They may be intelligent, but for the last few years, smartwatches haven’t been all that attractive. Sure, you could jazz things up a bit with a nice band or a designer face, but really, you weren’t expecting to make much of a fashion statement with your wrist wearable. That is, until Michael Kors entered the game.
Meet Access, the new line of smartwatches from the acclaimed American designer, hoping to bring high fashion and high tech into the same device.
The watches, which run Android Wear, are currently available in two styles. There’s the “Dylan,” aimed at men with its sporty finish, while the “Bradshaw” (perhaps a la Carrie from “Sex and the City”) features an all-metal design and more feminine look. Both watches look to make a statement with a bold, chunky design (Dylan measures 46mm, Bradshaw is 44.5mm), and start at $350.
“Over the last few years, this idea of always being connected has become a crucial part of everyone’s life, no matter who you are or where you live,” Michael Kors told Mashable via email. “[Our smartwatch] gives you the best of both worlds — reliable technology and great design. We didn’t want our fans to have to choose between fashion and technology, so we’ve made it possible to have both.”
And you really can have quite a lot with the Dylan and Bradshaw. The former comes in three colors and has six different straps, four of which are silicone and two of which are leather. The Bradshaw, meanwhile, comes in an even wider variety of metallic colors, and straps to match.
But that’s not where the customization stops — you can also play around with the watchface design, including the color of the dial, hands, and even highlights. Can’t decide between two colors? Just set one of them for a daytime look, and the other for an evening out — the watch will make the switch automatically at your selected time.
As for the tech behind the watches, they’re built on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip, so things move pretty quickly. But be warned — if you’re an iPhone user, this watch may not pair so well with your phone.
That said, if you’ve been biding your time and waiting for a major designer to join the smartwatch game, consider your patience rewarded. That is, if you like large watches.
