Aston Martin and its official watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre have developed the ultimate accessory for the DBS supercar: a transponder watch. A mini transmitter that sits inside the watch, the AMVOX2 DBS Transponder has the ability to lock and unlock the 510bhp Aston.
All the owner has to do is press the ‘open’ position, located between the eight and nine digits on the glass face, to deactivate the alarm and unlock the doors. Likewise, pushing the ‘close’ spot between three and four locks it.
Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO, said, “This is the definitive expression of the partnership between Aston Martin and Jaeger-LeCoultre, I’m delighted that we have been able to premiere this technology in such an elegant solution. It is the first time horology and automotive engineering have been combined in this way.”
Aston Martin says that the transponder module weighs “just a few grams” and is half the size of the identical system in the DBS’s Emotional Control Unit (or as the rest of us call it, a key). It is offering the £22,000 device as an option on new DBSs and as a retro-fit for existing customers.For obvious safety and security purposes, only Aston Martin dealers can authorise the watch to read and communicate with a customer’s specific DBS. Although James Bond’s Q branch will probably set up his own unit in-house.
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Re: Aston DBS gets timepiece
Fair play to you jfw - agree with your point
Re: Aston DBS gets timepiece
Maybe it opens ALL Aston Martins, hence the price! That way, it would be a reasonable investment which the owner could keep after selling the Aston!
Re: Aston DBS gets timepiece
Hmmmm - maybe I was a bit over the top, I still think my comments, if not my language, are correct. Obviously any initiatives by a manufacturer are reportable but I was struck by the lack of any editorial comment. The sole quality of this watch that was reported was the fact that it acted as a key fob which seems. to me at least. not to be a sensible reason to buy it. What happens when the car is sold? Does the watch go with it? And what is it worth? Normally one would expect a capital gain on an exclusive watch - but surely this can be bargained down in this case? If not sold, the feature for which, apparently, the purchaser has shelled out c20% of the total cost of the motor car becomes redundant. I think this is a brand extension too far - and I would expect a magazine as reputable as Autocar to do more than a cut and paste of a press release.