Holiday Repeat: The Watch-o-Matic!

The Watch-o-Matic!

It slices, it dices, it's the last watch you'll ever buy!

The difference between Ron Popeil and some watch executives might be only a passport ; )

For those of you unfamiliar, Ron Popeil is the man behind Ronco -

Courtesy of the world-wide info-web

Now I want to start this out by saying that I actually have the highest respect for Mr. Popeil as both an inventor of stuff we really didn't want or need, and more importantly, convincing us that we couldn't possibly live without it.  The man could sell.

Steve Jobs had his Reality Distortion Field, per Wikipedia:

this was said to be Steve Jobs's ability to convince himself and others to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, bravado, hyperbole, marketing, appeasement and persistence. RDF was said to distort an audience's sense of proportion and scales of difficulties and made them believe that the task at hand was possible. Jobs could also use the RDF to appropriate other's ideas as his own, sometimes proposing an idea to its originator after dismissing it the week before.^[3]

Does this sound like some people we know?

What sort of got me caught up in this theme yesterday and today was reflecting on the "miracle" of Tag Heuer's Connected watch and the Reality Distortion Field that was spun around it.  After first poo-pooing the Apple Watch, Mr. Popeil's possible "brother from another mother" announced that, in fact, smart or connected watches were, in fact, GOOD!  Not only that, his brand would be offering one!  

As I've said before, the idea of a connected watch is not in and of itself not so crazy.  But it is a question of how many features can you actually use (really use) in a smart watch?  

For better or worse, there are only so many features you can put into a wrist bound Tamagotchi -

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide info-net

How many features, realistically, are worth having in a connected watch?

The Apple watch has proven itself to be a bit of a unique outlier.  Yes, it offers a ton of different features that may, or may not work well in a wrist-bound environment.  But this is not what really drives the sales of the Apple watch.  What drives the sales of the Apple watch is Apple itself.  It is a strong aphrodisiac.  It is why many people, including me, will spend MORE for an iPhone, Mac or iPad than those in the Windows tribe.  I have tried an Apple watch, and it was not quite the revelatory experience for me that it clearly has been for others.  And I LOVE Apple stuff.  But for me it was just too much.

As an experiment I tried a Withings watch and found it to be too far in the other direction - it was supposed to give time, a wake up alarm and a step counter.  The alarm did not work as advertised, the step counter did not count correctly.  It was a disappointment. 

And then we have the watch world's two notable entries - Tag Heuer's connected watch, and the offering from Frederique Constant / Alpina / Mondaine.  While the Tag Heuer offering provides all of the promise of the Apple watch, it is significantly more expensive.  And apart from the big displays at BaselWorld, I have never seen a Tag Heuer connected watch "in the wild", despite the exclamations of large sales numbers.  And the same could be said for the FC/Alpina/Mondaine offerings in terms of actual visibility.  

More than anything, regardless of what technology firm they partner with, the watch brands are now competing in a different arena.  And it is one with a lot more price sensitivity, and a requirement to evolve and innovate at a much faster pace than they are used to.  So it becomes, and will continue to be, a never ending game of catch-up.

The brands that keep the functionality actually functional have the best opportunity to grab market share.  BUT, and it is a big but, they have to put the price of the watch at a level that the market will bear.  What the Fit Bit boom underscored is that there are functional aspects that people want and will pay for.  But when we delve into just how many features they want on their wrist and just how much they will pay for it?  Well that becomes a different matter.

This is another case of less having the potential for being more.  Find four or five functions, stick with them, and make them perform perfectly.  But in addition, produce and sell it at a price point that the market will bear.  This is the other thing that Apple figured out that everyone else is still struggling with.

So we shall wait, and we shall see.

Gooseberry Wants To Make Your Watch Smart!

With their new Smart Buckle.

Courtesy of Gooseberry

Having tried a few smart or connected watches, I generally return to my favorite mechanical (or in the case of the Gavox Aurora, even quartz) watches before too long.  More often than not, I tend to come to the same compromise - connected watch on my right wrist, preferred "real" watch on my left.  The connected watches thus far have failed to live up to both the hype, and then the adjusted expectation level.  In some instances the functions do not work as promised, in others the watch breaks down quite shortly after purchase, becoming a somewhat frustratingly expensive paper weight.  The frustration level for the customer I suspect only increases when it seems that the brand is more intent on spending money on brand ambassadors and events and not worry too much about after sales support.  Because if we're honest, if it doesn't work as advertised, as the customer you are more apt to abandon the whole idea and stop wearing the now apparently "not-so-smart" watch.


