The traditional watch market is a multi-billion industry that includes more than its fair share of elegant watches that can be considered fashion accessories or pieces of jewelry rather than utilitarian time-telling devices. The budding smartwatch market falls into the latter utilitarian category rather than the former, something that is likely impeding faster adoption. What if there was a smartwatch out there that offered both the functionality of a smartwatch and the aesthetic of a traditional watch? That’s the concept that Gábor Balogh came up with.
While running over the various smartwatch concepts I thought, I would not wear them. Why? I appreciate the huge collection of wristwatch styles and the fine craftmanship behind. I would miss the experience of wearing one on my wrist and watch videos or popping up notifications on a black plastic band instead. Yes, I was born in the past century, smile.
These thoughts led me to lay down my concept:
- Keeping the traditional values and quality
- Having carefully selected functions
- Easy pairing with a smartphone
- Smudge-free handling
Balogh started with a real watch, the Triwa Havana. The watch’s physical design remains almost unchanged but the watch face has been completely overhauled to suit the added functionality that a smartwatch can offer. It comes with a number of built-in functions that can be controlled using the crown and buttons on the side. It can also pair with a smartphone to offer additional functionality such as notifications, navigation assistance and more. These can be controlled using the bezel which can rotate and is clickable.
As you can see from the images, the interface itself lends itself to the style of the watch. “In this concept the UI does not have a predefined style,” Balogh told The Verge, “but it would match the housing. Only the navigational patterns have to be taken into consideration.”
As is often the case with concepts, a number of technological hurdles, including a circular display, would need to be overcome.
While the styling of current smartwatches has left me underwhelmed, I’ve got to say that I would be all over this design. Hopefully watch makers have seen this concept!
Sources : Behance.net // The Verge