Smartwatches have been around for more than a decade, and during that time, the designs and functionality have drastically improved, and the sheer choice of models available has grown exponentially.
They’ve become a fairly common part of everyday life during this time. Yet, it appears there’s still hate around for smartwatches.
A video titled “5 reasons why you should not wear an Apple Watch” appeared in my recommended YouTube videos this week. After watching it, I wanted to address a point that I don’t think applies anymore, and I’m surprised people still think it’s true.
Smartwatches aren’t real watches
Yep, that old chestnut
There are five points raised in the video, but it’s the first one that I find most surprising, as the host talks negatively about the Apple Watch’s (and in turn, smartwatches in general) design and how it poorly compares to owning and wearing a traditional non-smart watch.
This has been a topic of conversation since the very beginning.
I remember attending the now-defunct Baselworld watch show in Switzerland at the start of the smartwatch boom, and every watchmaker trotted out basically the same argument against them as this video’s creator.
Here’s what he says:
First of all, don’t call it a watch. It’s not a watch, it’s a notification wristlet. I have a lot of watches in my collection, and every one has a different character, and most of them have a story to the reason why they were made. But your basic smartwatch is devoid of any design or character.
Tell me a story
Make it a good one
Back when the Apple Watch first arrived, and horrendous-looking smartwatches like the LG G Watch and the original Pebble existed, the argument that smartwatches had poor designs held water.
It was also early days, and tech brands were trying to understand how to build and market wearable tech. But today? I don’t think it does.
I’ll come back to character in a moment, but first I want to talk about the “reason the watch was made” point.
Watches are made to make money. Every brand can tell a story about how the design and watch came about — whether it’s microbrand Brew’s love of classic Italian coffee machines, or Rolex giving divers the Submariner and its unique 100-meter water resistance in 1953 — but very few watchmakers are in it solely for the art.
If we’re going to obsess over brand stories, the Apple Watch has an equally compelling one.
It was the first product launched without any guidance from Steve Jobs, and known horology obsessive Jony Ive was instrumental in its creation, plus its roots could even be traced back to an “Apple Watch” given away for free to buyers of a Macintosh computer in the 90s.
There’s a lot of backstory to the Apple Watch in particular, simply because Apple is brilliant at telling stories about its products, just like Rolex, Omega, and TAG Heuer. The latter is one of the few Swiss makers still investing in smartwatches, and its models are very much an integral part of its range.
Other smartwatches may not have the same rich history as Apple and TAG Heuer, but many craft a story through the use of ambassadors — for example, Sir Mo Farah is a staunch advocate for Huawei’s smartwatches — just like many watch brands do.
What about character?
It’s there when you look
The whole “why it was made” aspect is pure romanticization, which is fine, but if we’re going to look at marketing as a reason we buy a product, it must be applied equally.
Now we come to the character of a watch, and to an extent, I agree with the video, as no smartwatch is ever going to match the character of a mechanical watch.
There is something wonderful about the precise movement of tiny gears and springs, or the almost magical power of a quartz crystal, used to keep accurate time.
But to pass smartwatches off as soulless is as misguided as it is inaccurate.
All Apple Watches now have an always-on screen, as do the vast majority of Android smartwatches, ensuring you never see a black screen.
There are thousands of watch faces to choose from, and if it’s horological importance you’re after, look no further than Apple’s fantastic Snoopy faces. Snoopy has been a watch design feature for decades, and I love how it has been adapted for the Apple Watch.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 has a very clear identity all its own, again inspired by traditional watches, while Withings has taken design inspiration from dive watches for several generations of the ScanWatch.
Many traditional watches are “tool” watches, meaning they’re designed around a specific function.
Smartwatches are also tool watches, and are probably more often used for their functionality than any traditional dive, pilot, or field watch.
We build our own stories with a watch, and embed it with some “character,” simply by wearing it.
Wear what you want
Smart or otherwise
The wider watch world is packed full of gatekeepers, and it’s a frustrating downside to what is otherwise an exciting and rewarding hobby.
Not only should we wear the watch we want (or none at all), but to deliberately put people off wearing a smartwatch will do nothing but keep people out of the hobby.
I know because a decade ago, I didn’t care about regular watches, and smartwatches ignited my interest.
From the original Huawei Watch, the LG G Watch R, and Garmin’s varied Marq series, to the Alpina AlpinerX, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4, and the Apple Watch Series 11, I’ve loved seeing smartwatches go from tech trinket to a full-fledged, desirable product I want to put on my wrist.
Smartwatches sit alongside the traditional watches in my personal collection. Each gets wrist time, depending on my mood, what I’m wearing, where I’m going, or what I’m doing.
Each can bring me joy, serve a specific function, or simply sit on my wrist so I can see the time.
To me, the days of saying smartwatches aren’t real watches, or are somehow lesser than, have long passed, as today, they are true watches just as worthy of meaningful wrist time as any other watch.
8.5/10
- Case size
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40mm/44mm
- Display
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1.3-inch/1.5-inch Super AMOLED
- Display resolution
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438 x 438
- CPU
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Exynos W1000
