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One of the biggest surprise this year at the GTE was HD3, who did not present a mechanical watch but rather an electromechanical watch. Indeed one can rarely expect to find a watch which battery is rechargeable via USB in a watchmaking fair, and yet…
To understand the approach of HD3 one must go back in time. Following the bankruptcy of BNB Concept (the main complicated movements supplier of HD3), the company had to answer to a strategic question: should the company pursue the production of watches with high complicated movements ?
Due to a lack of fundings, the HD3 team decided to concentrate on its main know-how: the design of watches. From this observation the idea of designing a electromechanical watch displaying complications in 3D has emerged.
The link between the model Slyde and iPod can be easily done (we did it). However the functionality is completely different. Indeed the Slyde has not for aim to substitute to any smartphone. The Slyde is most of all a watch, so one should not expect to find features such as phone calls or camera.
The concept is about a touch-screen watch built in 3 parts (the screen, the motherboard, and the battery), ensuring thus a fast customer support in case of break-down. According to Jorg Hysek Jr. the Slyde model is the first curved touchscreen. The price will vary between 3000 € and 4000 € tax-excluded, depending on the version. The customer will be able to download the complications on a dedicated website. The movements will be available for a price ranging from 50 to 100 CHF, offering this way more opportunities for customization.
Our curiosity regarding the manipulation of the item has been greatly satisfied: indeed the simplicity of the user interface is astonishing. Just a touch on the screen and you can navigate between the different functions. The LED on the side case indicates the power reserve. The screen brightness is adjusted automatically depending on lighting.
The delivery of the product to the resellers is scheduled for next September onwards. Meanwhile you will be able to see the model during its official launch at the next watch-fair Baselworld. To conclude: this concept is rather interesting and should reach a new target group, although it might also offend the purists of the watchmaking world.
