Meta’s luxury M1 ‘watches that happen to be smart’ start shipping

By Malarie Gokey Updated November 11, 2014

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As of September, smartwatches will get a little less ugly. LG recently showed off the round G Watch R, the Moto 360 is expected to debut shortly, and the iWatch may come soon. Regardless, watch maker Meta announced that its luxury M1 smartwatch will now start shipping and is available for order on its website.

Meta likes to describe its M1 as a watch that happens to be smart, as opposed to a true smartwatch. When it met with us in New York, the company focused on design and the quality of the materials used, rather than the tech specs of the watch. Still, the Meta M1 has specs your average smartwatch wouldn’t sneer at. The M1’s black and white, LCD screen measures 23.44 millimeters square and has a 128 x 128 pixel resolution.

Related: LG introduces round G Watch R with Android Wear

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meta m1 smartwatches start shipping brown leather front

meta m1 smartwatches start shipping steel front

meta m1 smartwatches start shipping rose gold front

The M1 has six buttons for navigating through Meta’s apps and notifications, rather than the more common touchscreen. The two in the middle of either side of the watch send you forward or back through the apps, while the top and bottom buttons on each side move you up and down through each individual app’s menus.

The Meta M1 is water resistant up to 3 ATM, so you should be able to wear it in the rain. Meta says the M1’s battery should last you 5-7 days on a single charge and the watch charges quickly via a Micro USB cradle. The M1 connects to your smartphone over Bluetooth 4.0, syncing all your emails, calls, messages, calendars, and other notifications to your watch. You can decide which notifications you want to receive in the companion iOS app.

The watch itself weighs 311 grams and measures 254 millimeters long with the strap included. The M1 watch’s body is made of stainless steel and has a premium look and feel to it. The metal surrounding the watch face can be either a gleaming chrome or a soft rose gold hue. Would-be customers can choose between real vanilla-scented rubber straps or genuine leather straps in various colors.

The prices range from $250 to $450. You can order the M1 of your choosing on Meta’s website.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…

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