Tech giant Sony has come up with a new idea for watches that could be hitting store shelves soon: an e-ink timepiece.

E-ink, which is commonly used in mobile readers like Barnes & Noble’s Nook device, could also be used for watches and other accessories, and Sony has announced that it is the creator of a crowdfunding campaign for the project.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a Sony spokesman said the company has a project in development called “Fashion Entertainments” that studies how electronic paper and e-ink can be used in the world of fashion. The Fes Watch is the centerpiece of that effort. It features a wristband that uses electronic paper and changes appearance depending on the gesture of the user, and it allows the wearer to manually change the design pattern.

Sony was very hush-hush about the project initially, anonymously putting the idea on an internet crowdfunding site back in September. Now that it has raised the $17,000 the company was pushing for after just three weeks — it’s closing in on $30,000 from 150 supporters — Sony is pulling the veil back to reveal that it is its own project.

Although there is not yet an official release date, the watch is available for preorder and the first watches will be sent out in May of next year.

The reason Sony decided to keep the project anonymous was to test the real value of the concept rather than have people latch onto it simply because Sony’s name is attached to it.

Beyond the watch, the team is also looking at e-ink bow ties and hat accessories.

Five Sony engineers are behind the project, although an outside design company has been contracted to assist in using the electronic paper as a fabric.