The Schaffhausen-based manufacturer has announced a new device – the IWC Connect which is created to give wearers the control over certain devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) and provide fully fledged wearer’s activities. To be clear – the IWC Connect is not a stand-alone smartwatch.
IWC Connect Watch
This electronic module which brings IWC into the smartwatch game will be embedded in the straps of mechanical timepieces from the Swiss watchmaking company. The main goal behind this intelligent tool is to enable owners of IWC watches to control their connected environment directly from the wrist whilst at the same time maintaining the integrity of a handcrafted mechanical timepiece.
IWC Schaffhausen Chief Executive Officer Georges Kern says that many of its customers and “brand ambassadors” were wearing fitness bands and other connected trackers alongside their IWC watches. “We chose to work with a like-minded digital technology company to develop an elegant, aesthetically complementary solution that eliminates the need to have additional devices on the opposing wrist to your IWC,” said CEO of IWC. “But, and this is essential, we do not touch our beautiful watches – an ‘IWC’ stays a mechanical handcrafted timepiece. We’ve engineered an intelligent design solution which perfectly integrates and underlines our product worlds,” Kern stated.
IWC Schaffhausen is the latest in a long list of Swiss mechanical watchmakers, such as Frederique Constant, Montblanc and TAG Heuer, who have responded to an incursion into their sector from Apple, Samsung, and other tech giants by producing their own smart devices.
IWC Connect Watch Detail
The new IWC device will be integrated into the straps of IWC sports timepieces, beginning with the Big Pilot’s Watches.
When it comes to the price and availability of IWC Connect, it is to be announced, but the Schaffhausen-based watchmaker promises more information in the coming months, so stay tuned.
