Perhaps the biggest story of the wrist watch world in 2015 has been the Apple Watch. There was huge anticipation for the release of the watch and the expectation was that 2015 would be the year that smartwatches finally took over.
Unfortunately, so far the predictions do seem a little wide of the mark and it seems that the smartwatch revolution isn’t quite here just yet. But it has brought smartwatches away from the sidelines where they were worn by the geeky early adopters directly into the mainstream.
Fossil and Casio are two watch manufacturers who have already announced a smartwatch. But Swiss watch manufacturers are getting in on the act, too. Mondaine headed the Swiss Horological Smartwatch team when they released the Helvetica No 1 Smart. Excitingly, TAG Hauer are also due to release their smartwatch collaboration with Google this November,
But even with all of this competition, much of the excitement is still about what Apple are going to do next.
Apple & Hermès
Apple have always enjoyed a reputation as a luxury brand, which makes a collaboration with Hermès very exciting. Hermès are also incredibly well known as a luxury brand with a storied history dating all the way back to 1837. During the history of the brand they have employed respected designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and they have even designed clothes for British Royal Family.
Today Hermès is very highly respected in the fashion world and they have a number of boutiques all around the world. Whether you’re in the Asia, Europe or America you’ll never be all that far from a Hermès store. And, if you know your fashion, it’s likely that you’ll know exactly where your nearest one is!
According to Wikipedia: “Hermès has 14 product divisions encompassing leather, scarves, ties, men’s wear, women’s fashion, perfume, watches, stationery, footwear, gloves, enamel, decorative arts, tableware, and jewelry.”
So it isn’t really much of a surprise that Hermès and Apple have worked together to bring the Apple Hermès watch to the market. Apple have said that want to turn the Apple Watch into a more stylish and fashionable product.
Apple Hermes Watch
The new Apple Hermes Watch is practically the same in terms of hardware as the original Apple Watch. The main difference is that the watch is placed on a luxurious leather strap – oh, and the Hermès branding on the back of the watch.
There are three different variations of the watch:
The Single Tour ($1100) is classic buckle version of the watch. It comes in a 42mm version and 38mm version. The 42mm version is available in Noir (Black) and Fauvre (Brown), while the 38mm version comes in Fauvre (Brown), Noir (Black), and Capucine (red).
The Double Tour ($1250) is a classic buckle made long enough to wrap around your wrist twice. This version is available in Fauve (brown), Etain (gray), Capucine (red), and Bleu Jean (blue).
The Cuff ($1500) is a wide leather strap which looks like, well, a shirt cuff. This version is available in Fauve (brown).
The Apple Watch has yet to cause the damage to the Swiss watch industry that many thought it would do. But I’m sure Swiss firms will be keeping an eye on the Apple Hermès Watch closely as a link up with such a prestigious luxury brand could introduce smartwatches into an entirely new market.
Images: I. Kwanyatsw, Adam Rifkin
