Wearable devices have sort of become that bandwagon which everyone, including mechanical watchmaking purist brands like Montblanc and IWC have been jumping on. For Swiss watchmakers, the relationship with “smart” devices is a tenuous one, similar but not quite like the other technological revolution which impacted the industry over 30 years ago – Quartz.

Serious watchmakers today are wise to approach the subject with caution but at the same time, they aren’t quite as ready to dispense with the centuries of heritage which reflect the high levels of artisanship central to the heart of watchmaking; So products like Montblanc’s Timewalker Urban e-Strap allow them to dabble, without betraying the soul of watchmaking.

Montblanc’s e-Strap

IWC Connect

The Schaffhausen manufacture goes a step further: rather than risk adverse reactions from a deeply puritan (in the horological sense) audience, IWC has chosen the path of the “Connected Device” – not a smartwatch or smart device per se but rather a high quality component built into the straps of IWC Big Pilots designed to give wearers full fledged activity tracking and some control over connected devices rather than risk the integrity of a handcrafted mechanical timepiece.

And then there’s Emulsion: Analog Activity Tracker…

It takes the form of a timepiece, uses a solid steel case like one but fills the space meant for a regular movement with a curious mix of mineral oil and coloured water. At rest, the fluid emulsion convalesces into a big blob but once you’re in motion with appropriate wrist movement, the coloured oil shifts and disperses into a splatter pattern depending on how rigourous you are. Granted, it’s not a real activity tracker like IWC’s connected device but honestly, it’s a smart way of indicating activity. Even beyond its tongue-in-cheek conception by the Oslo-based Skrekkøgle, the two founders Lars Marcus Vedeler and Theo Tveterås rightly surmise that no one wants to inherit a whole other basket of routines to keep one smart device up-to-date and charged. They pointed out:

• You have to charge your device
• Make sure it syncs with your gadget ecosystem
• Figure out how it fits into your regular routine and lifestyle

Jokes and criticisms aside, Emulsion may be an imprecise way of gathering activity data but the pair of Vedeler and Tveteras have cottoned on to the idea that you only really wear a personal accessory because you have an emotional connection with it. If anything, the future of our (watch collectors) adoption of smart devices is really dependent on how we can develop a deeper relationship with our wearables but for now, swiping a screen and tapping will never quite replace the “breathing” of a balance wheel or even the movement of fluids.