Timex's new watch collection includes contactless payment straps

Barclaycard's various bPay accessories give previously inert objects the ability to make contactless payments, regardless of where you bank. Last year saw the introduction of the bPay Loop, a contactless card alternative that clings to watch straps. Understandably, though, you might not want to ruin the aesthetics of your neat dress watch with a brash rubber sidekick, but Barclaycard and Timex have now teamed up for a more elegant solution.

It's called the Fairfield Contactless, and quite simply, it's the watchmaker's minimalist Fairfield Chronograph with a bPay chip tucked away inside the watch strap. It's just the first in a bPay collection too, with more to follow. There are already a million ways to spend money without a note or coin to hand, but it's definitely one of the more style-conscious bPay products thus far. And when the Fairfield Contactless goes on sale in early November for £159, owners of other compatible Timex watches can upgrade theirs on the cheap by buying one of the black or brown bPay straps on its lonesome.