HP has partnered with watchmaker Titan to produce a new smartwatch it says is innovative, filled with custom technology, and based on a software platform that won’t intrude on our lives. It’s called the Juxt, and it’s an analog smartwatch that performs basic activity tracking and vibration-based notifications.
Neither HP nor Titan are big names in the world of smart wearables yet, but this is the third such announcement from HP in a short space of time — it recently teamed up with watch brand Movado to make the Motion and Bold Motion smartwatches, and two years ago partnered with designer Michael Bastian to make the MB Chronowing.
India-based Titan is the world’s fifth-largest watch maker, and sells its products in 27 countries. The company describes the Juxt as a “unique lifestyle offering,” and it certainly looks the part. Modeled after Titan’s luxury timepieces, it’s very much an analog watch retrofitted with smart features. It sports a rectangular, monochromatic OLED screen that displays notifications of incoming calls, texts, and emails, a variable vibration motor for alarms and more obtrusive alerts, and a basic sensor array that tracks fitness activities. It’s water resistant up to 50 meters, and lasts up to a week on a charge.
Related: Read our review of the gorgeous Vector Luna smartwatch
Titan and HP refer to the Juxt as a blend of tradition and technology. The name implies as much — it’s short for “juxtaposition,” as in a merging of digital intelligence with classic design. Demonstrating this point, the watch packs its electronics in a curved case made of steel and “toughened mineral glass,” and features a genuine leather wrist strap.
It’s hardly a new approach, and certainly subscribes to the same ethos that drove TAG Heuer to make the newly unveiled, $1,500 Carrera Connected smartwatch. Unlike the Carrera Connected smartwatch, though, the Juxt is relatively affordable. It’ll retail for between $235 and $295 (depending on the model). That’s significantly under HP’s other recent smartwatch partnerships — the MB Chronowing starts at $349, and the Movado Bold Motion is $695.
The Juxt will launch in three styles — titanium, stainless steel, and rose gold-plated stainless steel — when it goes on sale later this year. It’s compatible with both Android and iOS devices, and is available for pre-order now.
