- UNA Watch is a new type of sustainable, modular wearable
- It features GPS, health monitoring, and 10-day battery life
- All of its parts can be replaced, and you build the watch yourself like Lego
An Edinburgh-based smartwatch company has received a £300,000 funding injection from SFC Capital as it seeks to become a sustainable, modular alternative to the best Apple Watches and best Garmins in the wearable market.
The UNA Watch is "the world's first fully modular and repairable GPS sports watch," with shades of Garmin in its design, and a comprehensive spec list.
UNA Watch is the brainchild of Lewis Allison, former CTO of golf brand Shot Scope, which features regularly in our best golf watches guide. After years of frustration with wearables "engineered for disposability", and inspired by the likes of Fairphone and Framework laptops, the UNA Watch was born.
"UNA Watch enables users to swap out individual components, such as batteries, screens, and sensors, rather than replacing the entire device," the company told TechRadar. Not only does this make the UNA Watch more repairable and sustainable, it also paves the way for future modular upgrades including more advanced health tracking, cellular connectivity, and even a better display.
The UNA Watch is about to launch via Kickstarter, and the company says it has over 7,000 people who've registered interest, and over 1,000 deposits already put down on the UNA Watch.
UNA: Meet the modular GPS sports watch
On the surface, the UNA looks like a lot like your average Garmin Forerunner, but under the hood, it's a very different story.
The UNA Watch features dual-frequency GPS, an altimeter, and an accelerometer, comprehensive health tracking, an advanced heart rate sensor, a 10-day battery life, an always-on 1.2-inch 240 x 240 MIP Display (reminiscent of the Garmin Instinct 2), and a smartwatch rarity: USB-C charging.
All of these features are powered by modular components that you can easily replace or upgrade at home. So, if you damage the display, you can simply order a new one and replace it yourself.
UNA says its health tools include high-precision optical sensors for continuous, accurate heart rate monitoring and real-time cardiovascular performance insights. The company also offers customizable heart rate zones and alerts, detailed post-workout data, and more.
The cost? The UNA Watch's MSRP is $335 (UK and AUS pricing and availability tbc), or you can score a $100 discount if you put down a $1 deposit ahead of launch.
Thanks to the UNA app, the watch works with iOS and Android and is the hub for training data and insights, customizations, and integration with the best fitness apps, including Strava.
All of this makes for extremely enticing reading, and is a sustainability record that, at first glance, puts the Apple Watch to shame.
Apple was recently sued over claims its 'carbon neutral' Apple Watch marketing is misleading, and the company's best efforts aside, its wearables are largely un-repairable by design. The company offers battery life services, otherwise, any other damage usually incurs costs so high it's more effective to just buy a new model, and it's a similar story across the wearables market.
UNA is looking to overturn that, and the watch on paper looks promising. The spec sheet doesn't set the world alight, but it's a solid start for a watch that promises to last you a lot longer than your average wearable, and that could offer modular upgrades in the future.
The UNA Watch Kickstarter is launching April 2, and you can sign up to reserve one at the aforementioned VIP discount on UNA's website.
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