At Elysium Magazine we remain divided on whether a smart watch will actually replace our love for a classic timepiece. The clunky smart watches just don’t provide the discerning gent with that feeling of luxury on his wrist but there maybe a fair middle ground.

 

The upcoming Montblanc Timewalker Urban Speed collection of watches will have a smart-strap that connects to iPhone or Android over Bluetooth to relay notifications.

 

The leather strap has a woven carbon fiber texture called “Extreme Montblanc,” and connects to the watch in a “NATO” style that loops around the spring bars and crosses the back of the watch. That means that the watch will remain attached in the event one of the spring bars breaks, exactly the attention to detail you would expect from Montblanc.

 

 

The watch “upgrade’ will show calls, texts, email, appointments, and other basic content. Users will also get some fitness tracking features with the built-in pedometer and have the ability to control music playback.

 

The smart-strap will cost around €250, but buyers will be able to get one included with the Timewalker series. The cheapest Timewalker Urban watch will run €2,990 with the strap included.

 

This is probably not a piece that will appeal to the tech guys but is interesting to see Montblanc sitting up and taking notice of what consumers want in 2015. The real test will come when the Apple Watch is released later this year – is the future of watches digital? Let us know on Twitter.