Watches without screens are rare, but they have in fact been around for many years. But there are not many screen-less watches that combine elements of health and practicality with beauty without being obtrusive.
NOWATCH is one of the best.
It’s worth noting that this CES isn’t the first time NOWATCH’s screenless watch has been on stage. Back in November 2021 NOWATCH opened a crowdfunding campaign that saw 235 backers contribute more than $100,000 before the crowdfunding campaign ended, but the official word on the street is that delivery was delayed until at least September 2022.
Back to the main topic, from the appearance, NOWATCH is not much different from the usual watches overall except that it does not have the dial of a traditional watch. The whole gemstone inlaid on the front is visually quite impactful, and is still quite attractive to users who pursue fashionable wear.
Such a design is not unintentional, Hylke Muntinga, CEO and co-founder of NOWATCH, shares the original intention of this screen-less design: “NOWATCH is for all those who really want to embrace technology, and for those who like to wear beautiful and sustainable things”. “We didn’t add the option to display the time on the watch because that would just distract you”.
Beneath the jewelry screen is an array of biosensors, including heart rate, skin temperature, SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation) and an electronic skin activity sensor. Monitoring functions including respiratory rate, heart rate, body temperature, skin electricity, blood oxygen, exercise and other related signs are available.
In addition, NOWATCH says it is the first wearable device ever to continuously measure skin electricity to “explain” stress. Through Philips’ Biosensing technology, NOWATCH assesses your stress level and can predict your stress 60 minutes in advance.
NOWATCH itself interacts with the user in one way only, by vibrating twice when it wants to remind you to “pay attention to the moment”. You can set it to randomly vibrate multiple times per day. In later firmware iterations, the vibrations will be more relevant to some of the user’s physiological data.
In addition to this passive alert method, users can also check their physiological status in real time via the app. Including the above mentioned blood oxygen, heart rate, body temperature, pressure, sleep data, etc., and provide data summary and suggestions.
In terms of battery life, NOWATCH supports up to 4 days of battery life depending on usage.
NOWATCH’s stainless steel body is available in gold, silver and rose colorways, while the dial offers up to seven different natural stones, and the stones can be easily changed via a magnetic converter. In addition, officials say that they are working with a number of artists and jewelry makers. A limited edition of Nowatch with practical moonstone and meteorite will be made later.
