HP teams up with Movado for a line of smart analog watches

HP on Wednesday announced a partnership with Movado Group for a new line of smart analog watches. The partnership will see HP's smart platform incorporated in watches from Coach, Hugo Boss, , Tommy Hilfiger and Juicy Couture.

All of the watches resemble traditional analog timepieces. They feature stainless steel casings, water resistance and come in a variety of sizes and styles. Each one also contains a mix of connected smart features through vibration and either a discreet OLED display or LED light. The watches can track daily activities and display incoming calls, text messages, emails, social media updates and calendar reminders from an iPhone or Android phone.

The Coach, Hugo Boss, Ferrari and Tommy Hilfiger watches include a screen, while the Juicy Couture watches include the LED notification light. I found the Tommy Hilfiger watch with a blue face and brown leather strap to be the most appealing, but it did seem a little thicker than a normal watch.

As for battery life, the watches use a traditional coin battery to power the analog movements, but the smart features do require charging. HP has said battery life will last between five to seven days depending on usage. That's a little disappointing. The Garmin Vivomove , a fitness tracker built into an analog watch, can last an entire year on a coin battery.

Prices for the watches range from $195 (converting to around £160, AU$260) to $325 (converting to around £265, AU$430). The smart analog watches will be available starting on October 27 at HP.com and retailers like Macy's and Nordstrom.