Is your vintage film camera still telling the truth? Light meter watch could be more useful now than in film’s heyday

Earlier this year I wrote about the development of a rather unusual camera accessory claiming to be the world’s first light-meter integrated watch and from today, Increment Labs’ LMW-V1: Light Meter Watch Kickstarter is officially live. Billed as “the first purpose-made watch for photographers,” and “the only watch to feature an integrated light meter,” the Light Meter Watch is designed to take the guessing game away from film photography.

But before I talk more about this product’s concept, I think it’s important to note that I haven’t seen or tried it in the flesh. And, as with all Kickstarters, there is a degree of risk involved for backers because you are buying into an untested product. That said, Kickstarter is a fantastic platform for allowing start-up ideas to become a reality and it was made for a small project like this.

Back to the product itself. I’d actually argue that a light-meter watch concept is more relevant now than ever before. That might seem like an odd statement, what with the heyday of film long behind us, but the recent film resurgence came at a time when very few film cameras were still being made. Beyond the Pentax 17 and Kodak Ektar H35/H35N, new film cameras are still hard to come by.

Because of this, many film photographers are turning to vintage film cameras to get their analog fix. This is relevant because not all vintage cameras have built-in light meters and it’s not uncommon for those that do to feature light meters that either do not work or have degraded over time. The light meter then – which was pretty much extinct outside of professional photo studios – has had a little bit of a resurgence. What better time to wear one on your wrist?

One burning question I had originally was whether the light meter would meter reflective or incident lighting (or both). It’s since been confirmed that the Light Meter Watch will measure reflective light (at a 45-degree angle) only and while it would have been nice to have the two options, I think this makes a lot of sense. Reflective metering measures the light bouncing off a subject, while incident metering measures the light falling onto the subject.

The former is measured from the camera’s shooting position, while the latter is measured right by the subject and angled towards the light source. While an incident reading is more accurate, a reflective reading is more practical. And indeed, a camera’s built-in light meter is reflective and for an accessory that’s designed for photographers out and about with their film camera, this is by far the more useful of the two.

Already, the LMW-V1: Light Meter Watch’s goal of £28,875 is well over 2/3 of the way to completion, with just over £23,000 pledged at the time of writing. The goal must be reached by June 4, 11:22 am (BST) for the project to be successfully funded. There are four rewards to choose from. A total of 800 backers will be able to take advantage of the Super Early Bird (300 units) and Early Bird (500 units). These both come with the LMW-V1 and a rubber strap for £119 and £129, totalling 36% and 30% off the £185 MSRP, respectively.

What’s proving most popular at the time of writing is the Limited Edition: Black LMW-V1 (300 units exclusive to Kickstarter) priced at £143. The biggest saving is achieved when ordering the LMW-V1 Bundle (300 units), which includes both the standard and Black LMW-V1, along with a Milanese strap and a black leather strap.

No matter the reward, you can also select from optional add-ons, whereby you can upgrade the watch’s body to stainless steel, order a travel case, and choose from a range of straps. Should the Kickstarter prove successful, shipping is expected to start in Q1 of 2027.