Louis Vuitton unveils an Android smartwatch that costs a whopping KSh 290,000 ($2,900)

Louis Vuitton is a globally recognized luxury fashion house that has made a name for its high quality garments and iconic black and brown print. The company decided to follow the footsteps of Tag Heuer and release an android smartwatch that fulfills the rich tastes of wealthy clients.

Meet the Louis Vuitton Tambour Horizon, an ultra luxury watch that runs on the latest Android Wear 2.0 OS. Given the reputation of the company, the watch comes with a price to match, a whopping $2,490 (KSh 249,000) for the stainless steel version. If you want it in black, the paint job will have you shell out $2,900 (KSh 290,000).  For comparison, other smartwatches from big manufacturers like LG, that run the very same Android 2.0 OS cost an average of $199 (KSh 19,900).

For such an astronomical amount, you get sapphire glass on the back and front of the gadget. This is the one of the hardest materials- apart from diamond- to be used on screens. Sapphire is more expensive than hardened glass so most manufacturers only use it on camera lenses to avoid scratches. Back to the watch, it’s equipped with a 1.2inch round AMOLED touch screen which has a resolution of 390*390. A Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset does the heavy lifting with the help of 512MB RAM, 4GB storage and a 300mAh battery that is good for 22 hours of use.

The watch is water and dust resistant. It comes with a case whose diameter is 42mm and 12.5mm thick. It’s almost a rip off that such an expensive gadget comes with a frame made of stainless steel instead of a rare metal.  The straps are made of pure leather and are interchangeable with a choice of 60 different variants. Still on customization, the Android Wear OS can let you change interfaces to match your straps if you so feel inclined. Luckily, Louis Vuitton didn’t bug down the software experience with many unnecessary apps, only two of them come from the company; My flight app which tracks your air travel info and updates in a central place, and finally City Guide app which suggests you places of interest in new cities.

In case you want the watch, it is already available on the Louis Vuitton website for purchase. In the box you get a battery charger with a leather tag bearing the LV logo (because why not!). It will work with any Android 4.3+ device as well as Apple iOS 9+ device.