Smart watches are more popular than ever. A new smart watch is released on the consumer market every few weeks, and you might be wondering if they're all worth your time and money. We'll give you an overview of the three most popular smart watches currently on the market, along with why you might want to buy each one.

Try not to think of a smart watch as a replacement for your smartphone or another device—it's meant to be worn as an accessory, not a replacement for anything else. If you're looking for a way to manage your phone from your wrist, this might not be the right gadget for you. Each of these watches has its own strengths and weaknesses and it's important that you understand what they are before making any decisions about which one to buy.

A smart watch is an extension of your smartphone. They sync up with an app on your phone and display notifications, texts, emails, tweets, Facebook posts, and more on the screen of your watch. This can be convenient if you're always carrying your phone but would prefer not to have it on silent during meetings or other situations where it's inappropriate (or impossible) for the phone to make noise.

Z17 smart watch

Rugged, reliable, and ready for adventure: these are the things that come to mind when we think about Casio's Z17 smart watch. It's the kind of timepiece that you can wear when you're making your way through a dense forest or exploring the far reaches of space.

In fact, Casio's reputation for creating durable watches stems from its partnership with NASA back in the '60s. The company built a watch for astronauts to wear as they made their way into space, and it had to be able to function in high-pressure environments as well as endure small meteorite strikes. All this was accomplished without sacrificing style—and it continues to be the company's mission today.