Kronaby Apex
£515
Like statement jewellery, most smartwatches send out a clear message to the world. Sadly, that message is: ‘I’m a nerd.’
Smartwatches are still mostly to be seen on the wrists of people who look like they’d be able to hold their own in a conversation about Star Trek. I know, because I am one of these people.
So I mean it as a compliment when I say no one would ever guess that Kronaby’s Apex is ‘smart’. Its features are so well disguised within the device that when the app says the smartwatch needs a software update, you think: ‘What?’
Kronaby is all about stealth. You customise it so the hands show different things
Unlike other smartwatches, there is no screen: its ‘smart’ features are communicated via the watch hands. You don’t have to charge it every few hours (the battery lasts for two years). There’s also no danger you’ll accidentally answer a call on it so you have to whisper, ‘I’m in a meeting’ into your cuff.
Kronaby is all about stealth. You customise it so the hands show different things (for instance, if you press the crown, the minute hand swings round to show how close you are to doing 10,000 steps that day).
You can also use the pushers to control smart home devices like lights, or to trigger your phone’s camera. It’s all so James Bond you half expect there to be a button for poison darts.
Alerts come in the form of vibration (you can set it to buzz once for email, twice for text).
It’s superbly discreet – but it’s not far off the price of a Swiss watch, and smart or not, I know which one I’d rather have.
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