CHRONOS TURNS YOUR WATCH INTO A SMARTWATCH

Posted By Simon Montford on Dec 4, 2015

Chronos turns a watch into a smartwatch. It lights up and vibrates when messages, calls, or notifications are received. The device will cost around $100 (£65) when it goes on sale next year, meaning that conventional watch owners will get all the benefits of owning a smartwatch without having to buy one. Obviously, the Chronos is more of a substitute for pseudo smartwatches like the Activite Pop, as it lacks many of the features offered by more sophisticated ones that run apps, and feature touchscreens. 

Of course this product will particularly appeal to watch collectors, who view watches primarily as style statements and, in some cases, works of art. In their world, form very much comes ahead of function, so aside from time keeping, things like fitness tracking, email notifications etc are far less important. This is why connoisseurs are simply not going to replace their vastly more valuable timepieces any time soon, with "low-budget" smartwatches. Even the latest offering from Tag Heure is comparatively "cheap" when compared to something like a Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4, for example, that would set you back $2.4 million!

I guess if you have it, flaunt it. In the mean time, I'm very happy to replace my "dumb" watch with a "smart" LG Urbane, so have not plans to purchase a Chronos, unless I win the lottery that is. Even if I did, no matter how much I won, I don't think I could ever bring myself to spend over two million dollars on a watch. I will, therefore, never ever know what it's like to carry an item on my wrist that costs more than most people earn in a life time. Each to their own.