Wearables upstart BLOCKS hit its funding target of $250,000 within an hour of launching on US crowdfunding platform Kickstarter yesterday (13 October), a sum which has since doubled.

At the time of writing, the UK-start-up, which is developing “the world’s first modular smartwatch” has now raised more than $527,000, with a total 1,868 backers.

Founder Alireza Tahmasebzadeh spoke to Mobile World Live last week ahead of the launch and said he was confident the campaign could “achieve multi-million dollar investment”, by the time it closes on 19 November.

The funding will be used to get the smartwatch concept, which is still in the prototype phase, built and shipped, with the company looking to deliver on pre-orders in line with an estimated manufacturing schedule of May 2016.

Along with the launch on Kickstarter, BLOCKS debuted with five initial modules to connect to the core of the watch, including extra battery capacity, GPS navigation, a heart rate monitor, NFC contactless transactions and an adventure module for sport activities.

The watch core alone, which can run as an ordinary smartwatch with a standard strap, is priced at $195, and the core plus four modules costs $250 under an early bird Kickstarter rate.