Another luxury watchmaker has jumped into the smartwatch arena. Just hours into the new year, Montblanc announced its first wearable, the Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed e-Strap watch line. The German company has taken the rather unique approach of integrating an electronic module into the strap rather than the watch itself. The solution effectively leaves the watch face uncluttered of the technological aspects that can draw away from its aesthetic.
The module comes with the usual assortment of smartwatch features. Incoming messages and social media updates are displayed on a 0.9-inch OLED touchscreen display with a vibration mode alerting you of new notifications. It also includes an activity tracker (pedometer, calories burned, etc), a Find-Me function and remote control for your smartphone’s camera and music player.
Unsurprisingly, the Montblanc e-Strap connects to your Android or iOS smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0 LE. An accompanying app gives you access to all the data collected by the e-Strap.
Montblanc claims that the battery will provide up to five days of continuous use thanks to its lithium ion battery which can be recharged with via its micro-USB port. The strap itself is 40 millimeters long and 14.2 millimeters wide.
The Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed e-Strap watches will go on sale starting in June 2015. The watches themselves will start at US$3,650 (about CA$4,240) while the e-Strap will sell for US$425 (about CA$500).
Source : Forbes