The Fight for Your Wrist - Fashion & Culture Perspective

Consumers today are increasingly tech savvy and design conscious. Apple, which has been immensely successful in recent years, attributes their success to a winning combination of hardware, software and design. In the same vein, and perhaps arguably more so considering that a watch is really more of a fashion accessory these days, a smart watch with all the right functions and capabilities alone is not going to do well if it lacks a compelling and attractive design.

Admittedly, design is subjective topic, but we think its fair to say that current smart watch designs are still rather unattractive and seems to be more suitable for men rather than women. The Pebble with its polycarbonate case makes it look a bit like a toy. On the other hand, Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, though well-built, is too chunky for most ladies to wear.

On the Samsung Galaxy Gear, Om Malik, a partner at venture capitalists True Ventures and founder of tech website GigaOm, said that it was not impressive enough to replace his beloved watch. “Nope. It isn’t impressive enough to replace my Nomos Orion”, he said. “That Bauhaus dial design has a sense of serenity and a balance that is hard to match.”

Fortunately, there is progress being made in this area. The new Pebble Steel with its steel case and bracelet is more stylish looking and in keeping with the look that is expected of a high-tech gadget, whereas Samsung’s follow up to the Galaxy Gear - the Gear 2 - is slimmer and less chunky.

However it seems that it is Motorola’s eagerly anticipated Moto 360 smart watch that seems to have hit the nail on the head. Motorola design chief Jim Wicks said: “We came to the realization that if we’re going to do this, we need to really embrace what this space is all about.” With that, they set back emulating the design cues of the classic dress watch that has adorned the wrists of men and women for decades. Judging from the early photos that we have seen, it seems like the Motorola has a winner on their hands - in terms of design, at least.

”IT SEEMS LIKE THE MOTOROLA HAS A WINNER ON THEIR HANDS - IN TERMS OF DESIGN, AT LEAST.”