Seiko-delic electronic paper watch

A couple of years ago our Next Big Thing feature forecasted that you’d be reading your news from electronic paper by now. We were a little out on the timing, but Seiko’s E Ink technology has made its commercial bow with this splendid new watch.

The Spectrum uses a microcapsule electrophoretic display (EPD) which consists of pure black and white particles that kindly solidify when a current passes through them. This gives the display the same contrast as your paper edition of The Guardian, and twice the clarity of an LCD.

Aside from making it one of the coolest pieces of watch tech we’ve seen in a few eons, this science also means the display can be as thin and flexible as paper. You’re unlikely to find a more rugged wrist-hugger.

There’s more, too – this new display is apparently so readable in low-light that no backlight is required, and has a ‘memory effect’ that adds days to the battery life.

As you’d expect, though, the Spectrums are more limited edition than a Peter Crouch goal – only 300 will be available outside the Japanese market, and will cost £1000 from next March. We’re still looking forward to E Ink’s colour debut in an e-book reader next autumn, but this’ll certainly sate us (and a few trees) for now.