Since mobile phones are becoming more and more high-tech, wristwatches seem to be going obsolete. Swiss watchmaker Breitling has another card up their sleeve. The company is launching their own version of a smartwatch.
Traditional watchmakers have started to release ‘connected’ or ‘smart’ timepieces, and now it’s the Swiss brand’s turn. The Breitling B55 Connected isn’t your average smartwatch; there’s no fitness tracker, no changeable faces and no notifications. So now you are wondering, what exactly does it do? First and foremost, the B55 Connected is still a traditional watch and includes Breitling’s B50 caliber superquartz movement. The company describes the watch as being a new generation connected chronograph, given that it uses Bluetooth to connect with Breitling app on your smartphone.
Using the app, you can easily access the features of the watch and can do simple things like setting an alarm or automatically setting the time whenever you land in a new time zone.
The B55 is aesthetically appealing with a beautiful ultra bright backlight. The LED displays light when the timepiece is tilted to a 35 degree angle. The B55 looks much like the Breitling Emergency, with the same bulky lines and ‘ultra-technical look’ as well as the bi-directional compass bezel around the cambered sapphire crystal that is set in the titanium case with black carbon-based coating. The coating goes with the general blue and black theme set off by the wireless connection logo on the dial and extends to the rubber strap.
The B55 Connected has a rechargeable Li-ion battery which charges via a magnetic connecter which can then be used with any USB port. The fact that the B55 Connected is a watch first, rather than some high-tech gadget, perhaps makes it more appealing to genuine watch lovers. Those of you who think that mobile phones are slowly killing off wristwatches, think again. The Breiling B55 Connected is expected to be released next week when the watch is officially unveiled at Baselworld in Switzerland.
Being able to access tranditional watch functions on a phone != smart