The technology company stretches the boundaries of what a wristwatch can be.
By: Logan R. Baker
In the broad world of Haute Horlogerie, most enthusiasts meet smartwatches with a hearty scoff and a quick roll of the eyes before glancing down to their wrist to ensure the superiority of what they’re wearing.
To a certain set of collectors, mechanical watches will always be far more impressive than smartwatches. The watch industry (including this magazine) is dedicated to the art and science of mechanical watchmaking, and thus will always be in favor of the dignity that comes from wearing an elegant dress watch or the thrill of exploring the details of a new movement.
But a smartwatch is fulfilling the same developmental desire that the wristwatch originally accomplished for the pocket watch. Smartwatches, whether the Apple Watch, the TAG Heuer Connected, or the new Frederique Constant Horological Smartwatch, are all more similar to the smartphone than they are a traditional wristwatch. What these technological marvels are accomplishing is taking the information out of our pockets and placing it onto our wrists. So before scoffing at your neighbor’s Apple Watch, think back to Breguet himself, and of the risk he was taking upon developing the world’s first wristwatch for the Queen of Naples. What Tim Cook, Jony Ive, and the rest of Apple’s Cupertino headquarters have accomplished with the original Apple Watch and the recently released Apple Watch Series 2 is an impressive feat that not only looks good on the wrist but also has a plethora of “complications”—Apple has studied its watch parlance—that end up being extremely helpful in day-to-day life.
I have heard the descriptions of the Apple Watch as an oversized Fitbit, but I don’t think that’s fair. While the fitness apps and abilities are definitely a highlight among the complications, this is nowhere near the breadth of what the Apple Watch Series 2 has to offer.
The Series 2 improves upon the somewhat shaky groundwork that the Series 1 laid out. Where the first edition was only “splash proof,” the second edition is waterproof to 50 meters. Where the Series 1 could only access GPS while the connected smartphone was running, the Series 2 has its own GPS and GLONASS processor.
The number of apps has grown in number and improved as well. You can now order food from Seamless, track your Uber in real time, have your golf swing analyzed, and answer phone calls and texts without having to use either hand. These are all nifty innovations that will help streamline your quotidian life. One of the most valuable features of the watch is the ability to screen texts and emails and decide what is worthy of responding to instantly and what can wait until later. It’s the small things, like being able to leave your iPhone behind while going on a run or dashing to a lunch meeting, that make the Apple Watch a viable and useful option.
Compared to the first edition, the Series 2 is a similar size and feels just slightly bulkier, coming in at .09 mm thicker and 4.2 grams heavier. However, it does not feel oversized on the wrist and shouldn’t be much of a change if your wrist is already familiar with the feel of the first Apple Watch.
Personally, my favorite feature of the Apple Watch experience was the Milanese bracelet, which costs a little extra cash ($149). I can honestly say it is one of most comfortable bracelets I have ever strapped on. It perfectly wraps around your wrist with the magnetic latch and never feels too tight, but also doesn’t slip and slide around.
I wore the Apple Watch Series 2 for close to three months, off and on. During the holidays I definitely felt the benefits of a smartwatch, as I could toggle my email and text notifications instead of staying glued to my phone around family. However, I found myself missing the feel of a mechanical watch ticking on my wrist so I consistently made the effort to not wear my Apple Watch more than three days in a row. For those that love mechanical watches but find themselves tempted to dive into the smartwatch realm, I would recommend a diverse diet of what you keep on your wrist. There’s no real reason to abstain from the smartwatch movement, but with so many great mechanical timepieces available there is also no reason to limit yourself to one or the other.
With the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 2, and the subsequent Watch OS 3.1, Apple has created a device that fully takes advantage of the technology giant’s latest capabilities. With an enhanced battery, and greater diversity in apps, it shows what a smartphone, and a watch, can be.