How to turn your old watch into a smartwatch

If you’re giving thought to purchasing a smartwatch, but have difficulty with the idea of giving up your current analog model, check out Chronos, a tiny device specially designed to update older watches to be on par with the next generation of wearable time tellers. 

The quarter-sized add-on component attaches to the back of any analog watch face and connects by way of Bluetooth to an app on the user’s smartphone. Once a connection is established, Chronos provides the user with a suite of relatively simple functions that are similar to what you’d get with a smartwatch. This includes activity tracking, notifications of an incoming phone call, email, or text message, as well as control of music apps.

Chronos mostly responds to gestures and vibrations. For instance, a few taps on the crown of the watch tells it to fire up the music app. Can’t find the connected phone? Simply tap the watch’s face repeatedly, and a ringer alert will go off to give you the exact location of the missing device (when connected via Bluetooth, Chronos has a 50-foot range between it and the device).

This add-on also comes with an LED ring that can be customized to notify the user of different alerts. If, say, the owner is in a meeting and has his / her phone on silent, the watch will light up red to notify an incoming call, email, text message, etc. Altogether, there are seven LED lights which, when coupled with the Chronos’s eight different vibration patterns, gives it up to 56 notification combinations. 

In terms of power, a fully charged Chronos will last up to two days. It gets recharged via its USB charging base. The case is water resistance, with an IP67 rating (the same as that which was earned by the recently released iPhone 7). 

As far as its ability to attach, the device features a micro-suction adhesive pad on its back. This allows it to be added and removed multiple times, from all different watches. 

At the end of the day, Chronos is a bare bones simple device merely designed to put those most connected to their analog devices on the path to next-gen, smart technology. Reviews have been mostly positive, with the biggest complaint being that it can be a bit slow to react to some of the more complicated commands. When it comes to simple tasks, Chronos is extremely responsive. 

Chronos retails for $99.99. Its app is available on iOS only at the moment, though the Android equivalent is expected to be released soon.

To learn more, visit wearchronos.com