Available in a brand new 42mm case, the new Montblanc Summit 2 is the first luxury smartwatch and by virtue of dual elegance and functionality, the best smartwatch on the market right now. Why? Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 3100, the Summit 2 begins to approach something which watch lovers would appreciate in a luxury smartwatch –  a day-long, well-lit watch face or alternatively, disable the smartwatch functions and the Montblanc Summit 2 delivers weeklong time-display indication – something that its predecessor and other smartwatches on the market struggle to deliver.

The greatly improved battery life is one of many features offered by the Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset. The ultimate smartwatch designed for work, leisure, fitness or travel, the Summit 2 is high on traditional Swiss watchmaking design codes and premium materials. While I won’t go so far as to define it a “digital interpretation of fine watchmaking” (yet), the Montblanc Summit 2 smartwatch comes pretty close: gentler 42mm case size shares proportions similar to most classical mechanical watches while skimping on none of the innovative functions which made Montblanc’s pioneering luxury smartwatch such a hit.

Improved Battery Life makes Montblanc Summit 2 the Best Smartwatch right now

The latest luxury smartwatch follows aesthetic cues of the Montblanc 1858 collection, while tactile button pushers offer an experience that mimic mechanical actuation – Each Summit 2 luxury smartwatch is fitted with a rotating crown (yes you can “swipe” but the appeal is really in manipulating the crown) and two additional programmable pushers. The Montblanc Summit 2, in the words of CEO Nicolas Baretzki is a  “a versatile companion created for urban explorers, business travellers and performance seekers looking to push boundaries in everything they do.”

It’s true, I can count on hands the number of times I have pondered and then decided against wearing a mechanical chronograph and found it annoying to wipe my hands down before operating my smartphone just to check for notifications during morning workouts morning at the Four Seasons gym while on business. The Montblanc Summit 2 comfortably fulfils a dual-prong role – sophisticated yet functional to wear for work, leisure, fitness or travel.

Naturally, the new Summit luxury smartwatch exudes the classic elegance of 1858 thanks to the vintage case while watches faces ranging from the 1858 chronograph to even the feminine Bohème Date and Bohème Classic variations greatly expand the utility value to both genders. Throw in sporty Energy and Fitness styles designed for peak performance and physical activity and the latest Summit 2 smartwatch with its different case finishes – black DLC steel, stainless steel, bicolour steel and titanium Grade 2, combined with 11 different interchangeable strap options including calfskin, Milanese steel, rubber sport and nylon, and over a thousand watch face combinations, create a total of more than 70,000 individual looks.

While it is true, that this would do little to convince die-hard mechanical watch purists, the reality is that for this author, the Summit 2’s biggest appeal is that unlike other smartwatches, has a “always on” watch-face and more importantly, the digital faces are so lovingly rendered, complete with shading and highlights, that it comes close to replicate the look and feel of a traditional timepiece. Sure, it won’t replace the other watches in my sartorial arsenal but nevertheless, the Summit 2 becomes an easy secondary companion when travelling and when i’m forced to leave my wristwatch in the TSA scanning trays at the airport once again, I don’t quite get the same panic attack as leaving an Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum alone as I pass through the X-ray device.

Accompanying the classic good looks of the new Montblanc Summit 2 is the Google Assistant with proactive assistance for crucial information like flight status, upcoming appointments and other critical reminders. More importantly, this are all available through the watch’s microphone – gentlemen, this is the Knight Rider/Dick Tracey future we’ve all dreamed of – talking into your wrist device!

All notifications including incoming calls, messages, social media updates, calendar events, and news, to name a few, are directly synced to the Summit 2 from a smartphone; again, voice dictation seals it for me here – writing a response on that small dial of digital real estate just doesn’t cut it.

That said, the real kicker is the Summit 2’s exclusive travel function – the new Timeshifter® app and watch face, providing personalised advice to minimise jet lag. I’d be the first person to argue that the reducing jet lag might be the kind of tips readily available on the internet but what the new Montblanc Summit 2 does goes beyond simple, perfunctory information – the exclusive Timeshifter® app uses the latest in sleep and circadian neuroscience, like those available to astronauts and elite athletes. By tracking your sleep pattern, chronotype, and flight plan, the new Summit 2 provides appropriate custom directions to help travellers adjust quickly to new timezones.

Meanwhile, Summit 2’s voice-activated translator is the closest we’ve come to a “Star Trek” universal translator – again, the capable microphone takes a multitude of languages and translates it in text direct to the watch’s display, making foreign travel a less stressful experience in terms of interpersonal communications.

That said, along with Timeshifter, I must admit that one of the more compelling applications is yet another exclusive Montblanc app – the Running Coach. According to Montblanc, the Summit 2 takes scientific insight from the Firstbeat* analytics engine enabling runners to track fitness levels (based on VO2max) and specify a fitness goal which translates into a bespoke training plan designed to calculate your own ideal pace and recovery times – this is the closest to “Smart” that i’ve seen a smartwatch get.

Prices for the latest Montblanc Summit 2 start at SG$1,495 with Titanium editions at SG$1,670 and Black DLC editions at SG$1,875