Merely a few months ago, I gave my take on the Apple Watch, and how it might impact the market. Well, things are progressing rather quickly, as can be expected with technology. Last week, Montblanc announced a new product they’re calling the e-Strap – a strap-compatible smart accessory that can be worn right alongside your “dumb” watch. This is the first product to hit the mass market that just might please both watch and technology nerds.
The e-Strap has a clever design that sits on the underside of the watch, fitted NATO-style to the strap. It’s a slim device consisting most prominently of a small OLED screen. Technical specs for the e-Strap aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but I don’t believe that’s the intent; this initial offering seems to be purely focused on basic notifications and activity tracking. Without re-hashing all of its functions (you can read that all over the web), I want to talk more about where this might take the market.
Montblanc is debuting the e-Strap on the Timewalker Urban Speed, but it can be switched to any 22-ish millimeter strap
I doubt I’ll get many arguments from readers of our site, but I don’t think pure smart watches were going to do much to convert watch nerds to the new technology. With that said, I’d be naive to say we’ll never want in on the technology in some capacity. This makes the e-Strap an interesting play, and one I’d be willing to try. I mean, let’s face it, I can remember a time when I thought smart phones were unnecessary, and now it’s essentially a bodily appendage. At the very least, I believe watch nerds are going to be quite curious in checking the e-Strap out.
The e-Strap syncs its functionality with your smart phone.
Just as with the Apple Watch, this version of the e-Strap isn’t going to topple the industry – it just doesn’t have the functionality. Although I’m interested in trying it out, I don’t think it’s worth $300, at least not to me. I’ve never understood the activity tracker craze, and it’s still not much of a heartburn to reach into my pocket when I get a phone call or text message. I’d love to see something of this form factor with the screen of the Apple Watch, and including things like GPS, video chat, and voice-to-text via headphone in-line remote. I also think it would be beneficial to include sleek pushers and have it function as a digital stopwatch/timer/alarm. You might be thinking, “but it’s on a chronograph, why would you need such functionality?” But I think this accessory could be very versatile in that it can transfer to a plain old strap or bracelet and be used at the gym or on a run. For this reason, I also think these basic functionalities should be standalone, and not dependent on a connected phone.
My desires are racking up quickly, but this is exactly why I don’t believe the technology is there yet. However, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. SIHH is coming up very soon, with Baselworld not far behind. I’d say chances are good we’ll see at least a few concepts for smart watches and accessories. Watchmakers — as much as they might want to resist — would be silly to completely ignore this market segment. Not only is there money to be made, but getting involved now is a good way to steer the market, as opposed to letting the market steer them.
As mentioned, despite the e-Strap’s shortcomings, I’m looking forward to testing it. I love that Montblanc said “to hell” with trying to make a smart watch, and went straight to the smart watch accessory. With mechanical watches still growing in popularity, especially in the young professional crowd, I see the smart watch accessory market as one with loads of potential. Whether or not you get in with the e-Strap, you should be excited to see how the market plays out – so, get the popcorn ready.
Let us know what you think of the e-Strap in the comments!
by 
Chris
As someone who’s owned a few Fitbits in the last year and has a thing for watches and running, this should be right up my alley. And yet, it misses completely.
The $300 price point is a little tough to stomach, especially given the lack of durability I’ve seen in the current crop of activity trackers. The second issue I have is that there is no way that strap will not get uncomfortable between one’s wrist and he desk while using a keyboard, which I do a lot, which is why I run and use activity trackers. Also, a camera remote for selfies? What focus group brought that idea to the table? I’d be embarrassed each time someone recognized the strap and asked if it had that functionality.