Frederique Constant and Alpina Expand Their Horological Smartwatch Platform with the Notify and Seastrong Diver Series

Though Baselworld is less than two months away, brands are already eagerly unveiling some of their releases for 2017. A few weeks back, we brought you the exciting news from team Hamilton when they unveiled the Intramatic 68,  a vintage-inspired chronograph pulling from the iconic ’60s-era Chrono-matic and Chronograph B watches. Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of previewing some more novelties, this time from Alpina and Frederique Constant—two brands well-known to wornandwound readers.

For this year, the two sister-firms are doubling down on their Horological Smartwatch lines using technology first unveiled back in 2015 and developed in collaboration with MMT. (For a full rundown of the functionality of this technology and our overall thoughts, click here.) In short, MMT’s platform combines the best of two worlds. It takes the functionality offered by most connected activity trackers, and it (almost) seamlessly integrates that functionality into the established aesthetics of a brand.

Frederique Constant Notify Horological Smartwatch

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First up is the recently released Notify Horological Smartwatch from Frederique Constant. This latest execution boasts a bold redesign, one that streamlines the look and functionality of its predecessor and places it squarely in a watch that you can wear daily. Gone is the sub-dial progress tracker of the older models, replaced by a scale in the middle of the dial. The data can be accessed via a click of the crown. The hour hand lines up with the activity markers on the dial (signaled via four emojis positioned along its perimeter) and the minute hand moves along the scale to indicate your progress.

I really like what Frederique Constant accomplished with this redesign, which is, in my opinion, immediately attractive and a significant improvement over the firm’s freshman effort. The Notify has a sense of refinement and it should make for a very appealing option for those seeking a daily wear timepiece with some added functionality.

The Frederique Constant Notify Horological Smartwatch features an MMT-282 movement with a four plus year battery life. It comes on a leather rally strap with rubber backing. The series is priced at $795 in stainless steel, $995 in plated rose gold. Frederique Constant Notify Horological Smartwatch

Alpina Seastrong Horological Smartwatch

Next is the new Seastrong Horological Smartwatch. This is the first time we’ve seen Alpina use the Horological Smartwatch Platform in this range of watches. The blocky 44mm case is made of black fiberglass resin topped off with a 60-minute unidirectional steel bezel. As such, it is incredibly light in the hand (or rather, on the wrist). The watch is rated to 100m/330ft, living up to its name. The new Seastrong Horological Smartwatch collection is made up of four models—all featuring a black dial with your choice of a black, blue, green or orange bezel.

Overall, I really like what Alpina is doing here. For all intents and purposes, the Seastrong Horological Smartwatch is a classically styled diver with an added stack of functionality packed into a lightweight case—all things that should appeal to watch lovers with active lifestyles. In other words, what we have here is a clear example of form following function.

The Seastrong Horological Smartwatch comes with the same MMT-282 movement with a four plus year battery life. Each watch is paired with a rubber strap. The line is aggressively priced at $595. Alpina Seastrong Horological Smartwatch

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