I'm digging these partnerships. I won't be surprised if we see a Louis Vuitton or Chanel Watch next.
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Hermés Apple Watch is specially engraved
- Thread starter Rogifan
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I wouldn't count on it, for the simple reason that the watch case has "HERMES" engraved and its own watch face so they're designed to go together, much like the Edition.
Pretty sure not at release, and maybe never separately at all from Hermes/Apple.
But there will always be eBay/Craigslist.
But you never know. People said Apple would never sell the Black Link Bracelet separately. But here it is.
That's different. People said that because it was the only Space Black model at the time so who's going to buy it for their standard SS? However, I and others predicted they'd eventually expand it once they did some real-world testing of the DLC coating. It now makes sense to release it separately as there's more than one model.
The equivalent would be Apple never selling the Edition bands separately.
If only it was possible to download the Hermes watch face. It's pretty much a package deal.
Totally agree. I don't know why Apple can't release more elegantly designed stock watch faces.
They can, but I'm guessing they're decided to leave that for special edition watches like the AW Hermes.
So you love skuemorphic watch faces that emulate famous brand luxury watches? I guess it's OK as long as they aren't round then, and made by someone other than Apple?
However you personally see this, the fact remains it's a skuemorphic representation of a mechanical watch face intended to mimic a signature watch of an important brand -- complete with a prominently displayed Hermes logo on the face. Apple designed the Watch, not Hermes. The only thing Hermes did here is design a band to attach to Apple's lugs, they didn't even design the watch face! And yet they put their name all over it. In some respects this is far worse then the path taken by the round Huawei, Samsung, and Android watches you despise. There's really no difference between what they did and what Apple is doing now with Hermes. But then Apple did it so that makes it OK now, huh?
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Well, the Hermes face appears to be the only elegantly designed face for the AW, at least for the time being. I suppose Apple is milking them until they're obsolete, at which point they'll have to come up with their own elegant watch faces. It's just a matter of time.
So you love skuemorphic watch faces that emulate famous brand luxury watches? I guess it's OK as long as they aren't round then, and made by someone other than Apple?
However you personally see this, the fact remains it's a skuemorphic representation of a mechanical watch face intended to mimic a signature watch of an important brand -- complete with a prominently displayed Hermes logo on the face. Apple designed the Watch, not Hermes. The only thing Hermes did here is design a band to attach to Apple's lugs, they didn't even design the watch face! And yet they put their name all over it. In some respects this is far worse then the path taken by the round Huawei, Samsung, and Android watches you despise. There's really no difference between what they did and what Apple is doing now with Hermes. But then Apple did it so that makes it OK now, huh?
Skuemorphic or not, the difference is that Apple is still the only smart watch with a beautifully designed case. All of the others, including the more recent Hauwei and Moto, look like cheap watch cases from a $100 department store watch.
If round, elegant smart watches is what some desire, they'll need to wait until some of the Swiss companies jump in, because they know how to proportion lugs, cases, bezels, etc. with a quality build. Tag Heuer looks like it'll be the first, so we'll see how that goes.
Personally, I love the retro-future vibe of the Apple Watch, and I tend to use the non-analog looking faces much of the time.
People would pay extra for it because of the name "Hermès". That's simply how it is in the luxury fashion market.
It's not skuemorphic.
They (likely Apple in partnership with Hermes) took a flat design on a traditional watch and created a similar one on a digital watch face.
You should see all the threads and controversy about homage watches on watch forums... the fact that Apple respected and worked with Hermes is, in and of itself, and huge difference compared to what Huawei did.
Round watches could look good (but looking at info would always be compromised due to the face that any digital displays are rectangular), but you'd need to go with flat designs. The homage watch faces on the Huawei watch use designs where 3D-ness and how the light reflects off of different surfaces really bring the watch to life. And that looks tacky on flat digital faces of the current crop of smartwatches.
The Samsung Gear S2 actually does better in this regard. With the exception of one design that I can see on the page (with the fake lume in the minute and hour hands), they're all flat designs. No drop shadows under the hands (or at least not much). These make sense for digital displays. Not quite my style, but much more attractive.
Split hairs all you want. The intent is the same, whether it's 100% skuemorphic or 30% skuemorphic. I don't have a problem with it, but let's not be disingenuous about what it is. It's blatant luxury fashion branding on a watch that has absolutely NOTHING to do with Hermes.
What happens when a customer goes out for a casual afternoon, and swaps the Hermes band for the (PRODUCT) Red band, and switch to the tapping Mickey face for fun? Is it still a Hermes watch? Because the back of the watch is now engraved Hermes -- so really just where is the Hermes contribution to that watch. The only thing about the watch that is attributable to Hermes, are some really unattractive watch bands that merely attache to Apple's lugs, and a pseudo-skuemorphic watch face that screams "Hermes" in a not so subtle way, along with "Paris", despite the fact Apple proudly makes a point that they designed the watch face in California.
The whole thing is ridiculous, and gaudy. And while I'm all for Apple investing in these partnerships to move more watches, let's not kid ourselves that this is somehow better than the marketing Huawei and others are up to, whether you personally dislike their offerings or not. Taste and style are not in question here.
Hermes's logo is large and prominent on the watch face... brands guard their designs, and especially logos, vigorously.
Plus they also created the bands and likely the packaging to fit Hermes' packaging design.
It then transforms to a regular Apple Watch.
Customer goes home, swap out the straps and switches back the watch face, and it becomes an AW Hermes.
Well, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
Tastes and styles are in question. Apple's approach is more tasteful than Huawei's homage approach on many levels, from actual design of the watches to business practice (of using other brand's watch faces/designs without permission).
Like it or not, that's the luxury and market. Have you seen Hermes' other leather goods, like their leather wrist bands? The high fashion and luxury market is insular, and I'm sure we'll see other collaborations down the road, but Apple is the only company currently building a smartwatch with a design these companies can get behind, by a couple of designers (Ive and Newson) who are famous in the industry. Do you really think that a fashion company of the highest order, like Hermes, is going to get behind a mediocre case design by Hauwei? That's like Coach agreeing do the interior for a special edition Kia.
Hermes didn't even design that watch face ... Apple did -- in California NOT Paris.
When transformed into an Watch it still says Hermes stamped into the case.
Do you know for a fact that Huawei is using other brands watch faces or designs without their permission?
I'm not arguing your taste here, as taste is subjective. For instance, I would never wear this watch, and I think it's horrific combined with Apple's tasteful minimalist design. It does no favors for Apple, other than propel them into the realm of luxury branding that Huawei and others are already offering as an option, without the inclusion of an actual brand that has little to do with the design of the watch or the face.
Apple never claimed otherwise, as they did say it's "an Hermès watch face reinterpreted by Apple designers in California." It's still the only elegantly designed face they have for the AW.
Yeah, I'm blown away that people aren't used to seeing these kinds of designer collaborations. It's pretty common.
Again, respectfully, that's not the issue. I'm thrilled Apple is doing it, and expected them to do this from the beginning. Anybody who paid attention to Apple's rhetoric and marketing efforts could easily see that they were positioning this watch as luxury fashion statement. But why is the person wearing the watch and using that watch face then? Because it says Hermes. It's disingenuous at best from that perspective and absolutely no different than what the round watch makers have been doing, whether you happen to like their efforts or not. In fact it's worse because they are essentially trading on a brand that has nothing to do with the watch beyond attaching a leather strap. At least the Huawei's and others are not trying to pass off their watches as something they are not, while offering their customers freedom of choice for a device they are going to wear.