At Baselworld 2015Frederique Constantpresented hisHorological Smartwatch, which unlike the other “connected watches” did not have a screen or display but instead provided information in an analog way, that is, with hands. To do this, it had partnered with a Silicon Valley company – Fullpower Technologies Inc – that would provide the module that in this case would replace the clock mechanism. All informationaquí.
Recently – July 2016 – the news broke that the entire group had been acquired by the Japanese giant Citizen for the not inconsiderable figure of 82 million Swiss francs. Shortly after, the Swiss company Manufacture Modules Technologies Sarl (MMT), a partner of Fullpower and owned byFrederique Constantannounces that it has purchased the technology and patents for the modules that equip its Smartwatches from Fullpower (FC itself and Alpina). Outside of the sale operation to Citizen, the result of the operation therefore means thatMMTleaves Frederique Constant, a manufacturing company that thus begins a path whose first steps we will now analyze.
In September, the incorporation of a new CEO, Philippe Fraboulet, was announced, given that the sale agreement to the Japanese contemplates the permanence of Peter Stas for a period of no less than two years. The move seems clear: at least “aesthetically” it is not advisable for Stas to be in charge of a company and simultaneously of one of its suppliers. From what was seen and heard in the online conference offered, Frauboulet comes from the technological world, knows almost nothing about the watchmaking world and is certainly not endowed with Stas's communication skills... the conclusion comes by itself.
Furthermore, and in what I understand as a clear marketing move, it is explained that bothMMTas its modules (including conception, development and assembly) are100% Swiss, for which thenew “Swiss Software Certificate” sealto which I suppose the sameMMThas given consistency if not directly birth. This would complete the “suicity” of the aforementioned brands in addition to Mondaine and Movado, also clients ofMMT.
At the same conference, the new modules and applications (apps) were announced. The module is presentedMMT-281, which measures 28.7 x 6.8 mm and is designed for women's watches, and the Gym applications, which monitors physical-sports activity, Password Manager, which will save all passwords in the cloud (Cloud, it scares me) and the one that seemed most interesting to me:Analytics, which, contrary to what might seem at first sight,It is not related to Google.
Analytics es básicamente un cronocomparador para poder llevar el control de la precisión de los propios relojes… mecánicos. Para esto se necesitará un accesorio (una pinza, conectada al smartphone por Bluetooth) que se venderá por el módico precio de 80 dólares. No me quedó muy claro cómo interviene el Horological Smartwatchin this interaction with the three applications, although it could be thatMMTgo beyond complementing it.
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