Jaeger LeCoultre watch unlocks, starts Aston Martin DBS

For those sick and tired of living vicariously through James Bond, Aston Martin is giving buyers of the €240,000 ($330,864) DBS coupe the chance to add on a svelte wristwatch that will actually lock, unlock and start their new vehicle. The limited edition Jaeger LeCoultre AMVOX2 chronograph not only boasts "over 200 parts to its casing and an equal number in the watch movement itself," but it will include a miniaturized form of the "DBS transponder electronics" within the base. Owners of the timepiece will be able to leave the key at home in a vault and crank their new ride up with the touch of a watch, but the convenience will cost you a stiff €25,000 ($34,465) on top of the car's purchase price. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

[Via The Raw Feed]

[scott @ Sep 12th 2007 12:37PM]

Pity it has to be ugly...

[theboss @ Sep 12th 2007 1:59PM]

ugly?? Get me some of what your smoking asap.. This is a simple elegant watch, black and the innards look good. Whats your idea of a nice watch? Some pink pokemon timepiece, or one with an oversized face. You get your watches form walmart right?

[Paul @ Sep 12th 2007 1:33PM]

that is one expensive key.

[scott @ Sep 12th 2007 2:30PM]

The face is busy, the hands are the same color as the face making it difficult to use for it's intended purpose.

Simplicity is true elegance in a watch.

[andy @ Sep 12th 2007 12:45PM]

Forget buttons. Why wouldn't you just put an encrypted RFID tag in a watch and a near field reader (

[Nelson @ Sep 12th 2007 12:47PM]

Forget the watch. Why not just implant the RFID in my skull?

[Satish @ Sep 12th 2007 12:53PM]

What if , the watch's battery drains out? when the car's locked?

[Rick wilson @ Sep 12th 2007 1:38PM]

Onstar?

[joe23521 @ Sep 12th 2007 12:53PM]

Hey, if you've got the financial resources, why the f*ck not?

[Inguz72 @ Sep 12th 2007 1:01PM]

Technological dilemmas aside that's one sweet ass looking watch!

[apeguero @ Sep 12th 2007 1:03PM]

so is the watch automatic movement? That's the only way I could ever see myself spending that kind of bank for a watch to start up my car with. That's a lot of cash for an electric watch. I bet the Chinese will come up with this feature in one of their MP4 watches soon enough which will allow one to use to start up their Kia.

[Gareth Burleigh @ Sep 12th 2007 5:56PM]

Kia is Korean, and if you can afford an Aston the watch is a drop in the ocean and will probably be a huge seller to all the Bond fans that are buying. Although you should never assume, I think the only way I can see you "dropping that kind of bank" is if the lottery fairy visits you

Gareth

[apeguero @ Sep 12th 2007 4:42PM]

Lighten up man. I know Kia is Korean. I don't know any Chinese cars but I do know that it wouldn't take them long to copy that technology and sell it to other car manufacturers. Hell, the technology on this 40k watch probably is Chinese for all I know. Either way, I would never buy an Aston if I had that kind of cash. My car of preference, in that price range, has a front engine is created in Maranello and has a black stallion prancing on the front tip of it's hood.

[Gareth Burleigh @ Sep 12th 2007 6:18PM]

Seeing as Jaeger-LeCoultre is a Swiss watch maker that has brought innovation from the 1800's Im gonna have to go on a limb and say I would bet "my bank" that this is a solid time piece that regardless of price will sell to the target intended.

Gareth

[NewYorkVendor @ Sep 12th 2007 1:18PM]

Forget the $35,000 price tag for that watch. I've got a shipment of those Austin Martin watches here for only $35 in this box, and they look exactly the same. And .. uhm .. the reason that the hands don't move is because you don't have an Austin Martin nearby. It's got a proximity sensor in it. .. yeah .. that's it.

[Ellianth @ Sep 12th 2007 2:38PM]

LMAO. I'll take ten!

[bpc @ Sep 12th 2007 1:19PM]

That's actually a pretty standard price for an upper-level Jaeger LeCoultre watch. They're one of the standards of the highly-collectable, highly-expensive watch market.

http://www.atlantictime.com/jaeger-lecoultre-watches-80.html

[tonytag @ Sep 12th 2007 1:43PM]

Satish...it is a transponder and besides it is a mechanical watch...there are no batteries. Any way you slice thi sit is f-n cool and Ant ..your friend is f-n cool.