MMT offered up the E-Strap this past year, but if I am being completely honest, it is still a limiting solution as it requires you to purchase the entire strap.  So this begs the question, what do you do when the strap is worn out, or if you would prefer to switch straps?  More to the point (and I will gladly accept being corrected if I have gotten the wrong end of the stick) my understanding is that the MMT Smart Strap is strictly a "B to B" solution, meaning that as a consumer, you can't go out and buy one for yourself.  You buy it from the watch brand as an OEM item.  Which means, you guessed it, you're going to be dipping pretty deeply into your pocket for it, and as it is an OEM item, it is going to be as challenging as getting any other OEM item in the post sales environment.  Meaning you will wait months, and frequently not be able to get it in a reasonable amount of time, and it is going to be expensive.

So let's get down to brass tacks -

Courtesy of Gooseberry

As a reminder, this solution as proposed is a buckle with the smart technology component built into it.

Courtesy of Gooseberry

It offers what is pretty much the expected level of features currently found in the majority of connected watches -

Courtesy of Gooseberry

My understanding is that additional features will be forthcoming as they are created and stabilized to ensure their functionality, so I will be curious to see how this develops over time.

Courtesy of Gooseberry

The buckle itself is rechargeable and is reported to last on average 7 days presuming a usage level of 8 to 10 hours.   The good news?  Only 60 minutes (1 hour) to recharge.

You can order the new Smart Buckle through Gooseberry's Kickstarter and save a good margin on the $99 US retail price point.

I have not personally used one, but I can say that if it does perform as advertised, it could be a very interesting step in the evolution of the connected watch.  

I will keep you posted - stay tuned!

A "Smart Watch" that Might Actually be Smart

I have been sitting on the sidelines of the great connected / smart watch debate over the past several months.  Apple continues to set the pace in terms of sales, and continues to befuddle and further confuse the deluded thinking of the brain trust over at Tag Heuer.  Sorry, I am not buying the sales figures being reported.  When I finally see one "in the wild" I will be a lot more likely to believe it.
Moreover, the Apple watch costs a hell of a lot less.  It is, however, essentially an iPhone strapped to the wrist.  Too much information for many of us, and like an iPhone is more of an "of the moment" thing.

For me personally, I am still a fan of the connected watch being offered by Frederique Constant & Alpina.  Many argue that it is, essentially, a Fitbit bundled into a watch, but it does provide some basic functionality that makes sense for the majority of us.  I have not personally tried one out, but I have heard from many that it is quite good, but perhaps a bit ambitiously priced, at north of $1,000 US.  And I would, regrettably agree.  I do feel it is a bit more expensive than it should be.

But there is something out there, not yet released, that might be offering a more personal solution for the person who will actually be wearing a smart / connected watch.

Courtesy of Kronaby

A few weeks back, a Swedish technology company known as Anima sent round a brief press release and some images.  They are clearly playing their cards close to the vest, but what can be gleaned from the pictures is that it is a traditional looking watch.

The watch line has been named Kronaby.  It will be officially launched in late January of 2017 -

or as the count down clock on the Kronaby site informs as of 9:30 this morning:

123 Days

19 Hours

30 Minutes

Courtesy of Kronaby

Okay, other smart watches have nice, classic design.  So what's the big deal?  What will make Kronaby special?

Well, I can only go on what is in the release, but it was the statement by co-founder Saran's Kalogeropulos that stood out.  Now although he does use the dreaded "T Word" (Timepiece), it is the very last sentence that has piqued my curiosity.  

Courtesy of Kronaby

“We have created a timepiece that honours our love for classic watches,” says Sarandis Kalogeropulos. “ A simply beautiful timepiece on the outside, with high-quality materials, a classic dial and hands. On the inside, however, nothing is typical about it. We have developed a new and unique movement, that coupled with the app, can be tailored to individual needs,” says Sarandis Kalogeropulos. 

And that last sentence again:

We have developed a new and unique movement, that coupled with the app, can be tailored to individual needs

Okay, you've got my attention!  We have just under 124 days to go, but this could actually be the first "smart watch" that is actually smart.  

Stay tuned!