People don’t know much about watches and they do not know what types of watches are available in the market until they go out to get one for themselves. You will be surprised how many people don’t know about the movement especially the automatic one. But everyone knows what a smart watch is and what it can do in terms of functionality. The real craftsmanship, design and luxury is found in automatic mechanical watches and these watches can get too expensive anywhere from $1000 to Millions. The watchmaking giant companies like Rado, Tissot, Tag Heuer and Bell & Rose have spin out many models in various family to suit people with different personalities and profession. There are Aviation watches, Diver watches and sports watches available for the professionals today. But they lacked functions a smart watch can perform like notifying you about missed calls or an email.
Do not worry X-One got you covered here. If you are into traditional mechanical watches and want smart watch functions incorporated in the true craftsmanship then this is a watch worth considering. X-One is the mechanical watch that offers swiss luxury and comes with connectivity of modern smartwatch. It is compatible with both iOS and Android, the two most popular smartphone OS’s. X-One brings traditional luxury and digital innovation to a whole new level. Designed by the people who have created iconic watches for MontBlanc, Patek Philippe, IWC and more, it maintains the traditional precision and incorporates todays connectivity.
X-One inners are enclosed in a 47mm steel case that is resistant to water up to 50 meters. The black color dial having luminescent applied on hour index and hands is protected by sapphire crystal. It comes with rubber bracelet that is very comfortable to wear. Bluetooth used here has low energy interface. It has wireless charging capability and is compliant with Qi. Battery used has 50mAh capacity. X-One has an infinite perpetual calendar that is made possible due to smartphone connectivity and internal memory. The multifunction gives you the ability to customize X-One to perform any function from, pedometer, music control, morse code and stopwatch. You can select your friends and family in the app to display incoming calls and messages from them. Company says it will bring new and rare functions for the watch in near future with a simple update.
Figure 1Electric Power and Linear Indicator
At the core of the watch is a beautiful movement manufactured in the le Cret du Locle, the heart of the ‘Watch Valley’ in Switzerland that powers the hour, minute, and seconds hand on the watch. This is just like a regular automatic watch. But there is also a small electronics package that powers the rest of the features including GMT time, perpetual calendar, and a unique linear display. The electronics used in the watch are modular and can be swapped if need be.
Figure 2Mechanical Movement and Modular Electronics
The X-ONE can be connected to any smart phone with Android and IOS. Application is still under development and is not as polished as it should be in the launch state. It is your interface that will help you connect to the watch and customize features and the notifications. Here in the app you can select your inner circle to display notifications from them and to set you watch to control the music.
It is a mind-blowing attempt of merging traditional Swiss watch with the electronic components to include smart watch functions. I am confident that future versions of this tech will be more polished, sophisticated and practical. It blended traditional mechanical watch and smart tech into one device. You will not have a full touch screen like an Apple watch or Galaxy Watch instead you have a classic watch face with hour, minute hands and a sophisticated mechanical notification system.
