Is Google’s response to the Apple Watch the Pixel Watch? Yes, they are both smartwatches that are integrated into their own ecosystems, but if you compare the Pixel Watch merely on the basis of style, it falls well short of Apple’s wearable. It has wasted the chance to create the first iconic circular wristwatch and become the true Apple Watch of the Android world by holding back and being all Google about the appearance.
Reasons Square has benefited Apple
When the Apple Watch was first unveiled, it drew a lot of criticism for defying the fashion for circular watches. In actuality, there are several instantly identifiable square watches, such the Tag Heuer Monaco and the Casio G-Shock 5000 and 5600 series. The Apple Watch has overtaken all other square watches in the globe in terms of visibility, recognition ease, and wearer volume since its launch in 2015. With a 30% market share in 2021, Counterpoint Research places the Apple Watch at the top of its projections for wearable shipping. Although Apple withholds sales data, other sources indicate that the company now sells 40 million Apple Watches annually.
The Apple Watch’s square design did not destroy it; rather, it helped it succeed. Before purchasing a smartwatch, most people would choose utility above design, although design is likely to come in second. Anything we wear on our body needs to be aesthetically pleasing, and while it took some time to get over the idea that watches had to be round, it’s obvious that most people are no longer bothered by this. The Apple Watch Series 8 looks and feels fantastic, and since the Series 5’s release, Apple has probably only improved on what is already a nearly ideal form.
Apple’s brilliant design succeeds because it stands out from the other smartwatches on the market. The business, which today utterly owns the form, was really the first to make it popular (let’s ignore the awful Pebble or LG G Watch). When a new square wristwatch, such as the Amazfit GTS series or the Oppo Watch, debuts, it is criticised for being an imitation of the Apple Watch. Since the Apple Watch has been so closely associated with the square design of smartwatches, nobody really wants to wear a knockoff.
The form of the Apple Watch is distinctive, well-considered, and has become so closely associated with the company that most people now agree that square is a fantastic shape for a watch. The Apple Watch is a timeless classic since its fundamental design has only been slightly improved over the years rather than completely reimagined.
Oh, how round.
Making the Apple Watch square was a calculated bet that has paid off for Apple. With the Pixel Watch, Google has not taken any such chance. It features a crown on the side, is as round as circular can be, and includes a mechanism for fastening various straps. It perfectly captures what most people envision when asked, “What does a watch look like?”
The issue is right there. It has practically no distinguishing characteristics that would immediately identify it as a Pixel Watch. You could wonder if it’s an original Skagen Falster, an Amazfit Zepp E Circle, a Sequent SuperCharger 2, or even an original Moto 360 from a distance (if you have the tendency to peer at other people’s wristwear). Or essentially any watch that has a circle in it. Although the curves seem wonderful and it appears to be incredibly comfy, I’m not saying it’s poorly designed; rather, I’m saying it’s really safe.
Sadly, that safety has robbed it of its uniqueness. The Apple Watch is square, and Apple has remained with that shape ever since, so when most people glance at it, they immediately understand what it is. With the Apple Watch Ultra, it even had the opportunity to completely revamp the design, but it chose not to do so because it recognises the importance of keeping with what has evolved into a brilliant overall style and design for a smartwatch.
In addition to the fact that the Pixel Watch is round, Google will have a very difficult time convincing the public that it is in fact a Pixel Watch because the safe design lacks any readily apparent visual cues.
An opportunity lost
What more may Google have done? No way could it have produced a smartwatch that was square. It would have been a grave error to attempt to compete with Apple in this way on a design level because, while owners of iPhones and Android phones must use the smartwatch from their respective ecosystems, Google would always be the copycat if only because the Pixel Watch debuted seven years after the original Apple Watch.
Since a watch can only have so many forms, going round was really the only option. But there are many Swiss watchmakers that consistently produce round watches that seem extremely different from one another, and many of them have gone on to create enormous empires using only one or two instantly distinctive shapes. 60% of Swiss watch industry executives, according to a Deloitte research, believe that the Swiss watch business missed the smartwatch boat.
One of them would undoubtedly have leaped at the chance to collaborate with Google to develop what may end up being the first iconic circular wristwatch. Something instantly recognised, enticing, and distinctively Google, but now with the design expertise of a veteran of the Swiss watch business. The Omega Speedmaster, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, or Rolex Submariner of smartwatches.
Since Google is a technology firm, it seems sense that the Pixel Watch appears like a piece of technology. However, technology is forgettable in a way that genuinely excellent watch design isn’t. Google has a history of producing forgettable mobile technology, but with the stunning Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro designs and its delightfully organic Nest designs, it seemed to be moving past the problem. The Pixel Watch is certainly not unattractive, but it had the potential to be much better. Google had the chance to create the Apple Watch of the Android world, but it failed—at least in terms of design.
