Guide: Making your Traditional Watch a Smart Watch : Joshua Lowcock

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I first wrote this blog post several years ago now and decided it’s time for a 2026 rewrite. Since then, a lot of things have changed including some products being discontinued (Sony Wena, Chronos), new entrants in the market (Ganance), and promises of new things to come (InvisWearables Buckle). This blog post has also become the defacto resource for people searching for how to make their traditional watch smart. In recognition of the 5-year anniversary of this page, I have done a complete update and rewrite in order to be more of the definitive guide on how to make your traditional watch smart. If you want to add smart features to a traditional watch, it can be done and there are products available to make it happen.

This blog post tracks both available, rumored, and discontinued products that will make your traditional watch smart. I will keep a log of discontinued products, as sometimes you find unscrupulous Amazon or eBay sellers with N.O.S (New Old Stock) of discontinued products selling them at premium prices. For what it’s worth, do not buy a discontinued product as apps are often not available and even if you can get an old version of the app, there could be all kinds of security risks with outdated unsupported hardware and software.

I love traditional watches (here’s a handy list of sites for people who own traditional watches). I’m not a true watch collector and don’t have a luxury watch collection (mostly Seiko’s and Casio’s … is it possible to own too many Marlins?), but I can happily browse the window of a watch store or a counter display for hours without a complaint. It doesn’t even need to be fancy or a luxury watch. It doesn’t matter if it’s automatic or battery-powered. If it’s a traditional watch, I am happy.

I can’t help but be a little jealous of smartwatches. The ability to get call notifications features, track your heart rate, steps, fitness, or discretely get an alarm or dismiss a call is something I would like in a traditional watch. My expectations and needs have evolved over time, especially with the advent of the Oura, which I have owned since the Oura 3. I’m now on the Oura 4 and it fills the “health” gap, but honestly the Oura 4 is expensive and not for everyone. BTW, if you own an Oura 4 and are after a replacement charger, I have reviewed Oura 4 replacement chargers here.

I’m honestly surprised the Swiss watch industry hasn’t gotten together to develop a common interoperable hybrid watch standard. I’m not talking about taking on WatchOS or Android, this is not about adding screens to traditional watches. It’s more about making a tiered set of features that any manufacturer could put on the back of the watch or band while preserving the elegance, design, and beauty of a traditional watch. Several years back, Swatch Watch Group, the parent of Longines, Tissot, and half a dozen other brands, promised they were developing their own Swiss operating system for hybrid watches. They promised something by the end of 2018 but… checks watch… that date has passed and nothing has been released.

But I digress…

This blog post aims to track and review, where I have personal experience, products that attempt to fill the void left by the Swiss watch industry. I will also list products that have been discontinued to ensure that traditional watch enthusiasts don’t get stung by buying a no-longer supported product that might appear on eBay or Amazon. If you want to make any watch smart, you are in the right place!

If I have missed something, you’re working on something, etc. please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Types of Traditional Watch to Smart Watch Products

There are three (3) approaches companies have used to make a traditional watch smart, these are:

1. Back Plate / Disc Attachments
These are thin discs that attach to the back of your watch, typically using microsuction. They charge in dedicated docks and pair to your phone via Bluetooth. The disc design means are easily interchangeable across your watch collection. This is the most popular solution over the years. Features have include vibration alerts, step tracking, heart rate monitor, and LED notifications. I own the Ganance, which is the only model still available. I also owned the Chronos.
Available: Ganance
Discontinued: Trivoly and Chronos

2. Smart Bands / Smart Straps
These are full replacements for your existing watch band. These are best suited if you have a watch you prefer every day, as they’re not as easy to switch, although they have all had the ‘rapid release’ watch band pins. Of course, switching means you would need a standard lug width across your entire collection (which is not the case for me, and I assume others). This category that has had mainstream support by a known watch industry player, Timex and I owned their payment band. Features typically include NFC / tap payment but have also included step tracking and a notification LED. The only smart band/strap currently available is from InvisWearables and it’s primarily for EU markets (I’m in the US). If a band is payment only, it will often not require charging, being one of the benefits of this category.
Available: InvisWearables (available – EU only)
Discontinued: Timex Pay, uBirds

