Doesn’t it annoy you that so many people walk or drive while staring at their phones? They are an accident waiting to happen. I watched a woman walk right into a parking meter last week. On average, a smartphone owner checks their phone 221 times a day (in UK, source: Tecmark). Wouldn’t it be fresh to wear a great looking Calendar Watch with functions that help reduce the need to pull out the cellphone?

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The Calendar Watch by What? combines the heritage of watchmaking and one of a kind design with an always visible daily calendar that syncs with the most popular digital calendars, so you can see your day at a glance.

After careful testing and studies, we’ve come to the conclusion the best user experience is achieved by making the Calendar Watch as simple as possible.  We leave all extra features to their App and online calendars. There are no buttons or unnecessary functions.

The Calendar Watch is conceived and designed by renowned Japanese art director Masashi Kawamura.  He has been featured on the FastCompany’s most creative people list, and Italian industrial designer Umberto Onza, who together have fused the aesthetics and demands of consumers who want to curate their own style with an eye toward story, craftsmanship, and individuality.

With its iconic, refined features, the watch pays tribute to the heritage of watchmaking. It’s polished stainless steel case provides a classic feel, with both comfort and durability, while it’s domed hardened sapphire glass is made to last. I contacted the support team at What? Watch and asked them to answer the following questions:

How was the Calendar Watch Prototype Process?

The prototyping was actually quite quick. The concept of the watch had been around in our mind for 6 months or so, so the models and information that we handed to the manufacturer was quite mature.

Prototypes of the watch body were initially machined form solid metal to confirm that the ID surfaces of the watch were right.  This allowed us to make quick adjustments to both the CAD models to get the look and feel.

From this stage there was another round to make new visual prototypes to the correct weight, that had the correct materials, finishes, together with wristbands etc.

Because the movement and technology in the watch are known to us, there was only one for round, which was to produce full working Engineering Samples, which feature in our Kickstarter campaign!

How was the Calendar Watch Patent Process?

We got a brilliantly transparent concept from Mr. Masahi Kawamura which just needed to be technically implemented. By that time our team had already have a substantial experience with engineering of mono-functional watches with e-paper displays, connecting to mobile devices as well as certain background on patenting. As soon as we understood how Calendar Watch will function, we filed for a patent.

How do you plan to market the Calendar Watch?

The marketing campaign is a mix of industry specific trade shows, technology exhibitions, and then reaching out using popular social media....