Touch ‘n Go Sdn. Bhd. (TnG), on June 3rd, 2016, launched its ‘TimeTraveller Watch’, a cleverly-named product for a not-so-clever wearable device. For those who don’t know, Touch ‘n Go is contactless, electronic payment system, that comes in a credit-card-sized smart card that was first launched back in 1997. The new TimeTraveller Watch comes in Black and White color options, and was available at RM222 (inclusive of 6% GST) with free shipping within Malaysia, for the first 100 purchases on 11street.my. Its retail price after that period is RM239, or RM253.34 after GST, with free shipping included. This watch is a product done in collaboration between Touch ‘n Go (payment system), DCR Marketing Sdn. Bhd. (customer service), and is sold exclusively on 11street.my. That said, you could also purchase the watch from TnG Hubs at The Sphere and KL Sentral.
Click to view slideshow.Touch ‘n Go call this a “rethinking [of] payment methods”, but Time Traveller Watch is basically just a regular wristwatch that comes with a removable, SIM-sized TnG card inside. The idea behind it is for convenience — you could just point your TimeTraveller Watch that’s already on your wrist to the contact terminal, without needing to fumble with your wallet to pull out a separate TnG card. It is said that there are now over 13 million TnG cards in circulation (inclusive of our MyKad identification cards), with more than 100 merchants and over 2,000 outlets accepting the TnG payment method. Most of us are already using TnG for toll payments all around Malaysian highways, but we can actually also use TnG at outlets such as Baskin-Robbins, Mydin, Tesco, and Watsons.
But frankly, the convenience ends there and it is just a glorified analog wrist watch, with an embedded TnG card. A quick check at the FAQ page confirmed that the tiny TnG card that comes with the purchase doesn’t have any credit, which is fine, but it also doesn’t auto-reload, unlike a Zing Card. For those of you who already have a Zing Card, it’s not like you can simply cut it down to a mini-SIM-sized card without risking damaging the card, not to mention voiding your bank’s terms of service. Also, most of us are right handed and the watch itself is encouraging us to wear it on our left hand, judging by the crown being on the right side of the watch case. We in Malaysia also adopt the left-handed traffic flow which also means our driver’s seats are on the right. Imagine stopping at a toll booth and trying to tap the terminal to your right, with your TimeTraveller Watch that’s strapped on your left hand. Another missed opportunity is to make the watch a digital type with the ability to tell the TnG credit balance.
Otherwise, the watch itself looks decent enough, in black and white, with silver-colored stainless steel bezel and crown. Movement is provided by Seiko Epson VX82E and is powered by an SR621SW coin battery. The display is protected by an acrylic glass, with a date magnifier. That’s right; for RM253.32, not only can you use Touch ‘n Go TimeTraveller Watch to tell the time and pay for stuff, you can also tell the date accurately. Just remember to readjust the date after months that only have 28/29/30 days. And oh, the watch is said to only be “splash-proof” and not waterproof.
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