Metawatch, one of the first working smartwatches that interfaced directly with Android and iOS cellphones, has announced plans to expand their line with the new Meta. Designed by former Vertu/Nokia designer Frank Nuovo, the new pieces have stainless steel hardware enclosing a rectangular watch body and bold black face.
The pieces will feature better materials than the traditional smart watch including leather bands and nicer crystals. The company has launched a new web campaign for the timepieces and is hoping to distance itself from cheaper, mostly plastic smart watches.
Metawatch announced the partnership last February and this is the first of the pieces to come out of Nuovo’s workshop.
“The new Meta line provides a visibly unique, classically influenced style, which is inspired and driven by our theme: ‘Art of the Glance,'” Nuovo said in a release.
As the idea of a usable wearable devices becomes commonplace, companies like Metawatch have a distinct advantage. Founded by former Fossil engineers, the company’s earlier watches were at the forefront of smart watch tech and, although it took the Pebble to truly define the market, they have succeeded in doing some excellent work. This decision to go into these yet-unpriced luxury pieces makes perfect sense. By aiming at the higher end, it seems, they sidestep all competition from later players and rocket firmly into a very interesting and lucrative niche.
There’s no much more info right now but we’ll keep our eye on these pieces and hopefully have hands on at CES 2014.