Timekeeping has a vibrantly historical relationship with gentlemen all over the world. From the first pocket watches invented centuries ago to the modern wristwatch, these devices exude class and sophistication. Recently, in the technology industry, there has been an abundance of attempts to replace the watch and “reclaim” the wrist with a tiny supercomputer. This presents a problem. There are very few technology companies in the world that consider design, style, and user experience all at once. There is only one that consistently executes this combination to wild success. Apple, Inc is not the most valuable company in the world by mistake. The recent announcement of the Apple Watch paints the picture more than any product has in the history of the company. The Apple Watch is a designer luxury wristwatch of extraordinary build quality and functionality.

Consider the materials. The most luxurious wristwatch brands in the world are of Swiss origin (speaking of Swiss if ever want to go there we found an awesomely thorough guide you have to check out). They all manufacture their watches with stainless steel or, less commonly, gold. All have covers of sapphire glass, the second hardest naturally occurring transparent material in the world (second only to diamond). If a smartwatch is going to come anywhere close to these watches in style, build quality, or longevity, it must be made of similar material. Now, consider the Apple Watch: there are three collections, and each is distinctly differentiated.

• The Apple Watch “Sport” collection is built of anodized aluminum and ion-strengthened glass.

• The Apple Watch collection is made of stainless steel with a sapphire glass screen.

• The Apple Watch “Edition” collection also has a sapphire glass screen and is built from 18-karat gold. This is not gold-plated; this is pure gold.

With this in mind, the best guess for pricing (of which Apple has said little) is much higher than most people originally speculated:

• The Apple Watch Sport collection will start at $349. That’s the cheapest option, no question.

• As a best guess, The Apple Watch (stainless steel/sapphire) will start at $999

• The Apple Watch Edition (18-karat gold/sapphire) will, at a minimum, most likely start at $4,999.”

Apple specifically never uses the word “smart” to describe this watch, and for a great reason. This is as lavish as a classic Rolex timepiece, with way more functionality to boot. Having already been featured on the cover of Vogue China and in Paris Fashion Week, it is well suited to fit right in with the other big watch players. As John Gruber of Daring Fireball aptly put it, “Apple Watch is not a product from a tech company, and it will not be understood, at all, by the tech world.” Make no mistake; based on the above design and material choices, the Apple Watch will set the bar even higher than it already is for luxury watches come Winter 2015, let alone “smart” watches. It represents the perfect balance between the advanced functionality and ease-of-use known only to Apple with the age-old style of a gentleman’s wristwatch.

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