Ever since the launch of the Apple Watch speculation that the smart watch will eventually displace mechanical watches has ramped right up. At this stage it seems unlikely but nevertheless major brands like Tag Heuer and Breitling are taking the threat seriously enough that they have invested in the development of their own smart watches. But what if you don’t need to replace your mechanical watch (or any watch for that matter) in order to enjoy the benefits of a smart watch?
A Smart Solution For A Smart Watch
The guys at Chronos – a San Francisco-based technology company focused on the watch industry – were pondering exactly the same question and came up with a rather smart solution; why not just give people the ability to make any watch a smart watch? Which is exactly what they’ve done with the creation of the Chronos disc, a tiny, super thin disc – less than 3mm thick according to Chronos – that attaches to the back of just about any watch and instantly turns it into a smart watch.
According to Chronos, it’s little miracle disc will give much of the same functionality offered by your standard smart watch, with the obvious benefit being that you don’t have to go out and buy said smart watch.
So, how does it work? Well, in theory it’s as simple as attaching the 33mm diameter disc to the back of your watch via in-built micro-suction technology, which allows the disc to be quickly attached and detached without using any sticky adhesives (which of course means no sticky residue afterwards when you take it off), and then downloading the accompanying Chronos app. Connect the two via Bluetooth and voila, you have your very own smart watch. But just how smart is it?
According to Chronos, it’s little miracle disc will give much of the same functionality offered by your standard smart watch, with the obvious benefit being that you don’t have to go out and buy said smart watch. This includes fitness tracking, silencing incoming calls, skipping music tracks and receiving other information via haptic vibation and LED notifications. You even use gestures and taps like you would on a normal smart watch to execute the desired action, all of which can be customized via the app.
All things considered $99 seems like a relatively small amount to pay to turn your $10k Rolex into a smart watch, assuming you’re into that sort of thing of course.
Just imagine, you could turn the super rare Patek Philippe Ref 2499 that your grandfather handed down to your father, who handed it down to you, into a smart watch but without any lasting impact on the watch. And best of all no one would know, they’d just think you’re just another eccentric billionaire waving at his priceless family heirloom. Nice.
All in all the Chronos disc sounds like a pretty promising idea but does it really work? Personally I have not had the chance to use one as yet but I know others that have and they say this is the real deal. On the downside though it only comes with a 36 hour battery life which is kind of annoying although you can charge it wirelessly, so maybe you can leave it on your wrist while it charges?
It’s probably still too early to tell whether the Chronos disc will be a hit but if you’re keen to find out for yourself you can pre-order one now for a discounted price of $99 (they will cost $129 after the official launch) for delivery in Spring 2016. All things considered $99 seems like a relatively small amount to pay to turn your $10k Rolex into a smart watch, assuming you’re into that sort of thing of course.
For more information: wearchronos.com
