Sony has made a new watch, but you wouldn’t have know that Sony was behind the watch if you had seen the FES Watch on Kickstarter a few months ago. The company created a Kickstarter campaign without the Sony brand name, and decided to use the name Fashion Entertainments instead.

The company did this to see how the watch would fare without Sony’s brand backing, and the campaign managed to raise more than $17,000. Clearly, the watch is something that people want, even if the Sony name isn’t attached to it.

So, what’s the big deal with the FES Watch? It’s an E-ink watch, and it’s also the first of it’s kind. This means that the watch can change colors and bands and designs simply, and that Sony is breaking new ground by introducing E-ink as a potential fabric for the fashion world.

What the Watch Can Do

Imagine a watch that changes faces, numbers, band designs, and colors (well, goes from black to white) while you are wearing it. This is what the FES Watch does. There’s some potential for the watch to include various smartwatch features, too, but those haven’t been developed yet. Those that pre-ordered the watch through Kickstarter will receive one by May, but others may have to wait a bit longer.

Sony hasn’t yet stated when the watches will be available elsewhere, or how you can buy one in the future. That said, Sony just let the world know that it was behind the FES Watch and the Fashion Entertainment name, so it’s not really a surprise that the company hasn’t yet listed any retail information about the watch yet. However, the fact that Sony is now claiming the watch might be indicative of a sale date happening in the near future.

Why an E-Ink Watch

It’s hard to imagine many people wanting a watch from a tech company that isn’t of the “smart” type, but that’s exactly why Sony is moving in this direction. While every other tech company on the planet is focusing on the smartwatch right now, Sony is looking at something else - a fashion watch that harnesses technology, but isn’t a direct smartwatch. The company launched the watch on Kickstarter with a fake name in order to see whether or not people would want a watch of this sort, and the trick worked. Sony has now figured out is real market, and it has also found out what people like about the watch without knowing that the Sony name is attached to the product.

The Sony E-Ink watch isn’t really going to be much more than novelty when it does arrive, but it’s an interesting way to use e-paper. Sony wants the fashion world to embrace e-paper as a type of material that can be used in anything from a watch to clothing, though it might be some time before you see suits made from e-paper. This watch merely shows the potential that e-ink really does have.

While thousands of backers will buy the Sony watch, some aren’t so sure of this watch’s potential. What do you think? Will you purchase this watch when it comes out, and how much would you spend on an e-ink watch?