3. Smart Buckles and Smart Clasp
This category is the only one that may include a screen and had (for a time) major support by a true electronics manufacturer, Sony. Typically, you get health tracking (steps) but no heart rate monitor, but Sony’s discontinued Wena product also included a screen that could diplay your steps, the full name of the incoming caller. There is currently no Smart Buckle / Clasp available on the market but there is one promised from IvisWearables in 2026.
In-Development: InvisWearables (as of 2026)
Discontinued: Sony Wena, Gooseberry Smartbuckle

In terms of affordabability, it tends to go straps – back plates – buckles. Personally, about $150 is my upper limit on where I think it all makes sense to upgrade your traditional watch. Anything over $150 and you’re may be better to grab a Fitbit. Full confession, I own a Fitbit (yes and an Oura). I use the Fitbit for the silent alarm feature.

There’s technically a 4th category to the above, which is hybrid watches, I have included some thoughts on hybrid watches at the end of this blog post, but since they’re technically not a way to ‘upgrade’ your traditional watch and run close to being a full smart watch, I don’t think they technically count as a solution. Although, this hasn’t stopped me from buying and testing various solutions, especially in the budget range from Casio.

Options to Convert your Traditional Watch to a Smart Watch

This products in this section are grouped by available vs discontinued. Where I have owned the product, I have included a mini review with a link to a longer review if I wrote one at the time. Please keep in mind, I will list discontinued products but this is for completeness, do not buy or use a discontinued product.

1. Smart Backplates for Traditional Watches

Disc Attachment: Ganance Heir (Available)

The Ganance Heir was a late entrant to the market (late 2022) and it was scheduled for release in 2023, with a full release in 2025. I currently own a Ganance, I paid for the beta product and bought the full release version. The company is based out of the US (Chicago) and have done pop-up events in traditional watch stores in New York and Chicago. The Ganance offers basic health tracking (steps), has vibration call alerts, and tap controls. It uses microsuction to attach to the back of your watch. I will say Ganance has been meeting their beta and pre-order delivery commitments and are great with communication, making it your best current choice to upgrade your traditional watch. Their site is currently sold out, but they are taking pre-orders for their next shipment (and again, my preorder was honored). I really need to write a proper review, I did a preview of the Ganance during the beta on how it compares to the Chronos and Trivoly. Ganance also sell a standalone band so you can wear the silent alarm when you don’t want to wear a watch… not sure how I feel about that.
Status: Available as of 2025/2026 and I personally own the Ganance Heir.

Disc Attachment: Trivoly (Discontinued)

Trivoly was a very promising option. It was a disc you attach to the back of your traditional watch and include a heart rate monitor. They were selling pre-orders of their Trivoly Disc for US$149 (US$29 due on pre-order) with a promise of September 2020 delivery, but as of 2021, there was no evidence they shipped. Trivoly website (now offline) claimed to have a 3rd generation of their smart disc, which looked promising but when I emailed them (back when they were in business) they said they were still waiting for parts. Since then, the website has disappeared and been taken over by scammers.
Status: Trivoly is Discontinued / Ceased Trading.

Disc Attachment: Chronos (Discontinued – Do Not Buy!)

I owned a Chronos and even bought one for a friend as they were available everywhere and were sub $75 from memory. The Chronos featured a multicolored LED light on the side to alert you to messages e.g. blue for call, green for message, etc. Unfortunately, for both me and my friend, the Chronos was plauged by quality control issues – it literally just fell apart after a few months. It took several weeks of fighting to get them to honor the warranty. What’s worse, the Chronos still pops up on Amazon even though it’s discontinued. Please do not buy the Chronos, do not be scammed by eBay or Amazon listings promising new stock. The Chronos is long since abandoned and the app is unavailable. The only reason why you would buy a Chronos today is to reverse engineer it and make something better.
Status: Chronos is Discontinued / Ceased Trading.

