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While the majority of smartwatches focus on bright LCD displays, Sony is said to be taking inspiration from the Kindle for its next wearable device.

Sources 'familiar with the plans' told Bloomberg the Japanese tech giant is developing a smartwatch covered in e-ink material.

This means it could transform its appearance at the touch of a button, while using significantly less battery than some of its rivals.

Sources 'familiar with the plans' told Bloomberg that Sony is developing a smartwatch covered in e-ink material. This means it could transform its appearance at the touch of a button, while using less than its rivals. Pebble was one of the first firms to unveil an e-ink watch via Kickstarter in 2012 (pictured)

For example, a wallpaper could be applied to turn the strap and display into a certain design, or notifications could be shown on the strap.

The report did not reveal any more details about the watch, nor what it will look like, but Sony is said to be focusing more on style over substance.

When it's released, which is scheduled to be next year, the watch is also likely to have fewer specifications than its rivals.

The concept is reported as being one of the first products to be developed since Sony's boss Kazuo Hirai took over the firm's product strategy division.

E-ink lacks colour and video, but as a result, uses much less energy than traditional LCD displays. It gets its name because it resembles the text and colour scheme of newspapers and books, which is why it's popular for e-readers, such as Amazon's Kindle (pictured)

Cambridge-based Plastic Logic works with e-paper on a number of its products, including the popSlate phone case concept unveiled last year (pictured). This added a second, e-ink display to the rear of a phone that can be used to save energy when the battery runs low

The division has been tasked with making innovative and breakthrough products. 

Pavel Alpeyev and Grace Huang from Bloomberg also reported that the division is working on technology that should help people make prototype devices faster.

The MESH project, for example - which stands for 'make, experience and share' - has built a collection of sensors, LEDs and buttons into blocks that are linked wirelessly and can be controlled by a tablet.

Pebble was one of the first firms to unveil an e-ink watch via Kickstarter in 2012.

Cambridge-based Plastic Logic works with e-paper on a number of its products, including the popSlate phone case concept unveiled last year.

This added a second, e-ink display to the rear of a phone that can be used to save energy when the battery runs low.

In addition to saving energy, e-ink displays produce less glare meaning they can be read even in bright sunlight, which would also give it the edge over other smartwatches and phones.

MailOnline has contacted Sony for more information.