Could this Rolex smartwatch be the ultimate wearable?

I have had a long love-affair with ‘real’ watches, you know, with real hands, real ticking and real Swiss movement counting the seconds. Where I favour classic Rado watches you cannot deny the image Rolex projects. How about if they made a smartwatch, an iRolex?

This Rolex Smartwatch Concept from Curved Labs manages to blend the über luxury accessory of a top-tier Swiss watch – probably the most practical indulgence a man has – with the latest wearable tech.

The clever Rolex Smartwatch sports a classic chronograph look, replacing the dead-giveaway of an OLED-display. The watch industry works on the fixed formula of not messing with the design language and cues of successful collections. Let’s face it, the basic watch design has remained unchanged since someone decided to add a wrist-strap and this is perhaps one of the reasons why it works so well.

Here we can see the iRolex sat with the more down-to-earth Moto 360 and Samsung Gear 2.

The hybrid-design showcases the timeless analogue dial along with digital elements. The transparent watch hands glow in the dark and can function when the battery is empty.

Luminosity is a key factor for analogue watches as people that favour digital wristwear like to point out that at least they can see the time in the dark thanks to back-lighting. Well, the Rolex Smartwartch covers that and also offers illuminated buttons. Great for divers as well as those that frequent nightclubs.

From the looks of it, the iRolex has a black and flat iOS 7-ish homescreen but it could also easily host Android Wear.

As for the charging, the watch uses a wireless charging coil placed in the bottom part of the strap, which is then placed on its stand. To sum it up, we have here a great idea that aligns with branding and image perception of watches, so if something like this does make it to the marketplace, it can be successful.