Watch collection marries an Android-powered digital mechanism with stylish traditional design
An increasing number of people are migrating towards a smartwatch, away from the traditional mechanic mechanism from established watch manufacturers. At first, this was dismissed as a fad by the watch industry, citing quality, the lengthy design process, the collectability of owning a mechanical watch and other reasons for traditionalists avoiding the transition to a smart device.
The Summit marries traditional design with smart watch functionality
Problem is, it’s hard to dismiss the advantages of a smartwatch, particularly with recent advances such as being able to swim, run and track your everyday movements which many Short Motivation readers are finding convenient. But what if you struggle to move away from traditional watch design, in the sense that you don’t want a square watch with a digital face? Or, worse, a smartwatch everyone else owns.
Montblanc, the traditional luxury Swiss watch maker, has recognised this problem and has released it’s first smartwatch, the Summit. A digital watch, with a twist.
Developed in conjunction with Google, Montblanc’s Summit smartwatch launches in five different styles, featuring touch screen display, heart-rate monitor, barometer and a 4GB storage. Each watch features a 1.39” AMOLED digital face which offers a sharp, vibrant and clear digital screen even in bright light. Cases are manufactured in stainless steel, with three of the models given a PVD coating. Each watch has a sapphire glass face.
The Summit ships with either a leather or rubber strap, but will enable you to swap out your strap from over 300 combinations.
Watch the Summit launch video for more detailed information:
Starting at $895/£765, the recommended retail price is relatively high for a smartwatch, but from a brand like Montblanc it is what you’d expect to pay for traditional Swiss manufacturing. And you’ll also have a rather unique smartwatch, rather than the usual devices you see everyone wearing.
The lack of GPS may disappoint at this price, but this watch is designed to uniquely fuse design with function. Montblanc’s CEO, Jérôme Lambert, explains further: “Nothing compares to the sensation of traditional fine Swiss watchmaking, but in a fast moving world being able to access all kinds of information digitally has become essential.”
At Short Motivation, we appreciate that the classic vintage appearance was designed to portray the idea of wearing a traditional watch, but utilising the benefits of a digital ‘mechanism’. It’s worth adding that the case diameter is 46mm, so the Summit isn’t a small watch.
The Summit is available for two weeks exclusively from the Mr Porter website. It will then feature in all Montblanc boutiques across the globe.
