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Mondaine has just announced its own Swiss-made smartwatch in an effort to battle the upcoming Apple Watch.
That’s the same company that previously saw itself embroiled in a legal battle with Apple over the rights to the original Apple Clock application design.
Mondaine claimed Apple stole the design for the application from the Mondaine-made clocks seen at Swiss railway stations.
The company trumped Apple in the courts, resulting in a payout of £13.2 million courtesy of the Cupertino-based firm’s coffers.
Mondaine’s latest fare is called the Helvetia No 1 Horological Smartwatch, and it bears a striking resemblance to the design tone of the Withings Activite.
The Swiss firm has snubbed ritzy OLED displays, instead opting for a standard analogue watchface.
The ‘smart’ comes from the fact that the device can link up with smartphones and tablets, providing data to compatible apps.
The face also contains a sub-dial that can show sleep patterns and fitness tracking, in much the same way as Withings’ offerings.
Unfortunately, that’s about as smart as it gets – you won’t be seeing text messages or calls pop up on this wrist-hugging fare.
Related: Apple Watch review
The first prototype of Mondaine’s Helvetica No 1 will be shown off at Baselworld next month.
It’s set to ship in a brushed steel case with sapphire glass and a leather strap, with the full version due for sale in autumn this year.
Pricing and availability are yet to be announced.
