Now that avoiding touch has become one of life’s critical concerns, the debut of the MuchBetter watch and its contactless payment function might seem like a master stroke of timing.
But Alex Kalbermatten, the chief executive of Winwatch, the Swiss company behind the timepiece, said it had actually taken his team more than 15 years to develop the technology that enables a watch with a traditional metal case to execute such transactions.
The problem, Mr. Kalbermatten said, is that a metal case works against the electromagnetic field on which the communication is based, thereby distorting the signal and preventing the microchip from being read.
And a blocked signal means a failed charge transaction.
Winwatch first developed a sapphire crystal with a tiny antenna and a microprocessor, which it calls its STISS crystal (for Swiss Technology Inside Smart Sapphire). Then it joined with the German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon, which bills itself as the world’s second-largest producer of payment chips, in patenting 12 features that enable the crystal to work inside metal.
The result, Mr. Kalbermatten said, is not only the MuchBetter watch but also the possibility that other makers could use the crystal with their own new or existing timepieces.
(Some plastic watches already have contactless payment options, like the SwatchPAY system introduced in China in 2017 and in Switzerland last year by Swatch Group, but the vast majority of analog watches have metal cases.)
The 41-millimeter quartz MuchBetter watch, which sells for $300, is manufactured by the Swiss Military by Chrono brand as an exact copy of its own Ref. SM34012.04 timepiece, but in stainless steel with a black finish and rubber strap — and Winwatch’s STISS crystal.
Once the wearer downloads the MuchBetter smartphone app, available in both Android and iOS formats, and links up a Mastercard account, just passing the watch over a merchant’s card reader can make secure payments of as much as $250. The smartphone does not have to be nearby.
The $300 watch is available through Winwatch’s website and, Mr. Kalbermatten said, it can be used for transactions around the world.
Jens Bader, co-founder of the British company that created the three-year-old MuchBetter app, said the watch was less likely to be lost or stolen than a credit card “because wearers will always be aware of it on their wrist.” And, if it does go missing, the chip can be deactivated quickly through the app.
“We are probably talking about a niche market,” he said, “but many people are very fond of classic watches and we’re confident that the Winwatch technology will appeal to them.”
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Need to Pay? It’s All in the Wrist - The New York Times
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