A Round Watch Would Have Been Better

For years I had a stock answer when people asked if I’d ever buy a smartwatch: no. Not interested. Then Apple showed the Watch at a keynote in 2014, and I remained uninterested. Geometry and minimalism bolted to your wrist. The future was fine, but I wasn’t buying into it. That’s when I learned something about myself: I’m not immune to want. I’m just waiting for the right version to come along.

A designer named Alcion took Apple’s official renders and did something small: made it round. Removed the angles. The proportions shifted, the screen adapted, everything felt like it understood what a watch should be. I looked at it and felt the pull immediately. Not because the round shape was revolutionary. Because someone had seen Apple’s design and known instantly how to make it better.

Apple’s Watch felt like a statement about technology’s future. Alcion’s version just looked like a watch. That’s a bigger difference than it sounds like. Apple’s design was forcing an idea onto your wrist. The round one made something you’d actually want to touch.

I don’t need a smartwatch. I still don’t. But seeing that redesign made me understand exactly what would have changed my mind. It’s a small gap—one designer, one choice about shape, and suddenly the whole thing makes sense. The version you didn’t know you wanted, waiting in someone else’s portfolio instead of on your wrist.