In the Race to Match the Apple Watch, Fashion Is At the Forefront
Photo of the LG Urbane Luxe via the Wall Street Journal
Despite the lack of concrete numbers as to how well or how poorly the Apple Watch has sold since its much-hyped launch this spring, competitors have spared no time in developing their own smartwatch models. And the latest announcements regarding new product releases suggest that form is being emphasized just as much as function.
The Wall Street Journal has an early look at two upcoming smartwatch releases, each of which place priority on aesthetics as much as technology. South Korea’s LG is taking a luxury approach: their LG Watch Urbane Luxe uses 23-carat gold with an alligator strap, for a high-end update on their Urbane model. The watch also has the physical heft of a luxury timepiece, but will retail for only $1,200, a far cry from the most expensive Apple Watch models, which can cost a whopping $17,000.
Sony’s attempt at a fashion-forward smartwatch, the Wena, mimics traditional luxury watches with an analog face, a feature that was made possible by placing the hardware in the wristband. Wena, which the WSJ says stands for “wear electronics naturally,” was created in collaboration with Citizen Watch Co. in part to address the concern that existing smartwatches don’t quite have a place in more buttoned-up business settings.
This renewed focus on design could quell the common criticism that wearables aren’t in fact very wearable. Speaking at FTF: Conference earlier this summer, Stephane Marceau of OmSignal noted, “The first layer of the value proposition has to do with fashion. If you put something on your body, it’s about fashion.”
In other words, it needs to look good even when the battery runs out.
