Mondaine has just announced its own Swiss-made smartwatch in an effort to battle the upcoming Apple Watch.
That’s the same company that previously saw itself embroiled in a legal battle with Apple over the rights to the original Apple Clock application design.
Mondaine claimed Apple stole the design for the application from the Mondaine-made clocks seen at Swiss railway stations.
The company trumped Apple in the courts, resulting in a payout of £13.2 million courtesy of the Cupertino-based firm’s coffers.
Mondaine’s latest fare is called the Helvetia No 1 Horological Smartwatch, and it bears a striking resemblance to the design tone of the Withings Activite.
The Swiss firm has snubbed ritzy OLED displays, instead opting for a standard analogue watchface.
The ‘smart’ comes from the fact that the device can link up with smartphones and tablets, providing data to compatible apps.
The face also contains a sub-dial that can show sleep patterns and fitness tracking, in much the same way as Withings’ offerings.
Unfortunately, that’s about as smart as it gets – you won’t be seeing text messages or calls pop up on this wrist-hugging fare.
Related: Apple Watch review
The first prototype of Mondaine’s Helvetica No 1 will be shown off at Baselworld next month.
It’s set to ship in a brushed steel case with sapphire glass and a leather strap, with the full version due for sale in autumn this year.
Pricing and availability are yet to be announced.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
