Montblanc Unveils 'e-Strap' That'll Turn Its Watches Into Smartwatches

Montblanc, the luxury brand usually associated with lifestyle products, is the latest to join the smartwatch segment. The company will be releasing a new e-Strap for the upcoming Timewalker Urban Speed collection of watches.

Notably, the e-Strap can be attached to any of Montblanc's Timewalker Urban Speed range of timepieces and turn the regular luxury watches into smartwatches.

A Blog to Watch reports that Montblanc will launch the optional strap called the e-Strap separately at EUR 250 (roughly Rs. 19,070). It notes, "The e-Strap will come on a few of the new for 2015 Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed watches, but will be available for purchase separately."

"The e-Strap features a high-end leather strap that has a carbon fiber texture to it that Montblanc calls "Extreme Montblanc Leather" and is produced by them in Florence, Italy. At the bottom, sitting under your wrist is an electronic module made from DLC (diamond like carbon) coated steel or in gray steel. Apparently, there are a few colour and size options," blog notes.

The e-Strap will feature a 0.9-inch monochromatic OLED touch screen display with a 128x36 pixels resolution and will allow users to check calls, texts, e-mails, calendars, social media, and reminder notifications. The blog (via Techcrunch) adds that the e-Strap will "function as an activity monitor/tracker with a pedometer and accelerometer to measure data that feeds into an included iPhone or Android phone app." The blog further details that the Montblanc e-Strap will connect via Bluetooth 4.0 to the smartphone and will offer vibration alerts. The company has claimed that the e-Strap will last for five days of continuous use. It is shock resistant and splash resistant and measures 40mm (long), 14.2mm (wide), and 9mm high (thick).