The Fes Watch, a device made out of electronic paper, is currently being developed by Sony and its partner for the project, Fashion Entertainments.
The two companies are exploring how electronic paper can be utilized to produce fashion items.
Fashion Entertainments functions as a division under Sony's New Business Creation Department, a Sony spokeswoman confirmed.
The Fes Watch, with its minimalist and monochrome design, is capable of changing how it looks depending on the movements of its user. It comes with a total of 24 design patterns that the user can manually select.
While the device will not compete with smart watches, such as the upcoming Apple Watch, in terms of features, the Fes Watch will include a battery that offers about 60 days of usage.
Sony has successfully kept the project hidden, albeit in plain sight, until recently. The Fes Watch was put up in a Japanese online crowdfunding site back in September, where it has surpassed the crowdfunding campaign's initial goal of collecting about $17,000 after just three weeks.
Sony has not given an official launch date for the watch. However, crowdfunding supporters are now able to pre-order the item, with an expected delivery date of May 2015.
"We hid Sony's name because we wanted to test the real value of the product, whether there will be demand for our concept," said a person that was involved in the project.
Sony's development of electronic paper technology is not just for watches; bow ties, paper holders, shoes, eyeglasses and hat accessories are also being developed with electronic ink.
The project, which involves five engineers from Sony, looks to redefine electronic paper as an alternative to fabric.
The Fes Watch is described as "retro and cool" by Stuart Miles, an expert on gadgets from Pocket-lint.
"One of my predictions for next year is that fashion is going to play a huge part in shaping the tech industry," Miles said.
The electronic paper used in the Fes Watch has the drawback of having a limited display. However, Miles said that the drawback is not too significant since the device will be treated closer to a traditional watch that only serves to tell the time.
