Ressence’s Type 2 smartwatch, which Nest and iPod co-creator Tony Fadell served as a “tech coach” on, finally has an official price and release date, via Hodinkee. The good news is that it’ll be available as early as April 2019. The bad news is that actually getting your hands on one will cost you $48,800. That’s somewhat typical for the brand, whose watches never cost less than five-figures, but it’s a lot more than almost every other smartwatch out there.
Although the cost is mainly justified by the Ressence’s status as a luxury watch manufacturer, there are a few interesting tech features in the Type 2 that are worth mentioning. The first is a set of photovoltaic cells, which can automatically recharge the watch when its 36-hours of battery life runs low. When they’re not in use, these solar cells are hidden behind a set of micro-shutters.
. . .
