Smartwatches are a reality in today's market, and they will still play a bigger role next year. However, they will not be the same as smartphones, there is a really noticeable difference, especially in what has to do with the design. Should smart watches keep their design forever, like traditional watches?
Mobile phones at the time were totally new devices, whose function was to call by phone. They have been changing design since the first one was launched, and additional functions have been added over the years until they reach smartphones. However, the same does not happen in the case of smart watches, based on conventional watches. And the thing is, watches have become a fashion accessory, which varies in style and design depending on the personality and tastes of the person who wears it. This has made many conventional watches have become unique pieces, true icons. Some models have been in the making for dozens of years, and although they are slightly modified, they continue to be released year after year. We have examples in the classics Swatch, or Mondaine, but also in some high-end ones like the Hamilton Ventura, which will even be remembered for appearing in television movies. Nobody considers that manufacturers stop releasing their most popular watches. Should they do the same with smart watches?
Among the guidelines of good design by Dieter Rams there is one that draws especially attention, and that we can find in Wikipedia:
Has an anachronistic value - All fashion is inherently fleeting and subjective. Correct execution of good design results in inherently objective and anachronistically useful products. These qualities are reflected when users tend to treasure and favor well-designed products even in those societies whose consumer trends clearly favor disposable products.
It is based on the fact that something that is a fad will pass and be in the past, while good design should never happen, but users should want to keep such products. It happens with a watch, and it happens with a fountain pen, users tend to keep it as a precious commodity. And the same should happen with good design. Users should tend to stick with what is well designed.
Something similar can happen in the world of smartphones and smart watches. It is true that we will have to add functions and components and launch a Motorola Moto 720 or an Apple Watch 2, but should they change the design? If a really good design has been achieved, users should want to preserve the look of that watch, just as they would with a conventional watch. The change to a superior watch does not have to entail the change of the design of said watch, it could only affect the change of the components, for example. Or if you need a larger screen, it could be larger, but still look similar. What's more, even if other versions with other designs were launched, why not keep the original design with the new components and thus launch different versions? Of course, fewer units of each particular watch would be sold, and two versions would have to be manufactured, which would make the price of each version more expensive. But aren't they watches after all? Perhaps this is what they have to do to compete with traditional watches.
Brands such as Tag Heuer, or Swatch, seem ready to launch their smart watches on the market next year 2015. It seems strange that these companies choose to launch different watches than what they already have, or to launch a different watch every year. Which companies will dominate the smartwatch market, those that dominate the watch market, or those that dominate the smart device market? We will only know that next year. Although we do want to stay with a reflection. If four years from now you had to buy a smartwatch with the design of one of this year's smartwatches, and added functions, what would it be? The answer to that question reveals which company is currently designing the best. Do not forget to give your opinion in the comments.
If your answer is the Motorola Moto 360Take a look at this article in which we talk about when you can buy in Spain.
