before I get into it…

I have been interested in wearables because of mechanical watches.

My interest in watches started with mechanical movements and sheer curiosity towards manufacturing precise parts. Smartwatches came with their own importance which made it easier to track health and keep up with daily tasks but I still find it hard to wear them for more than 12 hours! let me elaborate on this…

Early days of smartwatches

Wearable technology has been around since the 17th century and it is making its resurgence, since we reached a digital maturity tipping point. The internet has come to us on the tip of the finger, capabilities of computers and laptops have come to the size of a watch have increased exponentially and we are slowly moving toward the least technological limitations in hardware. Wearable devices in general have been about 3 main aspects in it function

• input

• synthesis

• output

In the case of smartwatches, their value came from the fact that they could replace full-sized counterparts, for example, calculators. Pocket-size calculators were as big as an iPhone 6 and needed to be plugged into a power source often. A stylus was needed to work the tiny keypads, which made a huge difference in their usability and convenience. In 1975, a company called Time Computing Company had the idea to combine these functions, creating the first smartwatch called Pulsar Module 1. This watch could tell time and had small buttons that you could tap using a stylus to make quick calculations. The watch was bulky with a thickness of 15 mm, as it housed 4 batteries to carry out these functions. It was advertised that the batteries would last a year only if you ran 20 calculations per day. This stainless steel watch was a commercial hit and was sold by Tiffany for $3950 in 18k gold. Having a watch that allowed you to do calculations using a fancy stylus while telling time freed users from carrying big pocket calculators and marvelled at the possibilities of what this device could do.

Let's travel back in time to when Leonardo da Vinci sketched a pedometer. Pedometers were popular in Europe in the 1700s and became popular in the US in the mid-1900s. Initially marketed as toys, they gained importance due to Dr. Yoshiro Hatano's research on the walking activities of the Japanese people. Dr. Hatano began selling pedometers called Manpo-kei, which translates to "10,000 steps," and it was a huge success. In the 1990s, they became common and started appearing in digital watches. The advancement of microchips and integrated circuitry went mainstream, leading companies to incorporate various functions in watches. One notable example from that time was the Seiko TV watch, famously worn by the iconic secret agent James Bond in "Octopussy." The screen technology was far ahead in its time and to get it in the size of a watch was pretty futuristic. This gave rise to the black-and-white nematic LCDs that we saw until the early 2000s which we associate with contemporary watches.

The entire consumer technology landscape changed in 2007 with the launch of the first iPhone. It changed how we interact with everything around us. The app store brought attention to the necessity of services designed specifically for mobile phones. our need for input in pocket-sized devices exponentially increased without realizing its side effect on our psyche. Mobile phones became one touch point device to carry out all possible functions that had not previously existed. This ecosystem gave birth to the modern era of smartwatches.

Mixing tech and functions

Pebble Watches, one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns that sold a million units, was compatible with both Android and iPhones. this gained its popularity and moved smartwatch from niche to mainstream market. For Google and Apple, this became a cornerstone for a new operating system entirely built for watches. Either of the platforms had similarities like syncing with calendars, reminders, time, weather, tracking your steps and notifications. The companies differentiated themselves diving greatly into details and each utilised the strength of their operating systems to shape their watch experience.
For example, imagine you are planning for a big meeting tomorrow. With Google’s core Android infrastructure, your morning task is taken care of with additional information like traffic and weather reports which you watch when you wake up. the night before with the data that it has collected for the day, it also assists you in telling whether it is better to leave early in the morning and sleep early to leave early in the morning due to traffic. Since voice commands are shaping the new ecosystem for interaction, any information you need to access in the smartwatch is just away with an “ok, google”. From making physical inputs to this technology assisting you, the era of machine learning has brought new needs for smartwatches.

Most of the current smartwatches are health-focused or task-focused. Watch operating systems are improving to harness input to deliver data related to real-time health, safety, fitness and staying connected. For example, the pulse oximeter in Apple watches measures real-time blood oxygen flow from the lungs to the heart. The Apple Ultra watch is a prime example of a smartwatch functioning as an extension of your actions in real-time in extreme outdoor conditions. Let’s look at our current interactions with the devices in our current digital ecosystem. the spectrum of that interaction ranges, in my opinion, from intimate to relative. Smartwatches fall in the intimate side where it become an extension of you, which can potentially disrupt people’s psyche. Modern smartwatches have housed technologies that make it impossible to ignore and physically engage with the device. If we divide the spectrum of intimacy into 2 parts, reactive and intentional, the current watches are designed to have reactive feedback to real-time outputs. This has both positive and negative side effects which play with our sense of control over this tech.

Conclusion

In conclusion, smartwatches have evolved from simple timekeeping devices to powerful extensions of our daily lives, seamlessly integrating technology with personal routines. From their early iterations like the Pulsar Module 1 and the Seiko TV watch, smartwatches have transformed dramatically, driven by advancements in technology and changing consumer needs. Modern smartwatches now offer a range of functionalities—from health monitoring to real-time task management—creating a unique blend of convenience, connectivity, and personal engagement. However, this integration also raises questions about the psychological impact of these devices as they become increasingly intertwined with our lives, potentially shifting from tools of empowerment to sources of constant digital interaction. As we continue to embrace this technology, it is essential to consider how these devices influence our behaviour and sense of autonomy in an increasingly connected world.

Credits and references:
Scott Sullivan, Designing for wearables-O’reilly publications
Apple
Seiko Design

…so, if you have stuck around until now, I appreciate you and would love to hear your comments.

I am Amruta, an industrial designer building physical products and experiences in the field of healthcare, climate change and sustainability to make new technology, easily accessible. I love to talk about tech that impacts how we take care of our health and some disrupting processes. Thanks for visiting my website :)