IWC, also known as International Watch Co., is a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer. While it manufactured the first ever digital watch back in 1885, it has since stuck to traditional watches and has yet to jump into the smartwatch market. That did not stop Australia’s Edmond Lau from imagining what such a device could look like.
How can we merge the technological advancements and opportunities offered to us by the advent of computerised accessories with the timeless traditional values of craftsmanship and refinement found within the existing fashion and luxury industries? In this project, I set out to explore this intersection in relation to luxury timepieces and discover how a smartwatch might be interpreted by IWC Schaffhausen, a house of haute horlogerie.
Lau describes his IWC Schaffhausen Smartwatch as “the watch of the future.” Unlike many smartwatches, it does not rely on vibration or flashing lights or sounds for notifications. Instead, it will simply display messages on the display about missed calls, unread messages and remaining battery levels. The fully digital display can also act as a media player or to show directions in navigation mode.
The IWC Schaffhausen Smartwatch concept is interesting in that the smartwatches we have seen so far from the Swiss manufacturers have retained the traditional analog display and incorporated digital elements rather than employing a fully digital display.
There is no word on details such as the case size or materials.
It remains to be seen if or when IWC will announce its first smartwatch. If it does, will it take a few design cues from this concept?
Source : Behance