Wristwatch Claims to Be Able to Keep You Cool. Does it Work?

August 3, 2021

You know your AC helps keep you cool. But there’s a wristwatch that claims to be a “portable AC watch” regulating your body temperature. Is this possible?

Totally Different Tech

You’re probably thinking to yourself, “AC watch? What does that mean? Does it have a little fan on it or something?” You’d be forgiven for thinking that! After all, most “wearable ACs” are precisely this – they cool you off by misting you with water or using an electric fan on your skin.

But today, we’re going to be talking about a different kind of technology altogether! It’s a watch that can cool you down when you’re too hot and warm you up when you’re cold – or at least, that’s what this tech claims to be able to do…

Clever Idea Behind It

By now, you probably think that this sounds a little crazy, like something out of a James Bond movie. But Sam Shames, the CEO of Embr Labs, told Business Insider [1] that the idea isn’t as complicated or far-fetched as it seems: “Temperature is as much subjective as it is objective,” he said. Of course, as we all know, regardless of the actual temperature, somebody is always going to feel hot, and somebody is always going to feel cold.

Interestingly, when you’re feeling too hot or too cold, that doesn’t raise or lower your core body temperature, only your skin temperature.

AC watch companies like the Embr Wave have figured out that just putting something warm against your skin when you’re too cold or cold against your skin when you’re too hot significantly regulates your skin temperature and thus makes you more comfortable! What this “portable AC watch” actually does is it puts out a warming or cooling sensation on your wrist when you press a button. Like a smartwatch, the device will run out of battery and need to be recharged, with a charge lasting 2-3 days.

Only Cools Somewhat

The writer of the Business Insider article, Avery Hartmans, said that this watch worked quite well for her! Much like holding a warm mug of coffee when you’re cold or holding an ice pack on your head when you’re hot, changing the temperature of a small area of your skin is a surprisingly effective way to stay comfortable.

However, the device has its limits. “In one situation where I was actively sweating on a too-hot subway car,” the device didn’t do much good, said Hartmans.

Overall, it’s really neat that a device exists to control your temperature in an environment you can’t control, but here at Parker & Sons, we don’t imagine that a wristwatch will be taking over the demand for regular AC and heating needs anytime soon. (Not least because, as important as your comfort is, it is way more important that your core body temperature is kept safely warm enough in winter and cool enough in summer.)

While AC watch technology is undoubtedly a neat device of the future, we know you still need AC repair right now. Parker & Sons is happy to serve the Phoenix and Tucson areas and help keep you cool.