Systolic style: meet the medical-grade smartwatch revolutionising blood pressure monitoring

An estimated one-third of adults in England have high blood pressure, with research showing that many are unaware of their condition. But thanks to the new Huawei Watch D3, monitoring blood pressure is easier, accurate and more stylish than ever

Wearable technology has come a long way in the past decade. Take a look around at your colleagues, friends and family, and you’ll be hard pushed to find anyone not wearing some kind of health monitoring ring, watch or band – there are even tracking insoles and patches, too.

These gadgets have myriad benefits – not least, allowing us more control and insight over our health and wellbeing than ever before. We’re able to monitor everything from sleep and stress to heart health and more, and the technology is becoming more refined and intuitive seemingly by the day.

It’s no surprise, then, that companies are laser focused on developing ever more advanced gadgets. But in a saturated wearables market, Huawei is leading the charge when it comes to stylish, performance-led devices.

Its newest bit of tech enables medical-grade* blood pressure tracking. Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a global health concern, and one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide.

But the good news is that adequate monitoring and treatment renders these risks largely preventable. So, instead of (or perhaps as well as) tracking our sleep scores and steps, experts are advocating that we all take note of our blood pressure numbers, regardless of our age.

“Although hypertension becomes more common as we get older, one of the biggest mistakes we can make is thinking that we only need to start worrying about blood pressure and cardiovascular disease from middle age,” says Dr Lucy Hooper, GP and co-founder of Coyne Medical. “We increasingly know that cardiovascular disease is something that develops over someone’s whole life course.”

While there are now plenty of devices offering some kind of blood pressure monitoring, the new Huawei Watch D3 goes beyond the capabilities of a single, one-off reading, more closely resembling medical-grade instruments, for a detailed and reliable look at the whole picture, rather than a single snapshot.

Featuring an innovative first-of-its-kind wrist-worn mechanical airbag, the watch delivers effective yet comfortable compression and precise sensing across a minimal skin-contact area for all-day comfort and wearability.

This combination enables both real-time data and longer-term measurements, allowing you to track your personal blood pressure trends throughout the day and night (even while sleeping) via 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM).

Perfect for those wanting a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of their blood pressure, the ABPM data syncs to tailored reports available in the Huawei Health app, which is recognised and endorsed by healthcare professionals, too. In fact, the findings can be shared directly with your healthcare provider.

“Blood pressure is actually a great example of a measurement that can be potentially really useful and have a profound impact on someone’s health and longevity,” says Hooper. “That said, lots of things affect a blood pressure reading, from stress, caffeine, sleep, pain and alcohol, and we also know it is highly affected by the way the measurement is taken.

“Since it is so variable, just checking it as a one-off at the doctor’s surgery or pharmacy isn’t actually ideal. Having access to a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitor gives us a much better overall picture of blood pressure.”

One thing we know helps keep blood pressure at a healthy level is exercise. However, this is also a physiological stressor in and of itself – if you’ve ever taken an intense Hiit class after a night out, you’ll likely have noticed that it felt tougher than usual.

The good news is that the Huawei Watch D3 can help you tailor those all-important workouts depending on how your body is faring, with its dedicated feature for pre- and post-exercise blood pressure measurements.

“The Huawei Watch D3 represents an evolution in blood pressure monitoring and management,” says Dr Jamie Edwards, senior lecturer in cardiovascular science, University of East London. “Exercise blood pressure responses and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring have long been recognised as providing valuable additional insight into cardiovascular health.”

“However, their application has traditionally been limited by the accuracy, practicality and convenience of conventional measurement approaches,” he says. “The D3 provides a gamechanging approach to accurately and conveniently assess these measures without the need for often cumbersome devices.”

But it’s not just about blood pressure: the watch has a range of other intelligent key health indicators in its Health Glance feature, from sleep tracking and physical readiness to heart rate and rhythm. All of which can be shared with your loved ones via the community function in the Huawei Health app.

If you’re concerned about how technological medical capability marries luxury aesthetics, don’t be. The Huawei Watch D3 delivers stylish and sleek curves, so you’re not compromising on style or substance. The slim, lightweight design offers all-day comfort, and doubles as a stylish accessory. Drawing inspiration from the colours found in nature, the watch is available in a choice of chic neutral colourways (black, white or mocha gold) meaning it’ll always blend seamlessly with your outfit of choice.

Other standout features include those nice-to-haves that make life that little bit easier in daily terms: contactless payments, a carefully selected suite of fitness and wellness apps, more than 100 sport modes, an impressive six-day battery life and compatibility with both Android and iOS.

Put simply, the Huawei Watch D3 is the most comprehensive, medically-certified wearable for people looking to proactively prioritise their health safely, effortlessly and in style, making those health goals simpler to achieve than ever, because wellness doesn’t have to be complicated.

The HUAWEI WATCH D3 is available from the HUAWEI Store from £399.99 and includes a complimentary 10-month Bupa Well+ Silver digital health subscription (worth £200). Plus, until 3 November, readers of the Guardian can claim £20 off the HUAWEI WATCH D3 with the code AGUARDIAN20.

_{*The HUAWEI WATCH D3 is CE-certified as a medical device under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR)}