Montblanc, a watch and luxury good company, is entering the wearable technology market with the e-Strap, an optional strap for its upcoming Timewalker Urban Speed collection.
Montblanc's e-Strap represents the first smart wearable produced by a known luxury brand. It features a high-end strap made of leather with a texture of carbon fiber, which the company calls "Extreme Montblanc Leather" and an electronic module in the wearer's wrist.
Montblanc is not releasing a smartwatch which combines the design and materials of a luxury watch with the capabilities of the technology, as most luxury watch makers believe that consumers do not want such a device. Instead, the company is releasing a traditional mechanical watch with a strap containing a smart wearable device.
The e-Strap, which will come with a few of the Timewalker Urban Speed pieces, was not announced along with the unveiling of the collection. The strap, however, is not exclusive to the collection, and can be purchased separately, to be used even with watches of other brands. It works with both iOS and Android phones.
The electronic module of the e-Strap will feature a monochromatic OLED touchscreen display measuring 0.9 inches with a resolution of 128 pixels by 36 pixels. In addition to the usual smartwatch functions of making calls, sending text messages, reading e-mails, accessing social media and displaying smartphone notifications, the e-Strap will also serve as an activity tracker that comes with an accelerometer and pedometer that forwards collected data to an app for the user's smartphone.
Users will also be able to operate the music player of their connected smartphone through the e-Strap, along with features such as being a remote trigger for the smartphone's camera and a locator for the connected smartphone through Bluetooth.
According to Montblanc, the e-Strap will have a five-day battery life and can be charged up through its micro-USB port. The device is also tagged as splash resistant and shock resistant, which would be important as the electronic module is at the wearer's wrist, which is often resting on top of tables. The e-Strap has a length of 40mm, width of 14.2mm, and thickness of 9mm.
The e-Strap is more than simply a notification device, marking Montblanc's interest in the trend without conceding its shared stance with other luxury watch makers regarding the necessity of smartwatches. While the luxury watch industry remains conservative, the release of the e-Strap could signal that the companies are looking to adapt to the trend of wearable technology, instead of completely ignoring it.
