Montblanc reveals smart strap for analogue watches
Luxury watch maker reveals smart strap design for analogue watches
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Luxury watch-maker Montblanc has launched a new smart strap that adds step tracking and a smartphone-pairing features to its traditional analogue watches.
In a bid to take on the growing wearables and smartwatch market, the German manufacturer has decided against creating a part-analogue, part-digital smart hybrid. In order to retain its traditional gears-and-springs credentials, Montblanc has created the e-Strap: a 22mm wide OLED screen that sits on the underside of regular watch strap.
Connecting to an Android or iOS phone via a partnering app and Bluetooth, the e-Strap provides notifications for calls, text messages, emails, music controls, along with a range of activity monitoring features. A vibration will notify the wearer of a received message, which they can then read on the monochromatic display.
While the e-Strap doesn't boast as many features as most existing smartwatches (there's no GPS tracking, for instance), Montblanc has included some interesting functions: Smartphone photographers can use the e-Strap as a remote camera trigger (eliminating the need for selfies?), while the app will provide updates on how close the wearer is to reaching their fitness goals.
Revealed on A Blog to Watch, the e-Strap will come as a strap option for the 2015 Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed watch range, or as a standalone wearable for around £250 - a sizeable sum compared to similar smartwatches, but a relative steal in comparison to Montblanc's other timepieces.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments