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<\/a><\/div><\/div>It follows Tag Heuer\u2019s Connected watch, the Apple Watch Herm\u00e8s and Michael Kors\u2019s Access line (in collaboration with Fossil) in an effort to, according to Michael Burke, chief executive of Louis Vuitton, combat the fact that when it comes to wearable technology, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of ugliness out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor us,\u201d he said, \u201cthe aesthetic is nonnegotiable.\u201d And, as it turns out, it is also only the beginning of Vuitton\u2019s plans for merging style and technology. Unlike the other fashion brands that have dipped their toes in the high tech waters, Vuitton has designs on connecting many of their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook, the internet of things is really only going to get bigger,\u201d Mr. Burke said. \u201cYou can sit on the sidelines and watch, or dive in and participate and try to influence where things go. We\u2019re diving in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The watch is stage one. So is it any good?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Made in conjunction with Google and Qualcomm Technology, with a case made in Switzerland, the Tambour Horizon does what most smartwatches do \u2014 it alerts you to your email and texts, counts your steps, has lots of apps \u2014 though it does not contain a heart monitor and is not meant to replace the phone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It works with both Apple and Android devices and has a battery life of about a day. Like the Apple Watch, it charges when you click on to a magnetic pad, connects to your phone via Bluetooth and also works with Wi-Fi. It comes in three finishes (polished steel, brushed steel and full black), and it has 30 different straps for men and 30 for women, which snap on and off with a satisfying ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So far, so not surprising. Anyone who has followed my history with smartwatches, which began when I broke up with my Apple Watch, knows that I have a somewhat conflicted relationship with the product category. To me, it seems, largely, to be solving problems that aren\u2019t actually there, and creating new ones. (Like: How do you justify talking to your forearm in a public space?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the Vuitton watch is a small step forward in certain areas. First, the watch face (which can be customized like a handbag in myriad ways \u2014 with various dials, with different color stripes, with Vuitton\u2019s monogram, with your monogram), never entirely goes dark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It fades a bit in sleep mode, but unlike, say, the Apple Watch, it does not become a black hole when your arm is at rest, thus obviating the need to wave said arm around endlessly to wake it up and so not look like an adult version of a \u201cStar Trek\u201d transporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, the Tambour, like the new mechanical Tambour Moon, has a convex side case, which allows maximum face diameter with minimum weight. So even though it\u2019s quite chunky for a watch, it is less chunky than some of its smart peers (42 mm in diameter, as opposed to 46 mm). That said, it still looks like a smartwatch.<\/p>