British design team Increment Labs recently released a "light metering watch" called LMW‑V1, which is claimed to be the world's first watch designed specifically for photographers with a built-in light meter. It is mainly aimed at users who find it difficult to learn and master manual exposure settings. This product is currently on the Kickstarter platform for crowdfunding.
The LMW‑V1 was born out of the frustration co-designer Rich Soler encountered while learning manual light metering: under the pressure of work, family and social life, it was difficult for him to quickly convert metering results into appropriate aperture and shutter speed on the spot. The team completed five rounds of prototype iterations in two years, and collected extensive feedback from hundreds of photographers, and finally finalized the watch that is both portable, accurate and stylish. It is hoped that photographers can practice their judgment of light at any time when they are not carrying a camera.
Soler said that placing the light meter on the wrist allows users to repeatedly train their "eye sense" of aperture and shutter in various scenes of daily life. Even if there is no camera at hand, they can continuously calibrate their judgment of light intensity, thereby significantly improving the accuracy of exposure prediction in long-term use, and enhancing their confidence in camera settings and creative control. The official positioning of this product is that it is suitable for novices who are just getting started and want to lay a good foundation in manual exposure, as well as professional photographers who want to reduce the burden of equipment.
Compared with common mobile phone light metering applications, the team emphasized that smartphones rely on the light sensor and camera built into the body. Its light metering performance is highly dependent on the hardware and software capabilities of the device itself, and its accuracy has limitations. Although traditional incident light meters are reliable and more accurate in controlled environments such as studio photography, they are relatively expensive and bulky, making them difficult for beginners to carry around. LMW‑V1 attempts to find a balance between the two, providing a more natural way of daily use in the form of a watch.
In terms of industrial design, the LMW‑V1 draws inspiration from the styling of decades of classic cameras, with a waterproof case made of anodized aluminum, an LCD display, and a leather strap with a surface texture that imitates the texture of vintage camera covers. There is also an analog depth-of-field mark engraved on the side of the case, and the readout button on the surface is designed to resemble a mechanical shutter release, adding hints of retro camera details to the entire watch.
In terms of functional configuration, this watch integrates a number of photography-related features. First, it has a built-in silicon photodiode sensor arranged at a 45-degree angle, which uses the same light sensing technology as professional-grade exposure meters and industrial optical instruments to convert incident light into stable and reliable photometric readings. Users can select the ISO sensitivity on the dial and switch between aperture priority mode and shutter priority mode: the former is suitable for depth of field control, and the latter is suitable for shooting scenes with the purpose of freezing or showing action.
Considering the needs of film darkrooms and low-light environments, the LMW‑V1 is equipped with a darkroom-safe red backlight to facilitate viewing timing during the development and fixing processes without affecting the sensitivity of the photo paper to light. The time function is powered by a 32,000 Hz quartz crystal to ensure precise tracking of the date and time display. In terms of battery life, officials say the watch can be used for about a month after being fully charged.
LMW‑V1 also integrates a dedicated “golden moment” reminder function, which calculates the precise local sunrise and sunset times based on the user’s longitude, latitude, date and time, and uses an alarm clock to remind the user to prepare for shooting before the golden light and red sunset appear. The team believes that this feature not only has practical value, but also strengthens the positioning of the watch as a shooting companion rather than an ordinary wearable device. In addition, a limited black version will be made available to early backers during the crowdfunding phase to increase collectibility.
In terms of production and supply chain, Increment Labs plans to complete the manufacturing and assembly of LMW‑V1 in the UK to shorten communication links and strengthen quality control. The team says this allows for a lower carbon footprint, rapid response to design updates, and less material waste. Even the product packaging has been specially designed so that users can reuse it into a storage box that can hold four rolls of film, further integrating environmental protection with film photography culture.
In terms of price, the early bird price of LMW‑V1 on Kickstarter is 119 pounds, which is approximately $162. If the project successfully completes financing and mass production, shipments are expected to begin in early 2027. It is planned that the retail price of this watch will increase to 185 pounds in the future, which is approximately 251 US dollars. More details of the project have been announced on Kickstarter and the official website of Increment Labs for the reference of interested photographers and equipment enthusiasts.
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Kickstarter, Increment Labs