

By Andrew Liszewski

Kinetic-powered watches that harness the movement of the wearer to wind a spring and keep the mechanical movements running have been around for ages. But watchmaker Ventura has designed a new timepiece, the SPARC MGS set to be unveiled at BaselWorld 2011 in a few weeks, that uses the same mechanisms to power its LCD display and other digital bits.

According to Ventura, throughout an average day the wearer’s movements will turn an oscillating mass (which is visible above the display) about 4,000 times, and via a set of connecting gears these rotations are used to repeatedly tension a spring. Every time the spring is fully tensioned, it releases its force to a built-in micro-generator which generates electricity, keeping the electronic bits running. And while the details are a bit vague at this point, the SPARC MGS apparently also has a slick and improperly spelled EasySkroll system which allows the wearer to navigate the UI by simply moving their wrist. (Which also cleverly encourages them to keep the watch moving and of course powered.)

[ Ventura ] VIA [ I4U News ]