CES 2023: Bizarre $500 ‘smartwatch’ doesn’t have a clock

By William On Jan 5, 2023

A bizarre $500 ‘smartwatch’ has a gemstone face instead of an interactive touchscreen display – and it doesn’t tell the time.

Nowatch, described as an ‘awareable’ rather than a wearable, is the creation of a company of the same name based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

When strapped onto the wrist, Nowatch reads stress, temperature, heart rate, movement and sleep patterns – but if you want to know the time it won’t help you.

However, it offers an alternative to smartwatch fans who can find themselves overstimulated and stressed out by bright screens with constant notifications.

The Nowatch wearable device is displayed during CES Unveiled ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 3, 2023

What is Nowatch?

Nowatch is a ‘smartwatch’ in the sense that it straps to the wrist – but it doesn’t tell the time.

Instead, it reads stress, temperature, heart rate, movement, sleep patterns and more.

Nowatch is the first device on the market to monitor a person’s cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone.

Higher levels of cortisol are associated with concentration problems, weight gain, insomnia, and heart disease.

Instead of a traditional clock display, the ‘watch face’ is a hand-carved gemstone.

Nowatch is just one of thousands of new gadgets on display at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, which shows off futuristic technology.

Company CEO and co-founder Hylke Muntinga told Tech Crunch at CES that the watch was designed after he was diagnosed with a genetic disease in 2019.

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum, or PXE, causes changes to connective tissue in some parts of the body and can make people lose their eyesight.

‘Two and a half years ago, I found out that I’m going blind through a rare disease called PXE,’ said Muntinga.

‘That was a wake-up call not to get lost in distractions. I have to live right now.’

He launched his company in 2020, and designed the Nowatch device along with his co-founder, Timothée Manschot, and Dutch corporation Philips.

Nowatch does not tell users the time because its inventors believe a screen only adds to feelings of stress.

Its ‘watch face’ is a hand-carved, ‘ethically-sourced’ gemstone, making it akin to a piece of jewellery while also having hidden body-tracking abilities.

The gemstones are removable, so users can swap them out for another if they feel like a change for the day.

Hylke Muntinga, CEO and co-founder of Nowatch, said the watch was designed after he was diagnosed with a genetic disease, pseudoxanthoma elasticum, or PXE

Nowatch, described as an ‘awareable’ rather than a wearable, is the creation of a Dutch company of the same name

Nowatch has interchangeable gemstones on the face to change the look, as well as biotechnology capabilities including a health tracker that measures stress, heart rate, sleep and movement

CES 2023: Withings unveils a smart device that you wee on

You can now stick a smart device in your toilet that will monitor your metabolic and reproductive health when you wee on it.

Withings, known for its smartwatches, has branched out with its latest product, dubbed the U-Scan, unveiled at CES in Las Vegas this week.

It’s a ‘miniaturized health lab’ that sits within any toilet bowl’, with the results being sent to an app on your phone.

The tech can sense ‘electrodermal activity’ – changes in the resistance of the skin to electrical current based on sweat gland activity, which can be a marker of stress.

Electrodermal activity can change due to the state of our sweat glands, with even a tiny difference reflecting a change in our emotional state.

An algorithm then analyses the data and alerts the wearer via a subtle vibration to warn them that they might need to relax.

Nowatch is also the first device on the market to monitor a person’s cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone.

Cortisol and skin conductance are both direct results of stressors and are therefore related, although skin conductance is an immediate reaction while the effects of cortisol occur 25-60 minutes later.

Such insights gained by the watch are displayed in real-time on an accompanying smartphone app for both iOS and Android.

According to the World Health Organization, stress is the number one health challenge of the 21st century.

The American Psychological Association also estimates stress related health problems cost the US $300 billion (£249 billion) annually.

The device’s ‘watch face’ is a hand-carved, ‘ethically-sourced’ gemstone, making it akin to a piece of jewelry while also having its hidden body-tracking abilities. These gemstones are removable, so users can swap them out for another if they feel like a change

Muntinga’s company claims that its watch can help with ‘mindfulness’ – paying more attention to the moment and offering a drug-free method of reducing stress.

‘Nowatch allows users to tap into many of the benefits of mindfulness and chart their progression and physical health,’ the firm says.

‘We’ve replaced the traditional watch face with ancient stones, celebrating the belief that time is now.

‘And inside, the world’s most sophisticated bio-technology quietly tracks your mental and physical health and offers real time feedback on how to restore balance.’

Nowatch goes on sale in the first half of 2023, starting at $499 or £499.

Huawei smartwatch has a strap that inflates to read blood pressure

Chinese firm Huawei has released a smartwatch that inflates around the wrist to take accurate blood pressure readings, just like a cuff around the arm at a doctor’s surgery.

The £400 Huawei Watch D has an airbag on the inside of the strap that slowly inflates around your wrist.

Blood pressure is a critical indicator of overall health, but when it’s being taken by the doctor it can be altered by something known as the ‘white coat’ effect.

This is where blood pressure rises slightly when we’re at the doctor, because of the slight increase in anxiety from being in a clinical setting.

By taking their blood pressure at home, Huawei Watch D users will be able to avoid the ‘white coat’ effect and take precise readings.