2. Smart Bands for Traditional Watches

Smart Band: InvisWearables (Available)

InvisWearables are a European based company specializing in what their CEO calls “Invisible Augmentation” or adding functionality without altering the identity. Their smart bands have NFC chips built in so you can use your watch as a tap and go payment card. The bands start at €63.00 and must be programmed to work with your existing bank issued Visa or Master card. Supported across 27 countries in Europe, but also select banks in Kuwait, South Africa, and the UAE. I had a friendly email interview with the CEO, which I need to write up, but he is definitely knowledgeable about the category and technology, including previous players, underlying technology infrastructure for payments, etc. They also have direct partnerships with some watch makers out of Slovakia (Biatec) and Poland (Hornet and Cicada). The InvisWearables band does not require charging. They’re licensing technology from Fidesmo. The Swiss watch brand Mondaine is also licensing Fidesmo tech and has a smart slide onto your strap attachment for payments called Mondaine Paychip.
Status: Available (EU only). I have not personally owned/used.

Smart Band: strapSWAP (Discontinued)

This strapSWAP solution came from a German-based company and is designed for both traditional watches and oddly enough the Apple Watch. Their design places a screen within a leather band. The site hasn’t been updated for a few years, and neither has the social media presence. All of the products are listed as “sold out” so I think strapSwap has been abandoned. Do not buy a strapSwap band. As a product, it was somewhat a mix of the uBird and Wena bands. Given it had a screen, the strapSWAP band required charging.
Status: strapSWAP is Abandoned/Discontinued. Do not buy.

Smart Band: Timex Pay (Discontinued)

Timex Pay was very promising as it was marketed by a reputable watch brand, Timex. Timex Pay was available to buy for around US$50. Timex Pay worked on non-Timex watches but was limited to only Chase Visa cards (which was incredibly limiting). The underlying technology was licensed from a company called Tappy Tech. TappyTech is now focused on making NFC based wearable bands for all sorts of business cases e.g. concert tickets, etc. Timex ended support for Timex Pay with no real fanfare or announcement. It was super cheap for the bands sub US$50 provided you had 20mm lugs. I owned a Timex Pay band, if you’re interested in the old review of Timex Pay, see this link.
Status: Timex Pay is Discontinued (as of mid-2022). It was limited to US-only Chase Credit Cards.

Smart Band: uBird Watch Band (Discontinued)

uBirds promised a leather smart band with a notification light, health features, and more. They had a Kickstarter campaign and continued to post updates until August 2020. The Kickstarter comments are a mix of complaints about a lengthy campaign, not receiving items, etc. which is somewhat typical of every Kickstarter campaign (one of the reasons I don’t back a Kickstarter). The uBirds website is offline, as too are their Facebook and Twitter (another dead bird!) accounts. The uBirds Smart Band is no more, but it was a promising concept even if it required you to charge the band.
Status: uBird is Discontinued / Cancelled / Never Shipped

3. Smart Buckles for Traditional Watches

Smart Buckle / Smart Clasp: InvisWearables Buckle (In Development)

Yes, this is the same company in the smart band category. The InvisWearables buckle is in development with availability in 2026. You can read more on the InvisBuckle preview page, that has a surprising amount of detail including promises of Apple Health/Google Fit integrations. The Invis Buckle will support straps from 18mm, 20mm, 22mm, to 24mm – which is the most of any buckle. There is the ability to sign up for email updates and they are posting regular blogs on the category. This is one to watch in 2026.
Status: In development, expected launch in 2026

Smart Buckle / Smart Clasp: Sony Wena (Discontinued)

This was a Sony product and was the only option from a mainstream manufacturer (outside of Timex). It retailed from Sony for £249.00 making it expensive (remember my Fitbit/Oura price point comment – this is what makes this category difficult). It was a Japanese exclusive, but being more commercially available, there are reviews. This one on wareable is worth a read. Random trivia, I own one of the Sony NERV-500 watches that shipped the Wena band (but alas, bought mine second hand and it didn’t come with the smart band).
Status: Sony Wena is Discontinued (End of Life in February 2026)

Smart Buckle: Gooseberry (Discontinued – Do Not Buy!)

