Over the last year, we’ve seen many premium watchmakers make announcements that promise their entry into the smartwatch market. Whether they genuinely see a market there or they are trying get some more recognition in a fledgling industry, manufacturers like Fossil and TAG Heuer have made grand claims that their smartwatches are going to take the world by storm. The next watchmaker to stake their claim in the smartwatch race is Montblanc, whose Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed collection of watches not only has an amazingly cool name, but will have the option of incorporating a smart watch band, or ‘e-Strap’. The e-Strap will house a 128×36 pixel resolution OLED display that is capable of lasting five days between charges, and is compatible with Android and iOS devices for a number of fitness and notification features accessed through the Montblanc e-Strap app.
It doesn’t quite follow the traditional definition of a smartwatch, but a big plus of a format like this is that you will still have a watch (and a very nice watch at that) that can tell the time even when the smart band inevitably runs out of battery. This concept is eerily similar to the Kairos T-Band that had us so excited just a few weeks ago, and unsurprisingly, the pricing of these wonderful devices is quite similar (read: relatively expensive) – the e-Strap will set you back 250 Euros if purchase separately, and if you’re interested in a watch and the e-Strap, you’re looking at a price of 4,690 Euros for something like the Timewalker Urban Speed Chronograph. Kind of makes the e-Strap look worth it really.
What do you think about the Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed collection and the e-Strap? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: A Blog to Watch via TechCrunch
