To say the smartwatch industry is on the verge of exploding would be an understatement. Consumer electronics companies and chip makers are not the only players entering the wearable tech space. Nissan recently announced it is joining the fray too, with what it bills as the first smartwatch concept to connect the car and driver.
There are already a number of smartwatches on the market, including Pebble, i’m Watch, Sony SmartWatch 2 and Samsung Galaxy Gear. But out of all of them, this is the coolest looking and it actually maps to a real use case for Nissan performance fans.
Nissan is scheduled to show off the device, dubbed the Nissan NISMO Watch, at the Frankfurt Motor Show. From the video it looks pretty awesome, so I cannot wait to see it when I visit the Frankfurt Motor Show next week.
What the NISMO Watch is trying to do
Nissan positions the watch as a bridge between driver and car. The concept is designed to connect via a smartphone app using Bluetooth Low Energy and surface data that drivers and track-day fans care about, such as average speed and fuel consumption, plus broader vehicle telematics and performance information.
It also leans into biometrics. The concept includes a heart rate monitor, framing the watch as a way to understand not only the car’s performance, but the driver’s state too.
In automotive performance culture, wearable concepts like this are as much about brand signaling as they are about immediate product rollout.
Why this is a smart brand move
NISMO is Nissan’s performance identity. A watch is a compact, always-visible object that can carry that identity beyond the car itself. If you can make “performance data” feel personal and wearable, you turn a brand into a daily habit, not only a purchase decision.
The concept also stretches beyond driving. Nissan’s own materials describe a “social performance” layer, where the watch can track activity across major social networks. Even if that is more provocative than practical, it makes the point: the watch is meant to be a connected lifestyle object, not only a dashboard mirror.
The real question: usefulness vs distraction
Anything that surfaces data while driving needs restraint. The best version of this idea is “track-day and post-drive insight”, not “more screens in motion”. If the watch becomes a reason to look away from the road, the concept backfires.
What to steal if you market a performance product
- Export the benefit into a new object. If your differentiator is hard to demo, move it into something people can touch and wear.
- Combine machine data with human data. “Car telemetry plus biometric state” is a stronger story than either alone.
- Make the design do half the selling. If it looks like performance gear, people will want to try it before they understand the spec sheet.
- Keep the experience context-safe. Design interactions for before and after driving, not during critical moments.
A few fast answers before you act
What is the Nissan NISMO Watch?
It is a smartwatch concept Nissan unveiled for its NISMO performance brand, positioned as a way to connect driver and car by showing vehicle performance data and driver biometric data.
How does the watch connect to the car?
Nissan’s release describes connecting via a smartphone app using Bluetooth Low Energy, so the watch can receive telemetry and performance information.
What kind of data does it show?
Reported features include average speed and fuel consumption, access to vehicle telematics and performance data, and biometric capture via a heart rate monitor.
Why would an automaker build a smartwatch concept?
Because it signals innovation, extends the brand into daily life, and creates a tangible way to talk about connected-car data and performance identity beyond the vehicle.
What is the biggest risk with wearables tied to driving?
Distraction. Any design that encourages glances during driving can be unsafe, so the value needs to skew toward track use and post-drive insights.