The Wear OS-packing original Montblanc Summit did not have the highly ornate appearance for which the company is known. Its features were also too basic. So, one need not search for reasons as to why the original Summit was not a success in the market.The Montblanc Summit 2 definitely is miles ahead of its predecessor, with a new and alluring look, and more features. This is also one of the first devices to pack the new Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset - promising a blazing performance and better battery optimizations.It is not a surprise that this smartwatch is as costly as it can get. With a 73,000 INR price tag, it will definitely create a hole in your pocket. It is a little cheaper than Tambour Horizon by Louis Vuitton and almost the same price as the range offered by Tag Heuer.Is it as premium in features and performance as its price? Is it a worthy investment compared to a smartwatch priced sensibly? Read the full review below.

A Fashion Statement

The Summit 2 has had a design overhaul, parting ways with the more minimalist design of its predecessor. It takes inspiration from Montblancs 1858 collection - for an unparalleled classy touch. The Summit 2 looks nothing like a smartwatch and thats whats appealing about it.The crisp AMOLED 1.2-inch touchscreen display packs a 390x390 resolution - living up to its competition. What makes Montblanc Summit 2 stand out in the crowd is the original watch faces that are in harmony with its external build.It is not deceiving you with a smart look - it passes the sleeve test nicely. Or in simpler words, you can confidently wear it with a suit. Navigation is also smoothened by the three buttons to the right of the screen. The spinning crown is elegant, with a button towards the edge.The crown eases the navigation through menus. But the other two squishy buttons are a bit of a disappointment as you cannot tell whether you have pressed them or not. These buttons can launch your favourite apps. Bottomline, Summit 2 tops the list in the design segment. It is pleasing to the eye, comfortable on our wrist and makes a great fashion statement.

Packing a Twist to Wear OS

It takes a step forward in smart features as well, overcoming the criticisms on the original Summit which lacked many key functionalities. Montblanc has definitely learned from their mistake and packed the new edition withx` lot more impressive features.Software side is handled by Googles Wear OS. So, you have all the basic features you can expect at this price tag, including notification support, Google Assistant at a call away, a plethora of apps that are installable from the watch itself and custom watch faces to choose from.Wear OS has shown traction over time, but theres still scope for a lot of improvement. The Montblancs software optimizations and additions make the new Summit 2 stand out from the Wear OS interface we are all used to in other smartwatches, and is definitely a welcome addition.Once the watch is powered up and set up, you will be greeted by a choice of watch faces from the house of Montblanc.

They are all elegant and classy, with 1858 as default watch face.This is not a surprise as we already know that it takes a lot of its inspiration from Montblancs own 1858 series. Other watch faces like Boheme Classic have also won users appreciation.Montblanc does not just pack designer watch faces, as two among 10 of them are fitness tracking oriented - one with emphasis on Activity and another Workout Coach face. There is also good news for frequent travellers - there is a unique dedicated Timeshifter face.This app helps those who travel across the world to deal with jet lag. There is a guided jet lag plan to help you through some activities that will help you stay awake and active if you travel across time zones.

Some activities suggested include staring at some light to waken your eyes, or the watch will suggest a short nap, or ask you to get a dose of melatonin/take a coffee break to keep you going.These are not rote notifications, clearly some work goes behind these suggestions. Sometimes it asks you to take a nap, while other times, it asks you to take a nap if possible. This is also a bit ambiguous given that some of these suggestions are worded similarly.There is plenty of information, well presented ad decked in different watch faces. It can summarize all you need to know in five-minutes - that is approximately the time you wait to de-board your flight. It definitely fares better than the luxury travel watches in the same price range, Tambour Horizon by Louis Vuitton.

Subpar Fitness Sensors and App

With an onboard GPS, heart rate sensor and bragging a 5ATM water resistance, it goes well beyond an average luxury travel companion with its fitness tracking. This anyway, remains on the paper as it did not live up to the promises during the test run.The watch was put up against a Wahoo Tickr Chest Strap. It was found that the readings missed the mark by a large margin. When the Wahoo Tickr registered an average heart rate of 165bpm during a workout, the new Summit 2 paired with Strava went amiss by 20bpm.The highest heart rate registered by the chest strap was 187bpm as opposed to 178bpm measured by Summit 2. While the highest measure was not too far off, it clearly shows the inaccuracy in measurements by the watch.

The fitness companion app on the watch was also a bit disappointing. The Workout Coach app made for Summit 2 is supposed to give on the go workout plan recommendations to keep you fit and moving, it also promises to keep you posted on your VO2 Max.The apps strategy to get you active is to suggest short 20-minute sessions. The reviewer underwent multiple sessions or brisk walk or running, but the app kept warning that data recorded was insufficient.The onboard GPS was put on test against the Garmin Fenix 5. It was slow to initiate contact with satellites, but once connected, it worked fine. While most of the smartwatches these days pack more than one satellite positioning system, Montblanc bet high on GPS, but in some environments, it failed to establish connection.

The Workout Coach saved the collected measurements on the smartwatch, easily accessible. It also gave a metric comparable with Tickr chest strap during other activities like running and walking. But this data stays on your watch, as there is no way to export the data outside the smartphone.That means, you will not be able to review your data on your phone or feed it into apps available on PlayStore which can give you detailed analysis. In short, the fitness features and packed sensors onboard Montblanc Summit 2 do not match the class it defined in style.Compared to its predecessor, Montblanc did try to give fitness features a facelift, it is a shame that it did not live up to the expectation. Can it be your workout companion? Answer is still yes, but we will have to wait for Montblanc to tune their software for better performance, reporting and enabling workout data export.

Expected Battery Life and Battery Saver Mode

Like almost all other smartwatches, Montblanc Summit 2 assures a battery life of a day and a half. The reviewer saw the watch live up to the expectation during his two weeks with it.One downside is that if you forget to charge your device overnight, you might find yourself running out of battery in the middle of the next day. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 chipset, optimized for wearable devices should also be contributing to the life of your smartwatchs battery. The watch comes with a battery saver mode that can extend your battery life up to a week.But enabling the mode locks you out to the Montblanc watch face, restricting access to every other smart feature until it is turned off. This should keep you going in the worst case, if you are running out of battery and there is no provision to charge.

• Share on:
• WhatsApp
• Deel
• Tweet
• Pin it
• Messenger
• Email

---