Armour39 Watch displays fitness data, time

If you're interested in the $149.99 Armour39 fitness system, Under Armour suggests another gadget to add to your collection. The $199.99 Armour39 Watch is designed to complement the Armour39 strap product and provide a way of digesting workout stats at a glance.

Design and features
Details about the Armour39 system, which Under Armour says will ship on March 20, aren't fully available quite yet. The company has however stated that its line of personal fitness products will measure workout details such as heart rate and calories, along with the level of intensity, speed, and something called "WILLpower." Similar to Nike's Fuel rating, Armour39's Willpower is a proprietary 10-point scale of activity.

With a wrist-style timepiece design, the Armour39 Watch provides a dedicated screen on which to view workout data generated by the Armour39 strap and Bug sensor. The idea is for athletes to have an easy way to read information about their physical performance without having to touch their smartphones.

The Armour39 Watch has a shape and design language similar to rough and tumble Casio G-Shock products, the Garmin Forerunner, and Motorola MotoActv devices. That said, it lacks the futuristic style of Nike's FuelBand or even Nike's SportWatch GPS. There's no word yet on just how durable the Armour39 Watch will be but I'm hoping it will approach the ruggedness of the Jawbone Up.

Outlook
While I can certainly understand the appeal of a watchlike fitness product, it's a shame the Armour39 apparently can't function as a standalone activity tracker. Motorola's MotoActv can function that way, as can the FuelBand. Also, at $199.99 the gadget is rather expensive, considering people will have to pony up an additional $149.99 for the Armour39 strap monitor and Bug to complete the tracking system. Furthermore, the chest band design of the Armour39 pretty much rules out all but the most dedicated sports performance enthusiasts. Check back soon for a full review.