Traditional watchmaker Montblanc has announced a new strap that promises to turn any old watch into a smartwatch.
With the Apple Watch on the horizon and Android Wear hardware surely set to improve in 2015, traditional watchmakers face a difficult year.
One of those classic timepiece creators, Montblanc, has kicked off the new year with an interesting workaround.
Rather than throwing its hat into the hazardous smartwatch ring, reports A Blog to Watch (via TechCrunch), the company has revealed the e-Strap. Sitting on the inside of your wrist, opposite the watch face itself, the e-Strap will serve you with the basic smartphone notifications you've come to expect from early smartwatch devices.
This compact second screen features a 0.9-inch monochrome OLED touchscreen display with a modest 128 x 36 resolution. As that suggests, it will handle only basic notifications for calls, texts, e-mails, reminders, social media updates, and the like. It'll also feature an activity tracker, which will feed into an accompanying iOS and Android app.
While the e-Strap has been announced as part of the Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed collection, its true value could be in its stand-alone nature.
You'll be able to purchase the e-Strap separately and add it to your existing watch, instantly turning it into a smartwatch.
Read More: Apple Watch vs Android Wear
One possible drawback could be the cost. At £250, the Montblanc e-Strap will be more expensive than the likes of the LG G Watch R and the Moto 360, which are more advanced and complete smartwatch devices.
Of course, said devices aren't made from "diamond-like carbon," and their straps aren't made from Florentine leather.
There's no news on when the Montblanc e-Strap will hit shops, but we'll keep you posted.
