Pretty Geeky is an ongoing series that explores the role of style and design in wearable technology.
Wearable device maker Misfit has teamed up with Swarovski to create the Swarovski Shine Collection, the companies announced Monday.
This collection pairs Misfit’s waterproof sleep-tracking devices with Swarovski crystals to create two new wearables and nine accessories for the new line.
The main crystal pendant can be placed in any of the collection’s bracelets, bands, or necklaces, or worn as a clip-on.
Despite its sparkly, jewelry-like appearance, Misfit’s new device works like any other fitness tracker—the pendant pairs with the Misfit mobile app to log your sleep hours, food, weight, and physical activity.
Recently, the wearables universe has been working with various fashion designers to give their devices an extra oomph in the style department. Intel and Opening Ceremony released the MICA “luxury smart accessory”, and high-fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg has teamed up with Google Glass to redesign its face computers.
This lean towards fashion seems to be a push back against the clunky, “made-for-men” wearables we see out in the market all too often. But the Swarovski Shine Collection, while beautiful and feminine, really only speaks to a small demographic of wearable lovers who also aren’t shy about wearing a large piece of sparkly jewelry. The pendant as a fitness and sleep tracker seems stylistically out of place, as well.
In a first for Misfit, the violet Shine wearable is solar-powered, effectively erasing the need for replacing batteries or plugging in cables—something that could be a game-changer for all wearables in the future.
The Shine wearable is sold in three sets, which includes two accessories each for $169.99 to $249.99. The nine accessories are sold individually from $69 to $149.
