Montblanc, the luxury brand best known for its pens, is stepping further than ever into the consumer technology market with a new smartwatch and wireless headphones.
Coming two years after its predecessor, the new Summit 2+ smartwatch runs Google’s Wear OS software with the Google Assistant, and features LTE for the first time.
This is a key upgrade for the timepiece and means it can receive messages and make calls without being connected to a smartphone over Bluetooth. It can also access internet services like Google Assistant - again, without a phone being nearby.
Available from May, the watch has grown a little compared to the two-year-old Summit 2, with the stainless steel case now measuring 43.5mm across. The touchscreen is also now slightly larger, up to 1.28 inches, while two buttons and a rotate crown sit at the two, three and four o’clock positions, making it look like a traditional watch.
Inside, the Summit 2+ is still powered by the ageing Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor as before, although the battery has grown to 440mAh. Montblanc claims that’s enough for a full day of regular use, or up to between three and five days if it’s only used to tell the time.
There’s also the usual range of smartwatch functions onboard, including a heart rate monitor for exercise tracking, plus a speedometer, altimeter, barometer, compass and GPS.
As with earlier versions of Summit, the smartwatch gets its design inspiration from the Montblanc 1858 collection. But, being a smartwatch, there is an app for creating your own personalised watch face, with over 1,000 combinations to pick from.
The front is protected by 2mm sapphire glass, while the case options include black, stainless steel, rose gold and bronze, and the watch has interchangeable straps to help match your personal style. Water resistance is stated as IPx8, so while you can shower with the Summit 2+, we wouldn’t recommend you go swimming with it.
The Summit 2+ is priced at $1,170 in the US, with UK and European prices to come shortly.
The second new product coming from Montblanc this week - and the company’s first foray into audio - is a pair of over-ear wireless headphones. Called the Smart Headphones, they are finished with soft leather and aimed at the luxury and frequent flyer markets.
They feature active noise cancelling to block out the thrum of an aeroplane cabin, an ergonomic design for a comfortable fit, and access to the Google Assistant when connected to your phone over Bluetooth.
Colour options for the Montblanc Smart Headphones include black leather with chrome, brown leather with gold, and light grey leather with polished metal details. The headphones have a 20-hour battery life and are charged via a USB-C port. They come with a fabric pouch, charging cable, audio cable, and an aeroplane adaptor.
Montblanc’s first headphones go on sale this month and are priced at £525 / $595.
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