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Manufacture Modules Technologies – otherwise known as MMT – the Swiss company established in Geneva in 2015 for the development and commercialisation of Horological Smartwatch modules, firmware, apps and cloud, announced this autumn, during a press conference led by Peter Stas and Philippe Fraboulet, that it had completed its spin-out from the Frédérique Constant Group (which was recently bought out by Citizen) and moved to new offices and workshops in Skylab, a high-tech hub in Geneva.
MMT modules have already been implemented by brands such as Frederique Constant, Movado, Mondaine, Ferragamo and Alpina. The organisation has provided over 70,000 Horological Smartwatch modules so far. The ‘new’ company presented a preview of the SwissConnect Gym App, SwissConnect Analytics, to keep track of the accuracy of a mechanical watch collection, and SwissConnect Password to keep passwords safe.
“We realise that most brands are too small to invest individually in a comprehensive technology platform. However, when we work together with a number of brands, we have the critical mass to expand the current platform long-term. We license and own over 150 granted and pending patents covering construction, display, software, images, algorithms, machine learning, and works of authorship of any kind. Brands can create unique products with modules and individual technology components,” explains Peter Stas, the founder of Frederique Constant. MMT will progressively present new functionalities for the current Horological Smartwatch module. It will also introduce two new modules, including one for ladies.
Just like MMT and many others, the German watchmaker Sinn, which has been known to be a rather practical company over the years, has tried to bridge the elegance and heritage of classic mechanical watches and the functionality and connectivity of smart watches. It’s quite a dilemma. Are passionate watch wearers expected to remove their high-quality mechanical timepiece to make room for a smartwatch? Or will they stay true to timeless mechanics and forsake the benefits of a smartwatch? Or is the solution to wear a watch on each wrist? Others have opted to offer smart straps to pair with a classic mechanical wristwatch, like Montblanc’s e-Strap.
Sinn’s solution is called the Dual Strap System. What you get is a set that includes two shortened strap halves for the Apple Watch, two shortened strap halves for your Sinn watch, and all the bits to connect it all together. You also have the option of wearing each watch separately by using another connecting strap which is provided in the set. But if you do that, you’re back to square one and the problem you started with: which watch to wear! The Dual Strap System is designed to fit Sinn watches with a lug width of 22 mm and Apple Watches with a case size of 38 mm and 42 mm. Ironically, by trying to give consumers more choice in what kind of watch to wear, they’ve still managed to limit what kind of watch can be attached to their system. Still, for aficionados, you can test this system priced at 175 euros (or 100 euros if acquired simultaneously with a Sinn watch). A funny gadget more than a real solution!
Source: Europa Star 5/16 Winter 2016 Magazine Issue
