Would you wear a smartwatch to a wedding? That’s the question engulfing a certain section of the internet this week. In a viral post on X, embedded below, telling the internet about a couple the account holder knew who allegedly requested nobody wear a smartwatch to their wedding.
It’s received almost 10 million views, tons of reactions, and a flurry of responses on both sides of the aisle. Some accounts seem to believe that wearing even the best Apple Watch (like those on our list) is considered tacky at best and disrespectful at worst and they’re right to initiate the ban, while others criticized the couple, calling it controlling.
Received a wedding invite that specifically said on the dress code line “No Apple Watches please”December 10, 2024
Regardless of how you feel about specific dress codes to fit with a theme (fair game for the bride and groom, or unfair for the guests?) all the disagreements relate to the usefulness of Apple Watches to monitor health problems, act as wallets, or just a general opposition to the concept of the ban. One trend I noticed when scrolling through the reams of replies is that hardly anyone had an issue with it from a style point of view.
It seems that Apple Watches aren’t considered particularly stylish, even in the expensive stainless steel colorways adorned with even-more-expensive Hermes bands. Sure, you can dress them up with all manner of watch faces, but they remain a homogenous black screen, often paired with simple silicone straps.
I test smartwatches for a living, and although I may disagree with the blanket “no Apple Watches” statement on logistical grounds, even I can see the lack of appeal from a style perspective. Traditional analog watches offer so much variety in style, from slim classic numbers to rotary dive watches, and offer a desirable and (ironically) timeless quality to wedding photos. Apple Watches tend to date photographs, and perhaps will do for the foreseeable future.
Other users replied with smartwatches other than Apple Watches, such as the best Garmin watches, Google Pixel Watches and others, but they share similar concerns. Notably, distractions from the day with pinging notifications, and frankly unstylish, boxy black screens.
I’ve long bemoaned the lack of a stylish design ethos to smartwatches. Attempts to “sexy up” the smartwatch category, such as the Garmin Marq range, are either ludicrously expensive or don’t marry form and function well enough. If you’re going to a formal event, I can’t think of many smartwatches I’d like to wear with a three-piece suit.
One solution is to wear one of the best smart rings, if you must continue to monitor your health with a snappier-looking analog number. Another option is to invest in one of the best hybrid smartwatches, analog-looking models with hidden optical heart rate sensors and smaller screens, which act as a bridge between two worlds.
Unlike smart rings, hybrid smartwatches aren’t particularly well-known in the category, but to me, they are the perfect compromise: timeless analog aesthetics combined with up-to-date health and fitness tracking. Perhaps Apple should follow Garmin and Withings and look into a hybrid, or at least a more stylish Apple Watch model. After all, you’d get so many steps in on a wedding dance floor, that it’d be a shame to waste the opportunity to close your rings.