Timex and Qualcomm are teaming up to create a new smartwatch

Timex just added a new entry to its Ironman line of GPS watches, ‘cept it’s not just any ole timepiece this time — it’s a 3G-connected smartwatch that doesn’t even need to pair up with a phone. The company calls it the Ironman One GPS+, and while it may have features commonly found in a smartwatch, it was made mostly for athletes like its predecessors. It has the capability to upload your run data to a fitness website with one tap, for instance, and you can even assign contacts to monitor your run in real time. One version also comes with a heart monitor a la Samsung Gear Fit and a chest strap, but unlike the ordinary one that costs $350 (which is already steep, as other smartwatches today cost around $200), it’ll set you back $450.

There are a few things everyone knows about smartwatches right now. First, you must have an e-ink screen. Second you have to use them with a phone nearby. Third, they’re not very rugged. Timex and Qualcomm, however, have decided to blow those myths out of the water. Their new product, the Timex Ironman One GPS+, is a self-contained sports watch that allows for GPS location tracking, email-based wireless messaging, and systems to track your speed, distance, and position at all times as well as notify your friends and family of where you are. It connects to cellular networks via AT&T, has a large color touchscreen and includes one year of mobile data service. The watch itself is about as big as the Nike Sport Watch or the Adidas MiCoach. However, unlike similar models that offer no wireless capabilities and smart watches like Pebble and the Galaxy Gear that require smartphone connectivity, the One GPS+ looks to be a standalone solution with full processing and wireless power built-in. The watch can “track speed, distance and pace in real-time and instantaneously share performance metrics through your favorite social media and online fitness platforms” as well as send a “Find Me Mode” alert to friends and family when you’re lost or hurt. It can also send heart rate to family in case of an emergency. Finally, it is water-resistant to 50 meters and doubles as a Bluetooth MP3 player. Timex hasn’t described battery life just yet but it I suspect, given Qualcomm’s mobile chip chops, we should see at least a few days per charge.