This was another crowd funding favorite, here’s the original KickStarter page. It was a very discrete buckle replacement that offered fitness tracking (steps, sleep) and Apple Health / Google fit integration and some basic notifications (vibrations I believe). I didn’t buy one, having been let down by Kickstart before – but it did ship and was briefly popular. It had the honor of being the most affordable device out there, at under $50. It was limited to 20mm leather bands, which is why I passed. The founders are still around but now doing other things. Warning, this is another one of those discontinued products that pops up on eBay, please don’t buy it or get scammed. Their app is no longer available. For what it’s worth, they own the Smart.Buckle Instagram handle even if they no longer post.
Status: Gooseberry is Discontinued.

Traditional to Smart Watch Products that have been Discontinued (Avoid)

A reminder – call it a word of warning and practical advice, do not buy the Chronos Disc or the Gooseberry Smartbuckle – these products are discontinued, and the apps are no longer on the app store. This doesn’t stop opportunists from selling new and unopened ones on Amazon, eBay, etc. So don’t get conned. If I list a product as discontinued, do not buy it.

Hybrid Smartwatch Options that Look Traditional

I wasn’t going to include them in this post because I’m primarily interested in what you can use with your existing traditional watch. But it felt remiss not to mention a few.

Tissot Hybrid Watch (Available)
Tissot has its T-Touch collection that launched in September 2020. It’s a traditional watch but with a small screen. The watches are available in Tissot boutiques. This model T-Touch, technically the T-Touch Solar Connect, is my personal favorite from a design perspective, and the solar charging makes it seem super awesome. It retails for about US$1,400.
Status: Available

Withings Scan Watch (Available)
I own a Withings Watch. They do look like traditional watches and a quick glance, you wouldn’t know they had smarts. At US$250, they’re not exactly cheap and, again, I’d recommend a Fitbit as a second wearable on your other wrist but if this was your only watch, the Withings is not a bad hybrid choice.
Status: Available

Casio (Available)
Technically digital watches, so we’re really stretching things…. Casio has a few G-Shock watches that connect via Bluetooth, although they are more digital than traditional. My favorite is the DW-H5600. If you’re really keen, the Ollee Watch lets you mod cheap Casio’s with smarts and comes out of Canada. I got an Ollee purely for the novelty factor and to gift to some friends. It’s kind of cool to have a 1980s Casio digital watch that looks dumb actually be smart.

Longines (Discontinued)
In the closest-you-will-get to a traditional watch, there was the Longines Conquest VHP. It’s not technically a hybrid watch, but you could set the time using the flash from your phone. It was cool and geeky enough to fascinate me, and I looked at it many times in the store. But there is no notification or other smartwatch-like feature. This model can be identified by the little dot above the “1” on the “12” and not the standard Conquest VHP.
Status: Discontinued. Disappointing, as you would think the Swiss watch industry would figure something out.

Fossil / Skagen Hybrid (Discontinued)
Fossil (and Skagen, a Fossil owned brand) made a few nice-looking hybrid watches for, at the time, under US$200. I briefly owned a Skagen hybrid watch which I picked up for under US$50. I returned it, because while the app worked well, the watch was too big for me. Fossil as of 2025 are facing bankruptcy and restructuring, and are out of smart watch business, which is a shame as they were really consistent with their design and apps. The bankruptcy of Fossil is a solid reminder of why we need an open-source solution and standard for smart watches, otherwise you’re buying a battery powered paperweight.
Status: Caution, Fossil is in financial trouble.

Final Thoughts

I really think most designs have missed the perfect solution. Ideally it would be something that slides onto your band. This wouldn’t be ideal on metal bracelets or NATO straps, but I think you could come up with a hybrid solution. If you look at what Mondaine has done with their Paychip, some sort of slide on attachment could be perfect.

That said, I love this category. If you’re interested, I have written about some of the watches I have in my collection (vintage Seikos). If I have missed something, you’re working on something, etc. please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I do try and keep this blog post current and informative.

If you own a traditional watch, I also have summarized useful sites about watches. This article about watches worn by famous world leaders is worth a read.

Thanks for visiting.