Luxury brands are starting to catch on to the potential of wearable technology. Montblanc recently unveiled its Timewalker Urban Speed e-Strap watch line recently. The Christophe & Co. Armill smart bracelet aims to take wearables to an even higher level of luxury by combining high jewelry with wearable technology.
Known as ‘Armills’, the pieces are a modern interpretation of an ancient symbol of royalty and valor in battle. In order to strike a balance between old world and new, they combined fine diamonds and precious metals with advanced engineered material and cutting edge embedded hardware.
The Christophe & Co. Armill comes with an optional “cutting edge embedded hardware module” that incorporates both NFC and Bluetooth LE. But unlike traditional wearables which measure steps taken or let you know about the latest tweet, this one is designed to quickly alert your personal assistant that their presence is requested and to open doors to guest-only VIP events and sold out sporting events. Armill owners will also have access to a 24/7 global concierge service via the companion app where they “can request just about anything at any time.”
Future functionality promises to integrate with your smart home, vehicle and even your yacht as well as offer gesture recognition and contactless payment. It’s not quite clear though how all this will work with no displays or buttons (perhaps that’s where the assistant comes in).
Unlike most wearables to date, battery life promises not to be an issue. The Armill will use “a ground breaking kinetic energy generation system to recharge the battery using the natural motion of the user’s arm.” Users could go as long as a year or more between charges.
Designed in conjunction with famed Italian firm Pininfarina, the Armill makes use of high-tech ceramics, gold and precious stones like diamonds. One model makes use of 260 diamonds, 57 grams of solid gold and a matter ceramic shield and it’s not even the high-end model.
Each bracelet will further be customized to their wearer. Not only will they be individually sized but they could also include hand-engravings and other personal touches.
Such luxury does come at a price though. With a run limited to only 425 bracelets, three Christophe & Co. Armill models will be offered. 300 Virtus models will be produced along with 100 Orion and 25 Apollo bracelets. They will sell for US$75,000, US$93,000 and US$149,000 respectively.
Sources : Christophe & Co. // A Blog To Watch