Hodinkee:
Sir Jonathan Ive, Chief Design Officer of Apple, Inc., is sitting across from me at a seamless white oak table. We’ve met a few times before, and I know he cares about watches. He must, right? But I’ve never actually asked him. So I do. And thank God, he does – he recounts a tale of buying an Omega Speedmaster Professional in the early ’90s.
I exhale, because the hypothesis of this interview, at least in my mind (likely not in Apple’s), is that the watch industry and its all-too-vocal supporters have got it all wrong. Jony, the creator of what is, by at least one definition, the number one watch on Earth, is a friend, not a foe. But, like any great question of power and influence, it’s not so simple.
Ive can be obtuse in interviews sometimes but it’s still interesting to read his thoughts about design.
I thought this was an excellent article and interview. I thought the author, Ben Clymer, a “watch guy” paid due and sincere tribute to the impact of the Apple Watch on the watch industry, and to Sir Jony, and put him in proper context as “Apple’s most valuable product.”
I knew it was going to be a good article as soon as I saw Marco Arment didn’t like it. 🙂