Kickstarter: Release Your Inner James Bond With These High-Tech Linear Watches

High-tech watches are, arguably, a dime-a-dozen. But the Division Furtive electro-mechanical watch is something special. Built using a series of Swiss micro-motors (or LEDs), the face displays the time by moving little indicators along a sliding scale. You can see the day, date, time, day of week, time zone, phase of the moon, and a chronometer (along with a battery indicator) on a face that looks like it should be used to deflect Blofeld’s cat.

You can also set the watch by flashing it with a smartphone screen. Using a light sensor, the watch will “read” the flashes on the screen and synchronize itself with your phone. The company is making two models: the 40, which uses LED lights in place of motors, and the 46, which will include the motors.

Designed by Gabriel Menard, the entire project is currently ratcheting up in expectation of a December launch although the mechanical version will come later. “Over the last 18 months, I’ve designed, prototyped and built a novel wrist watch that has linear cursors instead of rotating hands,” said Menard. “I know only two other watches that do this…they’re selling for 250k$ while mine is priced at $3,600.”

$3,600 a little rich for your blood? The Kickstarter project is for the LED models only and pledges start at $190 and includes an etched serial number on the side of the case. You can reserve a 46 for a mere $73 and pay for and receive it when Menard completes them. He’s looking for £20,000 and is at about £2,000 right now.

My watch blogger buddy Patrick has been following these guys for a while and he’s come away impressed. At 50mm it’s wildly huge and the markings may be a little busy but definitely offer a sense of mystery and mayhem. At less than $200 for a custom, limited-edition watch, the 40 won’t steer you wrong and the mechanical sounds amazing once it’s complete. It’s no Golden Gun, but it’s still pretty cool.

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