Fossil has become one of the top smartwatch brands of the moment. And it hasn’t just been making waves with its own brand devices, but with the collaborations it’s forged with the likes of Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, Emporio Armani, Misfit and Michael Kors. 

The Michael Kors Access Runway is one of the latest additions from Fossil Group’s current crop of fashion-friendly smartwatch collaborations, following the success of the Access Sofie, Grayson, Dylan and Bradshaw.

The Runway is a slimmer, smaller option that has set a fashion-loving female audience in its sights – although we’d happily class it as unisex, just for those who want a slightly smaller design. It certainly delivers in the style stakes, bringing a more understated, everyday elegance to Michael Kors’ line of smartwatches than previous models. 

The Access Runway does come at a premium price in comparison to Fossil’s similar own brand smartwatches. That means we should be clear from the start that this is definitely for those looking for a designer watch with a more high-end look, and budget, to match.

Like the other smartwatches released this year by Fossil, the Access Runway comes with some significant upgrades on the brand’s previous models. The most notable new additions include an NFC chip to bring Google Pay to your wrist, built-in GPS tracking, a waterproof design and an optical heart rate sensor.

So do these new features and good looks warrant the £249+ price? And if they do, could this be one of the best smartwatches of the moment or is it more style than substance?