Flush with Bitcoin, even after you bought your Lambo? Swiss watch maker Hublot has a product just for you — a wristwatch that can only be bought using Bitcoin. Because cash is for poor people who don’t own an Italian supercar they can barely drive.
The wristwatch is being issued in very limited amounts, in order to commemorate Bitcoin’s tenth anniversary. Yup, really. Called the Meca-10 P2P, a title we’d expect to see in an anime about oversized robots stomping on greater Japan,
Hublot’s fancy wristwear would be out of reach of most people anyway. It’s estimated to cost about $25,000, a figure based on Bloomberg‘s assessment of the current Bitcoin rate of exchange and one that works out to about R350,000. That’ll put a dent in the old Bitcoin wallet.
And why would you want one? Does it get notifications or connect to a smart home hub for various home automation things? Er… no. It’s just an expensive piece of Swiss engineering for people with Bitcoin. It”s mighty attractive for all that, with a 45mm black ceramic case, visible movement and a blockchain-inspired design. It also needs to be wound, but only every ten days. Because it’s a tenth anniversary watch, apparently.
But there are more hoops to jump through than just finding the right amount of money and converting it to cryptocurrency. Hublot is making just 210 of these devices, a nod towards the limited number of Bitcoin in existence (21 million), and everyone who wants to buy one will have a background check performed on them — to make sure that the cryptocurrency being used for the transaction is legitimately obtained. Buyers will also be vetted to make sure they’re not laundering money with the transaction.
If you do manage to snag a bit of horological history, the transaction number used to purchase the watch will be engraved on the bezel before it’s shipped to you. Presumably under armed guard until you’ve got it on your arm. We’d hope, for that price. Hublot is working on getting their other watches available to buyers keen on paying with cryptocurrency but, for now, the Meca-10 P2P is the only one you have to use Bitcoin for.
Source: Bloomberg
