Long ago, near the end of the previous century, my dad bought me a present one day. It was a Casio watch with a silver chain strap, and I was ecstatic. I thought I had the best watch in the world. It had a digital display that could not only tell the time but also the date and day, along with many other functions such as a stopwatch, alarm, and a backlight for seeing the time in the dark. The beep sound it made whenever you clicked any button (it had three, by the way) seemed cool as well. Anyway, that was considered a smartwatch some twenty-something years ago. That is, until I saw another kid at school with a far cooler “calculator” watch. Yes, a watch with a calculator pad, right on your wrist.
I often like to talk about how we millennials have witnessed the rapid advancement of technology while growing up. Computers used to be expensive devices back then, and laptops weren’t as versatile and powerful as they are today. So the idea of wearing a computer on your wrist seemed far-fetched and something you’d see in a James Bond movie. Yet here we are. I am typing this on my laptop while wearing another computer on my wrist.
This post just popped into my head as I was scrolling through the menu of my watch. It started me thinking about how technology got to this point. Tech gadgets have always fascinated me, hence this website.
Smartwatches have been around longer than you might expect (no surprises there, as tech gadgets often are). However, we’re talking about accessibility here. Early tech is often not as good and can be ridiculously expensive. But these pioneering gadgets should be given their due credit for paving the way for what we have today. In the case of smartwatches, it was the Seiko Ruputer.
Seiko, a Japanese watch manufacturer, introduced the Ruputer back in 1998. It was a remarkable invention at the time. It might seem a bit primitive when you look at its features now, but imagine wearing one in 1998. My Casio from that time would seem ancient tech compared to it. Anyway, the Ruputer had many issues, including a non-rechargeable battery, bulky dial, and a tiny memory of just 2 MB. Using it was more of a chore than anything else. Perhaps these features were why most of us weren’t flashing our wrists back then.
Fast forward to 2015, when Apple Inc. announced the Apple Watch. This was when the market was truly disrupted. The already massive customer base of the popular tech giant was presented with another device to tie them further into the ecosystem, and they jumped at it. The Apple Watch Series 1 was a massive hit from the start and has now become a regular part of Apple Inc.’s annual model upgrades.
Samsung, Apple Inc.’s biggest competitor, took its sweet time to respond and came out with its own Samsung Galaxy Watch in 2018. Now, pretty much every other smartphone brand has its own wearable product on the market to compete with. The real winners here are us, as we get to choose between these amazing products.
Now, this is the part of the post where I share my opinion regarding this particular technology. Just the other day, I was talking to one of my friends who isn’t into watches at all. He doesn’t even like to wear a wristwatch. He told me he would probably never spend his money on a smartwatch because he doesn’t “need” it. “If I want to check the time, I simply take out my phone, look at my wall clock, or the clock on the screen of the car’s dashboard,” he said to me.
I agreed with his perspective. Smartwatches, or even normal watches, aren’t a necessity in today’s world. They’re conveniences and status symbols (in the case of expensive watches). However, I have gotten so used to this technology that it would probably be hard for me to not spend more money on a smartwatch now. Let me explain.
I started using a smartwatch just less than two years ago. I bought a new Samsung Galaxy Watch 5, and I’ve been using it ever since. I got the small 40 mm dial one, and it’s been a great experience so far. In fact, the watch stays on my wrist pretty much all the time. Its functionality in my day-to-day life is something I never thought I needed.
Let’s see, my smartwatch tells the time. That’s one basic function done. Other than that, it lets me know who’s calling (which is incredibly useful while driving). I can quickly read text messages and reply without having to take my phone out of my pocket. It also keeps track of my footsteps throughout the day, encouraging me to hit my daily target. And it helps with sleep tracking, which is great as ample shut-eye is very important for my functioning the next day.
If you’re fitness enthusiast, the Smartwatch is definitely for you. It has pretty much all the workout circuits built in and can track your heart rate while you hit it. It also measures your BMI and is able to track your calories (you would have to enter that manually of course). And for those who forget to hydrate enough, you Smartwatch will be there to remind you.
Now there are many new models on the market that offer more features that I haven’t tested yet, but I will surely soon. Overall, I’m a big fan of smartwatches, and I’ll be wearing one for at least the foreseeable future. Will it replace traditional, mechanical timepieces? Definitely not. The watch market is stronger than ever and will probably remain so in its own lane. But in my opinion, smartwatches and mechanical watches aren’t comparable at all. Traditional mechanical watches are more limited and are now primarily luxury items. The encrusted jewels and exclusivity drive their sales. Meanwhile, smartwatches are more functional and have pretty much occupied their own market niche.