In November, I tried out my first smartwatch. It was the M1 model from Meta Watch, and I was test-driving it for the “Wrist Management” write-up, a review of four smartwatches currently on the market. It took me a couple days to figure out I had downloaded the wrong version of the Meta app, which explained why I couldn’t get the watch to sync with my phone. Duh!I’ve spent a lot of time talking to traditional watchmakers about their new tech-focused competition, and I was anxious to see if the watch’s smartness proved compelling enough to trump my old-fashioned dumb timepieces.My ambivalence on the topic suggests there are no easy answers. I liked getting some distance from my phone; the notifications on my watch let me know if I was missing any important texts, calls, or emails without having to slip down the rabbit hole of my inbox to find out. Plus, the rose gold–plated ver