Not even James Bond has one of these: a watch that performs the functions of a keyless entry fob for your car. Developed by (or for) Chinese car manufacturer BYD, the gadget is made only for the F8 model. Press the top button on the right, and the car is locked, press the bottom button, the car is unlocked.
The watch also has a starter function, but it's not labeled on the bezel like the others. Since it has a manual movement, you don't need to worry about a battery going dead as long as you wear the watch... and move. No word on whether you need to wind it in case you don't wear it. But come on now, it's not like you could stay away from your BYD F8 long enough for the watch to stop, is it? And as the brochure states, it even tells time -- which is not a bad thing for a watch.[Source: The Tycho]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
XeroK00L @ Apr 24th 2008 6:06PM
Still prefer the smart card approach of Lexus. Easily fits in any wallet that can hold a credit card and doesn't clash with anybody's taste in timepieces.
LeRobert @ Apr 24th 2008 9:53PM
You mean Mercedes's smart card approach which Lexus stole and Mercedes eventually abandoned.
XeroK00L @ Apr 24th 2008 10:01PM
Except that Mercedes had to discontinue it because they used subpar material for the card and it broke easily, like their cars.
Todd @ Apr 24th 2008 6:15PM
I hate wearing watches.
Seoultrain @ Apr 24th 2008 6:20PM
Not a manual movement, which is a mechanical movement that you must wind. It's not even an automatic movement, which is also mechanical, but wrist movement winds the spring automatically. This is almost certainly a self-charging quartz (non-mechanical), with the battery powering both the watch and the remote.
Nobody @ Apr 24th 2008 6:33PM
Well that tagline is patently false. Aston Martin is giving DBS (James Bond's car for the last and upcoming film) buyers a limited edition Jaeger LeCoultre that does locks and unlocks the doors. This was announced last year.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/12/jaeger-lecoultre-watch-unlocks-starts-aston-martin-dbs/
I really wish people would think before they say things.
chad.dawkins @ Apr 24th 2008 9:18PM
Bah you stole my response. Even though the watch is like $14K I couldn't buy the car without getting the watch.
Tsunami Racer @ Apr 24th 2008 6:33PM
an automatic movement watch??? that must cost more to build than the car!!!
capt kirk @ Apr 24th 2008 6:40PM
Where was I? Ah, absurdity is becoming the norm each and every day as we move forward. How about a cell phone that tells the driver of the vehicle that almost T-boned me in an intersection this morning while talking on a cell phone that I arrived first at the 3 way stop and had the right-of-way. Now that would be useful technology. Maybe a laser death ray can be incorporated in the cell phone if the driver does not take note of the verbal warning that a collision is eminent.
jensen @ Apr 24th 2008 9:37PM
I think that's a clever idea. True, not everyone wears watches, but for those who do this is a great option.
Now, an aside: I think it's time for all this China-bashing to stop. If I wanted idiotic, childish, mindless comments, I would be reading Autospies.com instead of this. I have always been impressed by the automotive maturity of the fellow enthusiasts who post on this site, regardless of their age or background, and that's what drew me to Autoblog.
However, lately, I have seen a lot of childish, mindless China-bashing (any Chinese design is automatically bad or copied or derivative, etc; how about the piano-lid trunk of the Bangle 7 series that is now ubiquitiously copies from S-class, LS, down to Camry and Suzuki and everyone else in between; and enough of the lead jokes, getting really old.). At best, this is simply immaturity; at worst, this is a form/outlet for bias of the worst type (the "R" word). Enough is enough.
I urge people to think before you post.
Now please let's get back to regularly scheduled programming and have meaningful, thoughtful discussion and opinions.
The quick brown fox @ Apr 25th 2008 9:33AM
agree. +1
thegman @ Apr 27th 2008 4:30AM
Totally agree!!!...+1 to you dude
troll @ Apr 24th 2008 9:38PM
+1.
Joe Poutine @ Apr 24th 2008 11:42PM
+1
Joe Poutine @ Apr 24th 2008 11:45PM
+1
spacegravity4me @ Apr 24th 2008 11:57PM
ok, but they've had after market systems like this for years now.