The verdict is pretty much in on the iPod nano as a timepiece: Great in theory (looks fantastic at times, even) but ultimately suffers from poor execution. This inevitably pricey HD3 Slyde, however, may have finally nailed the whole package.
While the nano wristwatch comparisons are inevitable, the Slyde was actually in development before the nano was revealed to oh’s and ah’s by the Apple faithful in 2010. It’s subtle curves and complex interface were designed by Jorg Hysek Jr, son of famed French watchmaker Jorg Hysek.
The screen is LED, but could end up being an “OLED variant” when it’s completed in September. The sapphire crystal cover is curved to better conform to a person’s wrist. A water-resistant titanium body (30 meters) comes in silver or black. There are no physical buttons of any kind, just battery indicators on the side. Future owners will be able to send it back for hardware upgrades or simply connect to a computer via mini USB to do things like this:
You can purchase special watch dials to put in the watch. HD3 will release just a few a year. They want to make sure each is good, and not over-load people with crap dials. But the dials won’t be cheap. Some of them will even be artificial limited editions – where HD3 will only sell a certain amount. Standard prices for dials will be $US50-100 maybe, and more for the special ones.
Are we picking up anything yet? Like price and how stratospherically high it will inevitably be? Hysek watches are known for two things: Over-the-top exuberance and sky-high price tags. A touchscreen one with digital faceplates that cost an estimated $US50 to $US100 apiece will undoubtedly continue this trend. [A Blog to Read via CrunchGear]