I love my Pebble Time Steel smartwatch, and not for why you’d think
Why should I even bother buying a smartwatch, anyway?
With the new announcements of Pebble 2, Pebble Time 2, and Core I thought it only appropriate to write about why the Pebble Time Steel has become the primary piece of metal snugly wrapped around my left wrist. I really look forward to Pebble Time 2 in particular, though because of similarities with my Pebble Time Steel I’ll probably give it a miss.
I feel like the reason smartwatches haven’t taken off is because people don’t buy them with the same logic as they would a normal watch. Unlike a pair of shoes or your wallet where it fits into a a sense of style, people evaluate performance and functionality first. These are important for any big purchase, but also incredibly boring. Pebble CEO, Eric Migicovsky, seems to indicate people buy smartwatches for either the smart functions (communication, notifications, email), or for fitness functions. I didn’t buy mine for either of those.
I’ve always been a bit of a watch fiend, but my generation are wearing fewer every day as people glance at their phones for digits. But I don’t actually wear my watch to tell the time. Watches are what I believe to be an underrated fashion item (especially for men) that can be used to tell the time. That doesn’t mean I’ll go out and buy a Rolex, but if there’s a way I can change things up from boring suits every day I’ll clasp the opportunity.
I got my first real watch as a present for finishing my GCSE exams. It was a duty-free Armani AR-0148, one of the more affordable watches from the designer. I very much appreciated the gift, and I still wear it occasionally. Back then I did actually use my watch to tell the time, and it was very good at doing that indeed. But despite the nice designer logo, I can’t say I ever got any comments about the watch until I pointed it out to people. I find this to be true of many designer watches: you have all that cash wrapped around your wrist, yet no one even blinks an eye.
Over the years I continued to collect a number of watches, but things changed when I got another gift: an iPod Nano 6th Generation. I’m normally not a big fan of Apple — owning Android phones, Windows laptops and generic MP3 players. The Nano 6th Gen, however, was an intriguing gift. Whether you hate Apple or not, I still find the Nano 6th Gen to be a marvel of engineering. It was a tiny, powerful device with a beautiful screen. There was nothing else like it on the market.
My first ‘smart’ watch
I only loaded music on it once (iTunes was and remains far too painful), but I had learned about people turning their iPod Nano into a stylish watch. After much googling, I found a super cool watch-strap that didn’t look as overkill as the ones found on ebay or Amazon:
The ‘Rubber Band’ strap was suitably minimalistic while remaining very dapper. I bought a number of colours for different occasions, but mainly used the white strap which harmonized very nicely with my silver metallic Nano. Most importantly however, it looked like no other watch — something of the future. A hipster minimalistic strap; a classy and bold metallic square core; a bright LED illuminating the wonderful watch faces. Occasionally I’d connect it to a stereo — “you can play music from your watch!?” people would say. Despite having to press the Standby button every time I wanted to check the time, it was a joy to wear. I was finding people very interested in this space-age gizmo and got plenty of comments.
Over the years, the battery wore down so it would need a daily charge, but I carried on wearing it. I wished Apple had added more watch faces, but it was still great. But then something awful happened: the announcement of the Apple Watch.
Damn you Apple
I knew the Apple Watch would be coming, it was pretty much an open-secret throughout tech blogs. For me, the biggest clue was the suspicious iPod Nano 7th Generation. After the engineering marvel of the 6th Gen, why make the device bigger again? Maybe to make room for a small wearable device which was yet to be announced.
So then it happened. “One more thing”, Tim Cook proudly proclaimed. And I had a dilemma. My Nano watch would no longer look futuristic, and would no longer represent my forward-thinking personality. Instead, I suspected people would mistake it for an Apple Watch copycat. I may have been a poor, wannabe-hipster student, but I wasn’t a copycat.
So I consciously began considering candidates for my Nano’s successor. I had previously been intrigued by Pebble when I first saw it on Kickstarter, but deemed it too large for my wrists. The lacklustre Galaxy Gear came and went; the horrendously styled LG Smartwatch fad evaporated. Then came the Moto 360, which was most certainly a game-changer, but Android Wear was still in it’s youth, and I was waiting for the right price point.
What about Apple Watch?
Of course, Apple Watch had to be considered. Logically this is the true successor to my trusty Nano. The successor should overcome my two complaints: more watchfaces, and an always-on screen. Forgetting that I don’t own an iPhone, Apple Watch doesn’t even meet these basic requirements. And then there’s the price points — and what they imply about me. Here’s an actual* excerpt screenshot from Apple’s website:
Aside from the dull aluminium Sport edition, Apple Watches are pretty damned expensive. I also find the rounded edges reminiscent of design philosophies of the 2000s, and don’t convey the minimalistic styles the tech industry is embracing. Moreover, I feel like the Apple Watches would always give mixed messages about why I’m wearing one. Is it because I’m a relentless Apple fanboy? Do I just want to show off? Is smart functionality on a watch indispensable to me? In reality, it would be none of these.
Enter Pebble Time (Steel)
I’d never backed a Kickstarter before, but given Pebble’s previous credentials I had full confidence in any future projects. As soon as the Pebble Time was announced, it felt like a great fit. It was what I wanted: a hip watch with customisable watch faces, an always-on screen, and excellent battery life, all at a reasonable price point. I backed it almost immediately.
Shortly after, the Pebble Time Steel got announced, and it was an absolute no-brainer. Happily investing in the Gold edition with a Gold strap, I now had a bonus addition: absolute class.
Closing thoughts
When my Pebble Time Steel did eventually arrive, I was actually disappointed with the dim screen. However, once the (delayed) gold strap arrived, it all settled into place. I’ve had lots of compliments about the design before anyone realizes it’s a smartwatch. So it has the class that I wanted, and as I write, my premium Pebble watch sits with a Mario staring back at me. He jumps every minute to change the time. What’s not to like?
It’s a shame Pebble as a company aren’t more successful, and people don’t see the point in smartwatches. In my mind, smartwatches have a clear function: to be something cool that sits on your wrist, whilst fitness and notification are very useful bonuses. Just like buying a nice pair of Vans, a watch should radiate your personality.
I feel like my watch is elegant and classy from a distance, but super geeky once you get up close. And that’s precisely what I’m trying to project.
