Watches have come a long way. The are not only a way to measure the passing time, but also (for some anyway) a symbol of status, a luxury accessory. In the late 19th century, when watches became readily available and popular, only the rich and the nobles could afford them. But as time passed, things changed. Everyone can afford a wristwatch. This means that watches evolved. Just like computing (and humanity) did. Both watches and computing moved from analog to digital (even if analog, mechanical watches are still very popular). During the 1980s, digital watches took the stage and gained the hearts of many teenagers. Until the 2010s, when primitive smartwatches began rolling out, nothing changed.
Every company selling smartwatches has a different vision. Apple and Google, for instance, want your watch to be able to replace your phone in more and more fields. Fitbit and Microsoft created the fitness band, a somewhat "dumber" watch with sporty persons in mind. Other companies, like Pebble and Vector, on the other hand, took a step back... and ended up getting bought out by Fitbit.
Both global corporations (see Casio) and indie classic watchmakers followed the trend set by the tech companies in building smartwatches. The indie smartwatch-makers are an interesting story: they create truly amazing products, but forget that those products need to be backed by reliable software...
Enter the Vector Watch: The smart "symbol of status" that you won't be buying.
Released in 2015, the Vector Watch comes in many different flavors and it does cost a small fortune. What binds all the different model variants are the features. You can buy 2 main (different) models: the Vector Watch Luna and The Vector Watch Meridian and you can customize them with different wrist-straps made from different materials (silicone, leather, stainless steel) and colored differently (the stainless steel variants have the widest selection here: silver, black, gold, rose gold). The Vector Watch Luna is "the flagship round design: simple,considered and versatile", while the Vector Watch Meridian is "bold and iconic: it's rectangular case is the perfect balance between the modern and the classic style.". I did not come up with these quotes on my own of course, this is Vector's marketing.
The main features of either model are the following:
I purchased a Vector Watch Luna with a brushed black stainless steel bracelet and case, for which I had to pay 400 EUR, so that's what I'll be reviewing.
To power on the watch for the first time, you have to connect it to an external outlet or to a computer via the included cable for a few seconds. The watch will boot automatically when it starts charging. You will be greeted by a very early system firmware version that you will have to update from once you download the app. That's right. Download the "Vector Watch" app from the app store, even if your phone will be able to pair through the usual Settings > Bluetooth menu. If you want your watch to work properly you have to pair it to your phone via the app. After the app connects to the watch it will search for a new system firmware and after it determines that it needs to update the firmware it will begin to download it to your phone and push it to the watch itself automatically. This should not take very long... unless something goes wrong...
Every company selling smartwatches has a different vision. Apple and Google, for instance, want your watch to be able to replace your phone in more and more fields. Fitbit and Microsoft created the fitness band, a somewhat "dumber" watch with sporty persons in mind. Other companies, like Pebble and Vector, on the other hand, took a step back... and ended up getting bought out by Fitbit.
Both global corporations (see Casio) and indie classic watchmakers followed the trend set by the tech companies in building smartwatches. The indie smartwatch-makers are an interesting story: they create truly amazing products, but forget that those products need to be backed by reliable software...
Enter the Vector Watch: The smart "symbol of status" that you won't be buying.
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| Fancy :)) |
Released in 2015, the Vector Watch comes in many different flavors and it does cost a small fortune. What binds all the different model variants are the features. You can buy 2 main (different) models: the Vector Watch Luna and The Vector Watch Meridian and you can customize them with different wrist-straps made from different materials (silicone, leather, stainless steel) and colored differently (the stainless steel variants have the widest selection here: silver, black, gold, rose gold). The Vector Watch Luna is "the flagship round design: simple,considered and versatile", while the Vector Watch Meridian is "bold and iconic: it's rectangular case is the perfect balance between the modern and the classic style.". I did not come up with these quotes on my own of course, this is Vector's marketing.
The main features of either model are the following:
- 30-day battery life (that's not a typo, this claim is... let's just say... modest)
- non-touch, always-on, monochrome, light-yellowish brown e-ink display with LED backlighting (in the dark)
- 50m (/ 5atm) water resistance; adequate for swimming or showering with the watch on your wrist; Vector however advises against pressing the 3 buttons if the watch is submerged
- changeable watch faces and custom streams (=widgets)
- (decisive factor when i was shopping around for a new smartwatch) compatibility with the 3 major mobile operating systems: Android, iOS, Windows Phone 8.1/ Windows 10 Mobile
I purchased a Vector Watch Luna with a brushed black stainless steel bracelet and case, for which I had to pay 400 EUR, so that's what I'll be reviewing.
Unboxing
If unboxing this watch would have been dull and unexciting, I would have probably skipped this short section entirely. Fortunately, I was blown away by the premium feel of the unboxing. I'll just take some pictures and let you judge this. After all, the box alone should not be a deciding factor when buying a product.
