Montblanc’s ‘e-Strap’ turns a regular watch into a smartwatch

Smartwatches are becoming more and more popular, and 2015 will only see that popularity grow. So what do you do if you already have an expensive timepiece you don’t want to ditch for a rectangular mini-smartphone? That’s where Montblanc’s e-strap comes in.

For the time being the e-Strap is only available for Montblanc’s Timewalker Urban Speed Collection, but it comes with all the features you’d expect from a smartwatch. That includes notification alerts, remote camera controls, activity tracking, music controls, and so on.

So what exactly is it? Quite simply it’s a 0.9-inch OLED touchscreen module that you slide onto the watch’s strap and lives on the underside of your wrist. It then connects to your iOS or Android device by Bluetooth. In the usual smartwatch fashion there’s also a companion app that shows you various usage statistics. To top that off Montblanc says that the e-strap will last five days before it needs recharging.

Currently there’s no word on when it’ll arrive, or even how much it will be. Prices for watches in the Timewalker Urban Speed Collection range from €2,990 up to €4,690 (£2,333 to £3,659). Presumably the e-Strap will fit onto other watches (provided the strap isn’t too wide), so it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out for those of us who can’t afford to spend over £2,000 on a fancy watch.