Here is a smartwatch with Wear OS without GPS for 20 thousand. zł. It makes just as little sense as you think

Of the many trends in the modern world of mobile technologies, few make as little sense as luxury smartwatches.

Smart watches can be loved or hated, but it cannot be denied that when it comes to quantitative sales, smartwatches dominate the market.

In 2019, the Apple Watch itself sold more than all the watches of all Swiss manufacturers combined. Of course , the report does not tell us the whole truth - it does not include watches from other parts of the world, including Japan - but it is impossible to deny that traditional timers are losing importance.

Well, unless we're talking about luxury brands.

Luxury in watches still remains analog.

Although the Apple Watch is also available in the Hermes pseudo-luxury edition, in the eyes of enthusiasts it is far from any truly luxury product from brands such as Rolex, Omega, Patek Phillipe or even Hublot, whose new watch inspired this column.

However, Swiss watch manufacturers see that new ones are coming. Therefore, with more or less success, more brands launch their smartwatches, but they usually do not aspire to the premium segment - they are simply to offer brand lovers an "intelligent" alternative to traditional timers from their favorite manufacturer.

From time to time, however, one manufacturer comes up with the idea to combine traditional luxury with modern possibilities and create a luxury smartwatch.

Hublot just came up with this idea. This is Hublot Big Bang e.

HUBLOT GENEVE is a relatively young brand on the watch market. Against the background of tens with a centuries-old history, it falls almost pale because the brand created by Carlo Crocco debuted in 1980, for the first time in the history of horology, combining gold ... with rubber.

The Hublot rubber strap is unique because it seems to regenerate in contact with human skin. This, combined with bold combinations of materials, quickly brought the Swiss brand into the group of reputable timer manufacturers.

The original Hublot Big Bang has been on sale since 2005 and is available in many sizes with various complications. Its prices start from over 50 thousand. zlotys, and they end where common sense does not reach.

Hublot Big Bang e visually reveals its pedigree. Made of titanium or ceramic, the case with a diameter of 42 mm, like a bezel with engraved numbers on it, looks identical to classic watches from the brand. Unlike them, however, there is no analog dial and a sophisticated automatic mechanism under the sapphire glass.

We have an AMOLED screen with a 30.8 mm diagonal and a resolution of 390 x 390 px. Underneath it works exactly the same set of components that we find in most new smartwatches with the Wear OS system - the Snapdragon 3100 platform, together with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of data space.

The watch, however, is quite poor in possibilities, as for a smartwatch with Wear OS. We won't find here any GPS or HR sensor. We won't even find NFC for contactless payments. The whole has a water resistance of 3 ATM, which effectively allows you to use the watch in the rain and nothing more. The battery has 300 mAh, so it lasts for a maximum of one day of use.

Price? About 20 thousand PLN for the variant titanium envelope and about 22.5 thousand PLN for the variant with a ceramic envelope.

If looking at the specification you have the impression that it does not make sense - you are absolutely right. This watch doesn't make the slightest sense regardless of the price, and costing as much as it costs, it simply becomes a complete strange thing in the world.

Hublot Big Bang e is without a doubt an engineering show. And technological failure.

It is impossible to refuse the construction of a new watch of charm and craftsmanship. The whole is made of 42 mechanical elements, and made of legendary Hublot rubber equipped with a patented release mechanism. Without a doubt, in combination with the dedicated Hublot Big Bang e digital dials it is a feast for the eye.

The problem is ... just for the eye and only for a moment.

On the technological side, this luxury smartwatch presents a level comparable with cheap Amazfit watches, and even worse. It offers smaller possibilities than the smallest Wear OS smartwatch on the market. The lack of GPS and NFC in this type of timer should in itself be a sufficient reason for potential consumers to ignore the existence of this product.

Intelligent components in a luxury watch destroy everything luxurious.

I am interested in watches for a relatively short time. The fatigue with electronics led me to this strange world that I didn't understand the sense of recently. Why would anyone pay thousands of zlotys for a watch that can only ... measure time?

In time, however, I understood what the charm and strength of classic timepieces lies in. Also luxury ones, whose prices often exceed the prices of new cars.

Apart from prestige and egocentric considerations, the biggest advantage of luxury timepieces is their longevity and engineering mastery.

The heart of classic, automatic watches are mechanisms constructed in a very meticulous way. With proper and regular servicing, such timers can work for tens of years, be passed down from generation to generation, or even increase in value over time - hence many collectors buy them as an investment.

A smartwatch, even the most luxurious, will neither be long-lived nor an investment.

So what if the digital heart of the watch is enclosed in an exclusive housing, since this heart will stop beating after a few short years? And after a year, such a watch will cease to be pleasant to use, as the components slow down and the battery will wear out. It can be safely assumed that the maximum time of "suitability for use" of such a luxury smartwatch is up to 4-5 years. Then it will remain only extremely expensive, extremely beautifully made, but nevertheless an electric waste. Without any value.

One might be tempted to say that the production of things without value, with a short shelf life, is the essence of capitalism. However, it is regrettable to see how brands that are famous for the production of long-lived and durable products contribute to this shameful practice. Valued among others just because they will not become useless after a short time, but outlive their buyer.

Who knows, maybe in the future we will rent technologies that will enable the production of long-lived smart watches. We can find a way, for example, to exchange digital mechanisms enclosed in analog housings. Who knows?

For now, however, we know so much that such products do not make the slightest sense. And although there will certainly be enthusiasts willing to buy such a product, there is no doubt that they will regret the purchase soon, or even sooner ... they will forget about it.

[UPDATE 03.06.2020]

A change has occurred on the Hublot website. It looks like Hublot Big Bang e will, however, have NFC and Google Pay payments. However, this does not make him any less senseless.

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Here is a smartwatch with Wear OS without GPS for 20 thousand. zł. It makes just as little sense as you think