A first talking and vibrating watch, made in Switzerland, has been launched. Designed specifically for the blind, this watch was developed in Biel on behalf of the umbrella organisation for the visually impaired. Indeed, visually impaired people have always complained about the poor quality of the watches offered to them until then, which came mainly from foreign markets. Aware of their needs, the Swiss National Association of and for the Blind (UCBA) called on the Swiss watch industry to produce rechargeable watches for these people. It was thus that, in collaboration with other companies from French-speaking Switzerland, a series of 1,000 pieces was launched. The talking watch is today the second most widely used aid after the white cane because “partially sighted and blind people often orient themselves using the temporal dimension when they can no longer orient themselves in space”, said the UCBA’s Head of Communication, Carol Lagrange.
