Tranquil Watch Review

The Tranquil Watch is a senior-friendly GPS tracker with a unique approach to dementia wandering prevention, a long battery life, and a fully-waterproof design.

We tested the Tranquil Watch, spoke with its creator, and compared its specs to other GPS trackers for seniors with dementia. Our verdict: Tranquil Watch gets it right and is worth the price.

Miles Waghorn, creator of the Tranquil Watch, told us he was inspired to make a good-looking watch based on his experiences with his grandmother.

“Just because someone’s over a certain age doesn’t mean they don’t like to look good,” he said, noting that even the best senior watches are useless if people are too embarrassed to wear them.

We completely agree. The Tranquil Watch has a classic analog face and luxurious leather straps, which are likely to seem familiar and comforting to an older person who might be experiencing memory issues. An overly-modern digital clock face or silicone strap might seem jarring in contrast.

Plus, that classic aesthetic helps drum up enthusiasm in the people who wear it. Miles said he’s heard seniors bragging about their “James Bond watches” that look normal but can make phone calls.

The watch comes in four different colors. Miles told us he intentionally designed more feminine colors, like rose gold, because women represent two-thirds of all dementia cases.  Other watches for seniors tend to come in basic black with no variety.

The Tranquil Watch’s one-week battery life means your loved one doesn’t have to charge it every night. That’s great news if you’re concerned they might forget to charge the watch or to put it on in the morning.

Other smartwatch batteries last between 18 and 30 hours on a single charge.

Whereas most other GPS watches are simply splash-resistant, the Tranquil Watch is fully waterproof.  “You can go swimming with it,” Miles assures.

This crucial feature means your loved one won’t forget to put the Tranquil Watch back on after a shower, nor will they accidentally ruin it by forgetting to take it off beforehand. 

The Tranquil Watch’s SOS button, two-way talk, and GPS tracker make it suitable for all seniors, including those with early-stage dementia. But it’s uniquely useful for people with mid- and late-stage dementia thanks to a special beacon alarm or proximity alert.

Here’s how it works: the Tranquil Watch connects via Bluetooth to a separate device called a beacon. The Bluetooth connection is severed once the Watch moves too far away from the beacon. Once that happens, the Tranquil Watch sends out an alert via text, call, or email. 

This is far more accurate than geofencing to know when someone with dementia is leaving their home. Geofencing uses GPS signals and tends to create false alarms in small areas. That said, you can set up geofences (also called safe zones) with the Tranquil Watch.

Our only complaint is that the sound doesn’t emit from the beacon itself, which would turn it into a pager for in-home caregivers. As it stands, caregivers can still get alerts for the Tranquil watch—they'll just need to keep their phone volume turned up.

Finally, you can buy a locking pin if your loved one is at risk of removing the watch.

The Tranquil Watch comes with free two-day shipping and a 30-day risk-free trial.

If you sign up for an annual plan, you can get a prorated refund for unused months. No refunds are given for the monthly plan. Tranquil pays for return shipping if you decide to cancel.

Aside from the optional locking strap accessory, there are no extra fees. Every feature is included in the watch price.

Our tester Rebecca noted that the Tranquil Watch was the only smartwatch she’s tested that worked correctly right out of the box. No setup headaches with this one.

Rebecca also said there’s no instruction manual in the box—just a quick start guide with a QR code that brings you to a series of setup videos. According to Miles, that’s intentional—he wants users to feel like he’s right there with them, just like a son or grandson.

There were a few hiccups when it was time to enter caregivers’ phone numbers and place a test SOS call. Without +1 in front of each phone number, the calls don’t go through. But once we figured that out, Rebecca was able to press the SOS button on the Tranquil Watch and reach me on the phone without any problems. The audio sounded good on both ends.

It’s easy to place the Tranquil Watch on the charger thanks to a magnetic component that snaps the two together. And, as previously mentioned, the watch is lightweight and comfortable.

We noticed just a couple of things lacking in the Tranquil Watch:

• No fall detection: Watches with fall detection are slowly becoming more common, and we’re hoping this feature is offered in the Tranquil Watch in the future.
• Not professionally monitored: Make sure you (and other caregivers on the SOS list) understand that no professional monitors will respond to your loved one’s SOS calls if you don’t pick up.

The Tranquil Watch is the first wearable device for seniors to combine a home exit alarm with a GPS tracker—and we’re thrilled it’s been brought to market.

That said, it’s not for everyone. With no professional monitoring option, the Tranquil Watch is ideal for older people who already have an active group of caregivers looking out for them.

• Best Door Chimes for Seniors with Dementia
• How Smart Home Tech Can Help Older Adults
• 10 Ways to Upgrade Your Home for an Older Family Member
• Is It Safe for My Parent to Live Alone?
• Best Senior Smartwatches and Wearables

1. Andrew E Budson, Harvard Healthy, “Why Are Women More Likely to Develop Alzheimer’s Disease?” January 2022. Accessed February 16, 2023.