If you want a watch that will look more fun, cheap, and like a Mickey Mouse timepiece than a refined investment in craftsmanship and tastefulness, then the recently released Apple Watch 2015 may well pull at your electronic heart strings.
But for something more fairytale I'd say look no further than Patek Philippe, who have an exhibition from 27 May to 7 June 2015 at the Saatchi Gallery, to celebrate their 175th year.
In fact, the cocktail of digital wearables ticking away for inches of your wristspace is mind-boggling and potentially distracting: like the Pebble watch - now with colour e-ink display to join it's older monochrome sibling - is a long standing title-contender yet rapidly fading from the buying consumer conscience; then there's the flood of Android Wear devices (though the Huawei Watch looks pleasantly refined many leave a bitter aftertaste of a poorly mixed software-hardware experience); then throw in activity bands such as the Fitbit Flex and Basis Peak monitoring your perpetuation to physical perfection, the non-iWatch Apple Watch with its gimmicky heartbeat 'care-bear-stare-style' share feature, plus a plethora of little known Asian manufacturers flavouring the low end side of the market.. It becomes clear the list of watch concoctions in the wearable techosphere may be hard to swallow.
However, the issue with smart watches today is that they bastardise a long held essential finesse that's made automatic, mechanical and even quartz watches so attractive - power. To be more precise, long lasting power that's available untethered for years.
That's right, my main gripe with the Apple Watch isn't its audacious price range nor that millions of consumers suddenly feel that a watch is hip to be square because Apple made it. No. Taken for granted with traditional watches, it's a sore point with digital ones: I don't want to charge my watch... at all. Let alone on the daily. It's bad enough lugging that burden with my phone.
(Mention concept watch with transparent digital screen)
Chrome bezel reminiscent of iPhone 2g.
