A gadget that has to be worn
A smartwatch has a design problem that most computers do not. It is worn on the body, in public, for most of the day, and it is seen by other people. It has to be comfortable, small enough to fit under a sleeve, and attractive enough that someone wants to wear it. It also has to hold a screen, sensors, a radio and a battery, all of which push toward bulk. Much of the history of smartwatches is about how designers resolved these conflicts.
The digital watch as style statement
Electronic wristwatches began as expensive novelties. The 1970s models with light emitting diodes were pitched as futuristic and sold as luxury items. As costs fell, digital watches became cheap, and a certain stigma came with them: for some buyers they were seen as lacking the craftsmanship of traditional mechanical watches. The arrival of the quartz watch from Japan and elsewhere put pressure on makers of mechanical timepieces, and the industry went through a difficult period.
Two products in the early 1980s helped to show that electronic watches could be fashionable. The Swatch, introduced in the early 1980s by Swiss makers, was inexpensive, colorful and sold as an accessory; people owned several and changed them with outfits. Casio’s G-Shock, first released in 1983, took a different route, emphasizing toughness, and became a sports and street culture item. Both proved that the watch could be a statement as much as a tool.
This matters for smartwatches because it shows that the market for wrist wear was about identity as well as time. A purely technical gadget would have difficulty in that market.
Gadget first, fashion later
Early smart wrist devices were designed by engineers. Calculator watches and data-storage watches of the 1980s were often thick, with many small buttons and plastic cases. They sold to enthusiasts. The watches with phone or camera functions around 2000 were large and heavy, and many people found them unattractive to wear all day.
The first mainstream connected watches of the early 2010s were more refined, but still clearly gadgets. Square, rubber-banded designs with a plain display were common. A few experiments tried to look more like conventional watches. A round-faced Android watch released in 2014 was admired by many for resembling a traditional watch, though its display had a cut-off area at the bottom and battery life was modest.
Learning from the watch industry
Makers soon recognized that they should borrow from traditional watchmaking. Several features became typical.
- Interchangeable bands. A standard method for swapping straps let owners switch from a sport strap to a leather or metal band, matching the watch to occasion and clothing.
- Case materials and finishes. Aluminum and stainless steel, and later titanium and ceramic, were offered at different price levels. Scratch-resistant glass such as sapphire crystal was used on higher-priced models.
- Watch faces. Because a screen can show anything, faces became a main area of personalization, with digital layouts, analog dials, photos and information panels called complications, a term borrowed from mechanical watches.
- Sizes. Offering at least two case sizes helped the watch fit different wrists.
Apple’s decision in 2014 to present its watch as a fashion product, including a gold edition and a partnership with a French luxury house, was widely discussed. The gold edition was later dropped, which suggests that the luxury approach did not work as well as hoped for a device that would be outdated within a few years. Traditional watch companies also released their own hybrid or connected models, some of which added limited smart features to a mechanical or quartz watch.
Fitness changed the look
Fitness tracking pushed designs in another direction. Wrist-worn trackers counted steps and monitored heart rate, and sports-oriented watches added satellite positioning from GPS receivers. These tended to be sportier, with durable cases and bright screens that could be read outdoors. Slim bands without screens were also made for people who wanted tracking without a conspicuous device.
The overlap between health and fashion created a new market, where the same device might go from a gym session to an office meeting. Water resistance, battery life of days instead of hours and easy cleaning of straps became practical selling points.
Persistent trade-offs
Some tensions have not gone away.
- A larger screen is easier to read but looks heavy on a small wrist.
- A bigger battery lasts longer but makes the case thicker.
- Always-on displays are convenient but use power.
- Technology becomes outdated faster than a classic watch, so a smartwatch rarely becomes an heirloom in the way a mechanical watch can.
Designers also have to consider what happens when the software is no longer supported: a watch that stops working becomes just a bracelet.
Where it stands
Smartwatches have moved from a niche to a common product, but they are still more a companion to a phone than a replacement. Their appearance now borrows heavily from conventional wrist watches, while their function continues to expand. The long running theme is that people are willing to wear technology only if it also looks like something they would choose to put on.