[wslcrew @ Sep 12th 2007 2:18PM]

Well, what if I just buy the watch and hack it so that it unlocks and starts any DBS...

[Ant @ Sep 12th 2007 2:20PM]

This confirms what I always thought. People that buy and drive Aston Martin all think at some level they are James Bond, you can just see it on their faces. I know someone who will be getting the car to go with this whatch and giving me the low down on how cool he thinks he looks starting the car with his sodin whatch. No, the car looks cool and maybe the whatch but on the whole the drivers realy arn't cool.

[Z @ Sep 12th 2007 12:56PM]

Generally people here in the UK who drives one of these kinda cars are at age 60+, not so much bond left in them i dont think.
I have something they can not buy, my youth.

[ukickmydog @ Sep 12th 2007 2:41PM]

lol, yea, you can't buy youth, but once I finish residency, my first paycheck is gonna be a down payment on an aston martin, the watch, not so much

[Josh @ Sep 12th 2007 4:49PM]

Definitely with you on that one. Once residency sucks the rest of my youth out of me i will be in one of these sleek cars. Maybe they will still have the watches selling with them?

[tony2x @ Sep 12th 2007 3:03PM]

Ok that is the coolest thing in the world. Of course Aston customers have a Bond complex! I'm sure that S-class owners secretly wish they were African dictators and Prius drivers actually think they are *helping* the environment by buying their hylier-than-thou-brids.

If I had the cash to buy a DBS I would so get the watch, although I think Omega missed an opportunity there to stick the transponder in the Seamaster. Perhaps that will be an option for the V8.

[Farris @ Sep 12th 2007 3:30PM]

............and if someone takes your watch, what then?

[*******1111111111***********Mark***********11111111******** @ Sep 12th 2007 5:56PM]

Exactly the same thing as if someone takes your key!

[Danny @ Sep 12th 2007 4:03PM]

if I saw someone start the car with that, given
its price, I'd say
"yur stoopid."

[Ypoknons @ Sep 12th 2007 4:53PM]

It's a Jaeger. You can SEE the automatic movement in the photo.

[mark @ Sep 12th 2007 5:41PM]

I think I'll just wank off over a picture of the watch...

[Steve @ Sep 12th 2007 5:45PM]

Hmmm.... Lock...unlock.....Lock ? lol were is START

[fireblade @ Sep 12th 2007 6:16PM]

Jaeger LeCoultre is probably one of the finer swiss watchmakers out there. All there movements are built in house and the quality is bar one.
It seems that the vast majority of the unwashed masses would not recognize a quality swiss watch if it hit them over the head.
And yes, it is way above a Rolex in status within the haute horolgy society.

[snowglyder @ Sep 12th 2007 6:38PM]

That watch costs more than my truck.

"Back to work!" - Boss

[tony2x @ Sep 12th 2007 6:50PM]

I would enable the remote detonation feature and the scumbag that stole my watch would lose his/her wrist. You don't think they thought of that?

What happens if you would lose your car keys? I've lost more keys than watches over the years!

[Dandy @ Sep 13th 2007 4:16PM]

This is definitely not new technology. Check out Engadget's coverage of Camco Systems Prostar alarm with MUCH better features and of course price (back in October of 2005 no less for under $300). Granted it's not a swiss watch but hey if the point is to open/start/disable your car then this is the way to go!
http://www.engadget.com/2005/10/06/camco-prostar-car-alarm-watch/
Some of the features are here
http://www.camcosystems.nl/index.php?action=product&tbl_product_id=179

(which would answer those questions nicely like)
- Put in RFID tag (Got it with a proximity reader which auto unlocks the vehicle when you are in range)
- What if battery drains? (No prob, there is a key pin pad that goes on the inside of the car to enter a code to get into the car, plus it comes with a standard key fob)

[tekdemon @ Sep 14th 2007 11:09PM]

Heh, I find it kinda funny that there's 2 residents posting in the comments. Sadly, I have a few more years before I'm even a resident, so I can't dream too much about future car purchases just yet.

That said, if I was dropping that kind of crazy money on a watch I'd probably get a Vacheron Constantin, but that's just personal watch design preference I like the super-thin movements.

And even if I had the money right now, I probably wouldn't spend it on an Aston Martin, if only because I still associate it with Ford (even though they've sold it). Plus, it's a little bit too flashy anyway...I think an M3 or an M5/6 is already plenty =p