Montblanc Announces A Smart Bracelet For Your Fancy Watch

What did I tell you? In a last-ditch effort to save themselves, watchmakers are now turning to the band in order to ensure that timekeeping remains well in the realm of the mechanical.

The new band, part of the Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed collection, is a little metal screen that can receive notifications and messages. From A Blog To Watch:

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 color and size options.

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I fully expect this to be the stupidest thing ever, on par with the Prada phone, and this shows exactly what companies like Montblanc are up against. Wearables are replacing some watches and the Apple Watch will replace the rest. I expect that the mechanical watch manufacturers will soon be facing a massive slowdown at best and bankruptcy at worst.

Don’t worry, though: you can buy the Montblanc band separately for about $300 (the mechanical watches are about $3,000) so you can strap it to your Apple Watch.