The first self-charging smart bracelet is obscenely expensive

As smartwatches get more and more capable, many have wondered how luxury watch makers will compete. One company that might have the answer is Britain’s Christophe & Co - they developed a smart bracelet called the Armill that blends luxury and technology into a wearable accessory for the extremely wealthy.

Christophe & Co teamed up with the Italian design firm Pininfarina — best known for its customisation work on Ferraris — to create the Armill. It features a lightweight carbon fibre core that’s covered in luxurious accents like 18K gold, precious gems, interior padding to ensure it’s comfortable on the wrist, and even custom engraving.

One advantage that many traditional analog watches have over smartwatches is when it comes to their power needs. Christophe & Co claims it’s developed a mechanism for the Armill that will keep its electronics running with a power reserve of at least a year.

But that’s also partly due to the fact that the Armill is light on electronics. There’s no LCD touchscreen display, no vibrating alarms, and no GPS. Its creators see it more as a tool for wireless contactless payments, as a form of electronic ID, and as a way to summon the wearer’s personal assistant.

Armill is for those of us without personal assistants? But anyone paying up Rs 46 lakh to Rs 92.5 lakh approx for the wearable will certainly have at least one person on-call at all times.