Movado partners with HP for new connected watch

New York - First, Fossil buys Misfit, and now this. Movado has announced that they will be partnering with HP for a new connected watch. The 134-year-old Swiss company, known for the solitary dot at the 12 hour marker, decided that it was time that they became technologically savvy. Their first technology enabled product is called the Movado Bold Motion.

The price point for the watch is 695 dollars, and it comes in two styles, a stainless steel with a black PVD finish, or all black stainless steel. The 44-mm case has a matte, ceramic finish and black dial with the option of a teal blue or white LED dot, hands, and hour markers.

Despite the introduction of technology, Movado didn't want to stray too far away from their signature aesthetic. The watch is meant to be an extension of the Movado Bold collection that was introduced in 2010. The design for the watch was a long time coming.

Movado unveils connected watch in collaboration with HP

The design process took over a year, and Movado wanted to make sure that while it was up to date with the times, it wouldn't be an overly tech heavy watch. They did their best to keep the technology subtle, because they weren't taking the computer-on-the-wrist approach Apple takes. “We’re not attempting to make smart objects, it’s about making existing objects smarter, and that means we have taken a watch and unobtrusively added technology,” Sridhar Solur, general manager, wearables, HP said to WWD.

The tech functions of the watch include simple things, like giving time cues that are indicated with the LED display lighting up and haptic vibrations. All watch technology is powered by HP.

As of this morning, the Movado Bold Motion is available for pre-order at movado.com and engineeredbyhp.com. Third party retailers will begin carrying the watch in December.

Specifications for the watch also include monitoring features, like tracking how many unread e-mails you have. The charge for the watch can also last for about a week on average.

The intertwining of fashion and technology continues, and Movado was the next domino in the domino effect.

photo:hp.com