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MotionX powers Swiss hybrid smartwatch revolution

This morning appears to mark a watershed moment in the advent of smartwatches with three established watch brands revealing hybrid smartwatches based around a new analogue smartwatch platform jointly developed by Frederique Constant’s owner.

Dubbed ‘horological smartwatches’ the watches from Mondaine and stablemates Frederique Constant and Alpina each use the MotionX activity tracking system jointly developed by Frederique Constant Group and Silicon Valley tech firm Fullpower Technologies, Inc under the banner Manufacture Modules Technologies Sàrl (MMT). So far only the Mondaine has been named, using the monicker Mondaine Helevetica No 1 Smart.

The smartwatches are notable for using both quartz movements and solid-state technology and a traditional watch dial with no digital display. Instead the watches display information in an analogue form using a sub dial, much like the watches already released by Richard Hoptroff’s eponymous brand. They all connect to either iPhone or Android-based smartphone apps.

Frederique Constant and Alpina have confirmed that they will release more than ten models based around the MotionX system in 2015 and use FC-285 or AL-285 quartz movements.

The first raft of these ‘horological smartwatches’ will feature ‘always-on’ time and date, MotionX activity tracking, Sleeptracking sleep monitoring, sleep cycle alarms, Get-Active alerts, Adaptive coaching, 2+ years battery life, MotionX cloud backup and restore.

The MMT partnershipship between Frederique Constant Group and Fullpower Technologies, Inc is headed up by FC Group’s Peter Stas and Philippe Kahn, who, back in 1997, became the first person to instantly upload a camera phone picture to a public network thanks to the technology he created.

Peter Stas quote: "We love working with Philippe Kahn and his team, their approach to technology craftsmanship very much matches our company culture. Our intense collaboration and combined strengths have enabled us to realize the super exciting Swiss Horological Smartwatch today, and will lead to so much more that is still to come. The Swiss Horological Smartwatches released today truly show the strength of our partnership."

Geneva-based MMT will offer its MotionX-365 Horological Smartwatch Open Platform to the Swiss watch industry with Mondaine becoming the first company outside of Frederique Constant Group’s own brands to release details of a finished product.

Philippe Kahn quote: "We looked for innovative partners in the Swiss watch industry to collaborate with. Peter’s efforts to develop his own high caliber product were unprecedented, so we immediately clicked and went to work to help reinvent the Swiss watch industry."

Frederique Constant and Alpina’s products look as though they will be first to market with their Horological Smartwatches due to reach stores in June. Mondaine have hinted at an autumn release for the Mondaine Helevetica No 1 Smart.

James Buttery

Editor of WatchPro, the WatchPro Hot 100 and The Luxury Report.

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