Since the advent of the Apple Watch, smartwatches have become a commonplace part of people's lives. While each company pursues functionality year after year, VELDT is aiming for a completely different direction. Rather than cramming information into a small housing, it displays only the necessary information, without excess or omission. The company's latest product, the LUXTURE Model IG, is a next-generation wearable device that is different from both run-of-the-mill smartwatches and ordinary watches.
Photographs and Videos by Masanori Yoshie
Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Text
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
(Posted on May 2020, 12)
The new LUXTURE is a watch with enhanced perfection.
Welt entered the smartwatch genre with "Serempire" in 2015. What sets it apart from other companies is that it displays only the necessary information and has collaborated with watch manufacturers to create smartwatches. Currently, most smartwatches are made by mobile phone manufacturers. While the functionality is impeccable, when viewed as a watch, the level of completion is somewhat lacking. In contrast, Welt's smartwatches are made in watch factories and are fully usable as watches. After improving the level of completion as a piece of jewelry, smartwatch functions are added. This stance by Welt has given the company's smartwatches an unparalleled uniqueness.
The LUXTURE, released in 19, further refined this direction for Welt. This new smartwatch lacks any elements that suggest its multifunctionality. There are no LCDs or hands to display information anywhere, and the case, measuring 38mm in diameter and 12.4mm thick, is unusually compact for a smartwatch. What's more, there is no place to attach a charging connector on the back cover. Like other smartwatches, it is powered by a battery that is charged wirelessly, but the back cover is molded from glass, giving it a design that sets it apart from ordinary smartwatches.
Despite being a smartwatch, it has managed to achieve a design that is as close to a watch as possible. The reason for the success of this ambitious endeavor was the refinement of a unique display method. The company's original technology, "Welt Flare," conveys all information through light and vibration rather than text. As a result, Luxture no longer needs a power-hungry LCD display, and can run on very little power. In addition, the watch section deliberately uses a quartz movement that runs on a separate battery. This means that the time can be set using the crown, just like a regular watch.
The display on the Welt Flare is very unique, as is typical of Welt. While almost all smartwatches display information as text, the Luxture only displays it using small LEDs on the outer edge of the watch face. For example, the weather forecast will appear as orange if it's sunny, white if it's cloudy, and blue if it's raining. At first glance, it may seem difficult to use, but once you get used to it, you can understand the information intuitively. And it's extremely smart.
The finish of the watch has also been further improved. The newest addition to the Luxture line, the "Model IG," is a luxury model inspired by the image of an iceberg affected by global warming. It is said that it is difficult to combine a smartwatch with luxury, but the Luxture, which has no information display elements other than LEDs, has succeeded in further improving the finish of its exterior.
The two-layer dial gives the watch a mature look. The outside of the dial is made of a metal part with a sunburst finish. This part, with its strong grain, gives this model a look that doesn't look like a smartwatch. It's a detail that would never be found on a regular smartwatch with a display function on the dial. In addition, the thin case provides an excellent wearing comfort that you wouldn't expect from a smartwatch. The balance between the head and bracelet is also good, and you don't even get the impression that you're wearing a smartwatch.
By refining its unique display method, Luxure has achieved a watch-like finish and a slim design. It's hard to imagine a smartwatch that feels more like a watch than this one.
