With the preview of the Hermes/Apple collaboration for the ultimate luxury Smart watch, Baroque Lifestyle seeks out two other magnificent designer Smart watches that are about to launch and may take a slice of the market. Take a look…
Breitling B55 Connected
Hopefully out in time to be a much sought-after Christmas gift, this magnificent timepiece was inspired by Breitling’s signature status as airline pilots’ watch of choice. In fact, it closely resembles another Breitling creation, the B50 edition, which is not a Smart watch. The B55 Connected differs from our conception of a Smart watch in that it doesn’t receive text or social media messages. But it does connect with your mobile phone via a new Breitling smartphone app so that you can adjust certain watch settings including the time, display and alarms.
Those who think that Apple has put too many functions on its Smart watch will enjoy this much simpler version. In addition, the Breitling version is still a magnificent Swiss-made watch offering accurate time-keeping and everything a pilot usually looks for in a watch, including superquartz movement (it’s not completely mechanical).
Breitling is offering smart functionality simplified to the basics, with apps that make the watch easy to use, even if it doesn’t have all the Apple bells and whistles. Yes, it’s an expensive choice (estimated at around $7,000), but that’s what sets it apart, after all.
Bulgari Diagono Magnesium Concept watch
Destined to be a game changer, this smart watch offers a very different, extremely practical function. Bulgari collaborated with Swiss NFC tech expert WISeKey to create a watch with an app that stores vast amounts of data and communicates with other devices within its range. If you tap your designer Smart watch against another smart device, the watch’s NFC (Near Field Communications) chip lets you access this data, with every security measure in place to ensure that it remains safe. Whether we need this type of security or not, Bulgari’s Diagono Magnesium Smart watch is showing us what the future holds – integrating new, non-mechanical technologies into a luxury watch.
Like Breitling’s brand new Connected offering, Bulgari’s is a cut above the rest, although at a cheaper price (approximately $4,800). Not bad when you consider that the technology is top of the range, the style a designer one, and the mechanics nothing short of spectacular. The watch is named after the material that makes up the center of the case center – magnesium, which is very light and also durable. You won’t be able to purchase this watch in time for Christmas, though – it’s not scheduled to be released until next year.