A few years ago, I decided to immerse myself in a part of the watch industry that doesn’t have my natural preference, that of smartwatches. I wanted to find out if they were a real threat to mechanical/’ non-smart’ watchmaking or if they would instead complement it. In the last few years, that question has been answered, with smartwatches now being even a gateway drug for people to get into mechanical watchmaking eventually. Over the years, I have spoken to many people involved in the development of smartwatches and have started to get a genuine appreciation for this type of watch.

The term smartwatch is a general one, as there are many different ways to express this concept. Brands like Sequent and Frederique Constant take the analog approach, while Montblanc goes full-blown digital, and all of them have an app for more detailed insights and control. The Pininfarina Hybrid takes the middle road and combines an analog setup with a small display.
The name Pininfarina is, for most people, closely connected to the world of cars, in particular that of Ferrari. However, as a design studio, they have also had their hand in quite a few different objects, including watches. On the other end of the spectrum, they also work together with Bovet, but they wanted something more accessible for their Hybrid watch and teamed up with Globics Technology Limited. As one of the leading companies when it comes to wearable devices, they have the background and knowle...