Jony Ive may be a genius at designing computers, phones and tablets but the guru of Swiss watch design says the Apple Watch looks like it was designed by students and that it’s no different from smartwatches that are already in the market.
Jean-Claude Biver, the big cheese Hublot and Tag Heuer (among others) and the one who has been widely credited to the successful rejuvenation of the Omega brand, says that Apple had made “some fundamental mistakes” designing the Apple Watch as reported by UK’s The Telegraph.
“This watch has no sex appeal. It’s too feminine and looks too much like the smartwatches already on the market,” Biver said in an interview with German daily Die Welt. “To be totally honest, it looks like it was designed by a student in their first trimester,” he added. In addition, Biver says the smartwatch looks “too feminine” and its design will not stand the test of time.
Being able to stand the test of time is an important trait that differentiates a watch from a timepiece: “Luxury always has something timeless, it’s rare and conveys prestige,” Biver said and he doesn’t think that the Apple Watch posses any of these endearing traits.
The Apple Watch marks Apple’s first true new product segment since the iPad was introduced, it is also the first since Steve Jobs died. Retailing for US$349 (about RM1,115), Apple is banking on design as a big pull factor for the Apple Watch, it will be interesting to see if the device will dominate the wearable market in the months to come.
