about a second to illuminate, which can be mildly annoying. However, this is likely a battery-saving measure and a common issue with hybrid watches.

Fitness Tracking

The Pininfarina Senso offers basic fitness tracking that will be adequate for casual use. I was happy to see that that it is possible to sync your activities with Strava. Big brands like Huawei and Honor were very slow to implement this simple feature, and it made the watches lose appeal to many runners and cyclists.

The watch lacks GPS and, therefore, relies on assisted GPS from your phone. Though, when it does connect, the accuracy is good, which is praise of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra more than the watch.

This can be problematic; even though I had allowed the app to access my location all the time, on at least one occasion, when I went running, it did not connect to the phone’s GPS and, therefore, did not plot my route or accurately measure distance.

Furthermore, I found that the heart rate tracking was not accurate at all. This is a common problem with a wrist-based HRM, and I have bony and hairy wrists, which doesn’t help. One big factor in the inaccuracy is that the watch has a leather strap, and it is impossible for me to get it tight enough. You can buy rubber straps, which will significantly improve the performance.

The HRM is fine for daily wear and less intense activities like walking.

The data you get back from the app is basic but fine for most people. It is just the important stuff like your route, distance, pace, pace analysis, heart rate analysis, then steps and calories. So no advanced running analysis like ground contact time, symmetry/gait, VO2 max or training status.

For daily activity, the watch automatically tracks steps, calories burned, and distance travelled. You can set daily goals in the app, and the watch’s subdial will show your progress throughout the day. The step tracking seems accurate, closely matching my phone’s pedometer.

Health Tracking

Beyond fitness, the Pininfarina Senso also offers several health monitoring tools.

It has all the usual features, such as step counting, sleep tracking, resting heart rate, and calories.

You then have some more advanced features that have rolled out to watches in recent years. There are SpO2 (blood oxygen) measurements, but these are on-demand only, whereas most competing options provide some sort of continuous monitoring. If you don’t have a known problem with your lungs, once you have done one reading and confirmed your SpO2 is fine, you don’t really need to continually monitor it, and I always switch it off on my Garmin.

You then get on-demand ECG readings, which is a less common feature but is growing in popularity, with Apple, Withings, Garmin and Samsung supporting it on some devices.

Similar to SpO2, if you don’t have a known heart problem, once you have done it a few times, you shouldn’t need to do it regularly unless you are at high risk of developing a problem.

One reason why you may want to use the ECG more often is the stress level detection which uses heart rate variability (HRV) data, the watch assigns a stress score from 1-100, with higher values indicating higher stress. The app also guides you through breathing exercises to help reduce stress levels.

You then have manual tracking for things like hydration, weight and menstrual cycle tracking.

Sleep Tracking

Sleep tracking has always been a popular feature of smartwatches. The watch automatically detects when you fall asleep and wake up, and provides a breakdown of your light, deep, and REM sleep stages. The app also gives you a sleep score based on metrics like total duration, efficiency, and restfulness.

I found it reasonably accurate, it was a bit off with the time I got to sleep but I am a bit of a restless sleeper. On one occasion it completely messed up but that’s an issue that happens with most watches.

My main gripe is that the app only provides a detailed analysis of your previous night’s sleep. You can’t scroll back and view the other days; you can only see the basic sleep log. I sometimes like to view historical data, as it can be useful to try to identify patterns that cause sleep problems or improve sleep.

Battery

One of the strongest selling points of hybrid watches is the exceptional battery life, and the Pininfarina Senso is no different.

Pininfarina claims the watch can last up to 30 days on a single charge.

I found that during my normal use with all the features enabled, daily fitness tracking and a few SPO2/ECG measurements, the watch falls well short of this number, but it is still around 2 weeks, which is more than adequate for my needs.

For me, it has to charge a smartwatch daily, which really bothers me, which is why I have never committed to WearOS. Anything over 5 days is good in my books.

When it is time to recharge, the included USB charger tops up the watch relatively quickly. Going from a low battery warning to 100% took just under two hours in my testing.

Price and Alternative Options

The Pininfarina Senso has an RRP of £399 and is available in four designs:

• Moonlight Silver (reviewed)
• Mercure Grey
• Sunburst Rose Gold
• Slate Grey

You can buy it directly from pininfarina-hybridwatchbyglobics.com, and it is available on Amazon UK.

Withings would be the main alternative option as they are one of the only brands that specialise in hybrid watches. They have:

• ScanWatch Nova for £549
• ScanWatch Horizon for £449
• ScanWatch 2 for £320
• ScanWatch for £280
• Steel HR Sport for £189

All the watches have 30 days of battery life and either 5ATM or 10ATM water resistance. The ScanWatches all have Saphire glass displays with a 316L stainless steel case.

In terms of features, they are all superior to the Pininfarina. All the ScanWatch models have an ECG and an Oximeter, but Nova and ScanWatch 2 have 24/7 temperature tracking. None of them have GPS.

There are other hybrid smartwatches. Maserati has its own, albeit with very limited functionality and no HRM. Fossil has the Commuter hybrid smartwatch, and Garmin has a range of fashion and hybrid smartwatches, including the Lily, Vivomove and Instinct Crossover. But, not of these competing options compete with the overall look of the Pininfarina Senso.

Overall

I like the Pininfarina Senso, but it is far from perfect. However, it has huge potential.

If I were judging this watch purely on its smart features, it wouldn’t be that good. This is a watch you buy primarily for the aesthetics, and the smart features are an added bonus.

It is one of, if not the best-looking smartwatches on the market. The ScanWatch Nova and Horizon certainly compete with their appearance, which is similar to the Rolex Submariner or some Tag watches.  But I personally prefer the look of the Pininfarina Senso.

The app and overall smart features are what let it down slightly, especially considering the £400 price tag. The app looks nice, but it doesn’t have the level of data that competing brands have. Syncing seems to be very slow, and I had some issues with the connected GPS working.

While the app is not amazing, it still works, and it will likely do everything most people want from a hybrid smartwatch. I am just more demanding as I am a keen amateur athlete and accustomed to the data and functionality of my Garmin.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.