The video below shows a render of the circular Apple Watch. It’s gorgeous. And it will never happen. For one thing, Apple’s smartwatch competitors are circular. Apple smartwatch owners want that at-a-glance I’ve-got-an-Apple-Watch street cred. For another, money. Although Apple filed patents on a circular display in 2018, changing the case shape would cost more than the [legal] gross national product of Bolivia. But I do have a question . . .
When will Apple sell actual watch faces?
Sure, you can customize your non circular Apple Watch face to add, subtract and rearrange apps. Some of the official faces are animated. A live jellyfish rather than a Swatch big bold jellyfish! But not you can’t buy “real” watch dials for your Apple Watch.
You used to be able to do it via an outfit called jingwatch. Somebody had a word with them – they’re facebook page is gone and their website deep-sixed real world watch faces. So there’s no way to have a true-to-life simulated battery, quartz or mechanical watch face on your Apple Watch.
Think of the money a famous watchmaker could bank selling their dials to Apple for Apple Watch users! That said, the chances that the Swiss, Germans and Japanese watchmakers would sell their design for pennies on the dollar – undercutting the market for their own products – are lower than the chances of seeing a circular Apple Watch anytime in the foreseeable future (Coronageddon).
But really, that’s the answer to my Apple Watch dreams. I’d pay big bucks for a circular Apple Watch circulating famous faces according to my mood. Different cases? Sure! Why not? I’d feel a lot better about wearing an Apple Watch – even if the watchmakers who design real-world cases and dials and spend millions promoting their logo-clad timepieces would feel a LOT worse about it.
So what we need is kick ass Apple Watch faces that look like watch faces that don’t look like Apple Watch faces. The standard ones are so predictable, so boring. Well, except for the one with an ex-girlfriend on the display. But even she can’t compete with my IWC Pilot Watch Mark XVIII. (Sorry babe.) Anyway, watch this space. Please!