You may not be willing to jump on the smartwatch bandwagon just yet, but what if you could put those functionalities into the watch you already love? Would you? That’s what Montblanc is hoping for with their new luxury smartwatch strap.
The e-Strap is made of textured, high-performance leather and comes equipped with a removable wide OLED screen that measures 40mm long and 14.2mm wide. It mounts on the the outer side of the band. The strap was specifically designed for Montblanc’s Timewalker range, but can be used with any other 20 or 22mm wide bands.
By connecting to iOS and Android smartphones through Bluetooth, the watch has a number of features.
It can work as a remote camera trigger, control music players, or alert the wearer to incoming texts, calls, emails and social media activity through vibration. It also collects physical activity data for an app that pairs with the strap and comes with a function that helps the user find their phone using their watch and vice versa. While other smartwatches have been criticized for needing daily charges, this e-strap boasts a battery life of five days under normal use, charged via USB.
Some watch experts believe the product release may mean we see more high-end watch makers work technology into their timepieces.
“While it doesn’t represent the sentiments of all luxury watch makers, Montblanc’s upcoming release of the e-Strap is a healthy sign that the often conservative luxury watch industry is trying to work with smartwatches rather than ignore them,” said Ariel Adams of A Blog to Watch.
There are reports that Timex and Fossil are working with Qualcomm and Intel, respectively. TAG Heurer is also exploring opportunities to begin its own smartwatch-inspired projects.
The Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed eStrap will be available in June 2015 for 250 euros or ~$289 USD (watch not included).
NICE & SLOW | VOLUME 11 | @DJ1Life
