Wearable Wellness Tech Brand Nowatch Launches
Nowatch, a wearable wellness tech brand, launched Thursday. The Amsterdam-based brand has developed a bracelet — reminiscent of a watch, though it doesn’t tell time — that tracks several wellness-related statistics. The watch, which was developed in partnership with Philips, offers real-time feedback on movement, sleep and stress.
The idea for the brand came about after chief executive officer and cofounder of Nowatch Hylke Muntinga dealt with several losses and life changing news. Over the course of one year, five of his close friends had passed away, and he learned he had a rare disease that would ultimately cause him to go blind. These experiences changed his perspective, as he wanted to “get everything out of life.” The idea for Nowatch was borne from Muntinga’s newfound wellness-oriented mindset and his ongoing philosophy around the importance of time.
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“I wanted to have a watch that doesn’t tell me time but gives me time,” Muntinga said.
Previously he had worked in tech and was used to the fast-paced nature of the industry. However, instead of demonizing tech, he chose to utilize it to create a product that was all about helping people and emphasizing well-being. With this viewpoint, the brand refers to the product as an “awareable” rather than a wearable.
“There should be a new relationship with technology, new relationship with yourself. That is kind of the key that I think that we can help humanity and this whole world if we use technology in the right way,” Muntinga said.
Instead of featuring a digital face, the customizable watch simply features a metal or stone disc. The product utilizes Philips Biosensing (by EDA) technology, which took 15 years to develop, to track cortisol levels and predict an hour early high stress levels. All of the bio data tracked by the wearable can be found and interpreted on the brand’s app.
The launch of this brand follows major success within the wearable wellness category with global spending estimated to reach nearly $94 million in 2022, according to Gartner. The brand’s current production is 10,000 pieces a month, with watches ranging in price from about $380 to $604 depending on customization.
The brand is set to open a flagship store in Amsterdam and plans to open a pop-up in Los Angeles in 2023. The product is now available on Nowatch.com.
