4 years on and the watch faces still suck.

[BittenApple]

LOL talk about first world problems. I suggest you sell your Apple Watch and let your soul get some rest.

 

[ericewing]

Back in the early 2000s I worked on the design team behind the short lived Microsoft SPOT watch. It was ahead of its time by a decade. But it got some things kinda right, mainly due to the mandate from the design directors that the watch and its faces have maximum “glanceability” as much as possible.

The SPOT watch may not be getting a lot of love here, but, man, I sure have fond memories of mine! Yes, I suppose 15+ years after their release they look antiquated and quaint now, but back in 2004 these devices felt like the future (and, ultimately, they weren't too far off). I mean, a wearable that would set the time for you on a custom watch face, deliver weather and news, let you read email or get calendar reminders...all over an FM radio wireless connection? WOW! It was almost like having a Palm Pilot on your wrist (which, by the way, Palm actually tried -- and it included a built-in stylus!), and was revolutionary at the time. Nobody else was doing it...probably because it was WAY too early to be doing it, but it was a great peek at how wonderful the technology would become.

I proudly owned and wore several of these watches over the few short years they were available -- the Fossil/Abacus and Tissot models specifically. And, I'll be honest, I still love the Dick Tracy-style SPOT watch Fossil released:

Now, these things don't even begin to compare to today's smart watches in functionality or design, and I don't miss paying a yearly subscription fee to make my watch work. Still, I shed a tear when Microsoft shut down the service that made these watches tick...these were one of my favorite little products ever!

For those who have never seen it, you can check one out in action -- including some shots of available watch faces -- in this old video review from CNET:

Abacus Smart Watch 2006 - Video

Microsoft and Fossil have significantly improved their next-generation Abacus Smart Watch series, but it's still unclear whether the service's features can attract a broad audience.

www.cnet.com

 

[nickdalzell1]

If there are going to be some new faces, I suggest the Woz face--the Nixie tube style face from his fancy watch.

Before Fitbit killed off Pebble, there was a Dick Tracy face available like that one on your post ^^

I'm in awe that this was being done in the '70s:

And this in the '80s: