Montblanc Summit: Smartwatch

With TAG Heuer announcing the next generation of their smartwatch, the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45, it only seems fitting that Montblanc should launch their first ever full-fledged smartwatch named the Montblanc Summit. Both Dominic and his team have always been excited when Montblanc have announced a new product, case in point, the arrival of Montblanc’s Augmented Paper. A revolutionary product that has changed the way note taking is achieved both at home and in the office.

It is possible that Montblanc was one of the first among Swiss Watch manufactures to have ventured into the realm of smart wearables. Remember the Montblanc TimeWalker Urban Speed e-Strap back in 2015? It seems Montblanc have moved on this time removing the mechanical watchmaking to construct a fully-developed smartwatch. And we can now safely say TAG Heuer is no long the only Swiss watch manufacture to be working directly with tech-giant, Google.

The luxury smartwatch runs Android Wear 2.0 and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 2100. To give the feeling of a "mechanical watch on the wrist", the Montblanc Summit's display is covered by a slightly curved sapphire glass, said to be a world first in smartwatches. Montblanc claims its battery lasts one full day. Montblanc stated,

"In the creation of the Montblanc Summit’s design, we wanted to bring a one-of-a-kind vintage design expression into this new product category to inspire the younger generation who appreciates the vintage look, especially when it is combined with high quality steel and titanium cases and contemporary straps that give the feeling of a mechanical watch on the wrist,"

They went onto say,

"As such, the 1858 collection has served as the main inspiration for the 46mm watch case design, as well as for the classic watch faces, which are a digital representation of the 1858 collection."

Whilst the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 is water resistant to 50 metres, features GPS, a high definition screen and NFC sensors for contactless payment it still does not obtain a heart-rate monitor, a feature that a lot of smartwatch enthusiasts have been crying out for. It seems Montblanc have taken it upon themselves to add this technology to their first smartwatch and Lumbers looks forward to seeing the rewards of them doing so.

Overall, it is refreshing to see multiple Swiss watch manufactures compete in this new and vibrant market. Both the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 and Montblanc Summit have cemented themselves at the cornerstone of the luxury smartwatch market.