Future on the wrist
Watches that are not
only about keeping time turned into a usual part of our everyday environment
only recently. However, this innovation especially hit plenty of people
pursuing active lifestyles. One of the most populous and rapidly growing
communities are cyclists of numerous varieties, like trail riding and mountain
biking, road training and regular everyday commuting. People like us and our
friends. We ride any terrain, under any conditions, in any weather.
The Problem
In many cases,
companies that manufacture smart watches and HRM sport watches rightfully
concentrate their effort on developing the core product and pay significantly
less attention to the option of easy and secure mounting of the watch on the
bicycle handlebar, which a lot of riders would enjoy. As a result, there is either
no holder at all or a holder too unhandy for everyday use.
Our Idea
We decided to
address the issue by developing the necessary fixture from scratch instead of augmenting
the already available designs. We strove for lightweight, simplicity and ease of
use, flexibility and integrity, all the while keeping the price affordable and
manufacturing eco-friendly.
Path to perfection
After several months
of field testing and tweaking, we came up with the multi-purpose design, in
which every detail is functionally loaded.
The holder’s base is a precision laser cut strip of polypropylene – widely available and non-toxic plastic, both affordable and highly durable. The silicone coating of the part that
contacts the handlebar prevents skidding in any conditions and the horizontal lock
keeps the watch within sight no matter how heavy the jolting. The high-performance
hook and loop fastener keeps the holder securely fixed in place.
Our holder is safe for your watch: it does not create any extra load to straps or pins when used according to instructions, mainly because, unlike other holders, it does not require strong tightening and significantly reduces the risk of the watchstrap unbuckling by accident.
One size fits all?
The holder’s
dimensions and parameters fit many existent models of sports watches. The holder was developed and tested with Pebble smart watches and with popular wrist-worn HRMs
manufactured by Sigma, Garmin and Polar. Its resilient fastening provides the watch with additional protection by absorbing most of the impact energy, and its wide
frontal part shields it from water and mud. The holder can be securely attached
at any place on the handlebar of the mountain bike or on the bar tape of the road
bike – all it takes is the width of two inches! Besides the main, most
versatile model, we have also developed variations for compact watches like
Sigma PC3 series and tough chronometers like Garmin Fenix. You can make your ride even more advantageous by using apps like Ventoo or Strava and use smart watch to complement your bike computer or completely replace it, as you see fit.
On your arm, bike, desk
And a little special extra!
At home, in your office or at the
gym, the holder turns into a handy desktop watch stand with an adjustable
viewing angle. Are you doing popular plank or squats exercise every day and worried about your
heart rate? Place your HRM watch in front of you and enjoy the results!
Why your contribution is important
Currently, we are only manufacturing Smartwatch Anywhere Holders for friends and colleagues who help us with testing so the production cost per item is quite high. With additional funding, we will improve our product and spend the money wisely to satisfy all our contributors without delay:
- Order a big batch of source polypropylene sheets of the optimal size, density and thickness.
- Minimize the laser cut bills due to a large manufacturing volume and adjust cut quality for our product.
- Order custom size hook and loop fasteners for better fixing.
- Improve the silicone coating durability.
- Add a bit of nice printing on the holder's surface.
If we secure the necessary funding, we will move forward and offer two-layer models with improved usability in a variety of colors and textures soon after the first wave of manufacturing and shipping to customers!
Risks and challenges
We take our project very seriously: we are confident that we will be able to manufacture and ship our holders on time to all of our contributors.
We will keep you updated about Smartwatch Anywhere Holders development and your feedback will help us provide you a more sound product.
We understand the simplicity of our idea and probably copies and fakes will appear soon so we did everything possible to protect your investments:
- Each holder has a unique serial number to prevent counterfeiting.
- We have applied for a patent in our country.
- We are serious about legal protection against product copies.
Perks
Classic Holder is a universal one. It fits virtually any watch with a plastic, rubber, resin, leather or similar strap up to one inch (25 mm) in width. When used as a handlebar holder, it safely and reliably keeps any watch in place with weight up to two ounces (50 g) regardless of the size of the watch.
Slim Holder is a lightweight version designed for narrow or small watches with weight up to 40 grams and up to a one-inch wide strap. Ideal as an invisible tabletop stand for your favorite watch.
Tough Holder is a reinforced version created for improved durability in extreme conditions. It is able to carry an up to 90 g watch with a 30-mm wide strap. Virtually indestructible when used as a desktop stand. Casio-style double part metal straps should be used with caution because of their heavy weight.
Project timeline
Our Team
Dmitry
Research and development. A trained engineer. Thousands of miles behind and tens of custom assembled bikes, amateur XC races and first places. Favorite bike: Cannondale Rush 29er, also owns Mongoose fat and Trek road.
Tina
Ideas and inspiration. Financial education. Long distance traveler and crazy about riding in thunderstorm! Favorite bike: Cannondale Jekyll Feminine.
Andrew
Testing and filming. A trained engineer. Everyday commuter and cross-country fan. Everywhere takes his SLR camera. Favorite bike: Univega Alpina.
Product gallery
Thank you so much for your attention - let's make this happen and hope to have you as a our Backer. Please share this campaign with everyone you know.
Smartwatch
Anywhere. Striving for Comfort