Out-of-the-box
There are only 2 things you'll have to extract from the box: the magnetic USB cable used for charging and data transfer and the Vector Watch itself. A USB power adapter would have probably been a nice addition, but Vector must have assumed that everyone who has the money to buy one of their watches has enough money to buy a separate charger or has at least a dozen lying around.
Regardless, after you peel away that satisfying plastic foil you can finally start enjoying the watch itself.
To power on the watch for the first time, you have to connect it to an external outlet or to a computer via the included cable for a few seconds. The watch will boot automatically when it starts charging. You will be greeted by a very early system firmware version that you will have to update from once you download the app. That's right. Download the "Vector Watch" app from the app store, even if your phone will be able to pair through the usual Settings > Bluetooth menu. If you want your watch to work properly you have to pair it to your phone via the app. After the app connects to the watch it will search for a new system firmware and after it determines that it needs to update the firmware it will begin to download it to your phone and push it to the watch itself automatically. This should not take very long... unless something goes wrong...
This is where my problems with the watch really started (before this I found out that the Windows 10 Mobile app was not compatible with Creators-Update Insider Preview builds and I had to completely reset my phone to finish setting up the app; It was very frustrating). What happened to me (and many other people as I later read on forums) was that the Bluetooth LE would simply drop the connection in the middle of the update, thus corrupting the firmware of the watch and completely freezing up the device. I managed to solve this after some tinkering and more hours of online lecture. I some notes on how to fix this issue and summed them up in an article that you can read here if you encounter the same issue.
Technical issues out of the way now, I was about to put the watch on my wrist when I realized that the bracelet was way too large to fit my small wrist. Fortunately, my Vector has the metal bracelet that can be adjusted to fit anyone's wrist by removing some links from the bracelet on either side of the clasp (without voiding the warranty; there are 6 links on either side that are removable). You can pay someone familiar with watches to do this for you or you can simply grab a paperclip or something small and push the small metal pins holding the links of the bracelet together in the direction shown on the links themselves. I very much appreciate the ease with which you can make a one-size-fits-all bracelet your own.
Now, this section is finally done and I can move on to the next.
Software - The Vector Watch app
I own a Windows Phone - a rarity these days (Lumia 950) - and use it as my daily driver. Since the watch is supposed to work on every major platform, this is the device I will use the Vector Watch (W10) app.
After you pair the watch and the phone and go through the setup, you can finally customize watch faces, add new ones or change the order of current ones, insert streams (some sort of widgets, the show almost everything from the date to weather to the number of Twitter followers). Swipe right and you will find the Store, where you can download new watch faces, streams or even some basic "apps". These apps include a Stopwatch, Calendar, Alarms, Camera Remote, Music Remote, Coin Flip, Find my phone and so on. Swipe right again and you will see the activity tracker (you need to have this app on your watch though, it comes pre-installed). It can count your steps, measure the number of calories you burn and the distance you travel and it tracks your sleep. The Vector Watch is not a specialized activity tracker, like the Microsoft Band, so don't expect this data to be super-accurate. Another swipe right will open the Settings menu and a final swipe will return you to the "Watchmaker"
In my humble opinion, the Windows Phone app is very poorly optimized. It hangs and freezes often and the lack of support for the Creators Update will be a deal-breaker for many later this year when that launches. Needless to say this app can be fixed if the developers show it some more love.
After you pair the watch and the phone and go through the setup, you can finally customize watch faces, add new ones or change the order of current ones, insert streams (some sort of widgets, the show almost everything from the date to weather to the number of Twitter followers). Swipe right and you will find the Store, where you can download new watch faces, streams or even some basic "apps". These apps include a Stopwatch, Calendar, Alarms, Camera Remote, Music Remote, Coin Flip, Find my phone and so on. Swipe right again and you will see the activity tracker (you need to have this app on your watch though, it comes pre-installed). It can count your steps, measure the number of calories you burn and the distance you travel and it tracks your sleep. The Vector Watch is not a specialized activity tracker, like the Microsoft Band, so don't expect this data to be super-accurate. Another swipe right will open the Settings menu and a final swipe will return you to the "Watchmaker"
In my humble opinion, the Windows Phone app is very poorly optimized. It hangs and freezes often and the lack of support for the Creators Update will be a deal-breaker for many later this year when that launches. Needless to say this app can be fixed if the developers show it some more love.
The Hardware - Using the Vector Watch
Not many words do come to mind when you try to describe the Vector Watch. Heavy. Thick. Bulky. Egregious Bluetooth range (to the point where you can't really leave the room without both the watch and your phone if you want to not lose the connection). Notifications don't always sync (most likely due to the OS of the phone preventing it from using too many resources in the background), even if restarting the app (or in the worst case the watch itself) fixes this.
These are only some of the little hick-ups your long-term relationship with the Luna will have. Other reviewers would at this point go like: "5/10 bad software do not buy". I, for some reason, am, on the other hand, drawn closer and closer to this naughty little timepiece. Why?
Well, to kick things off, I'm in love with the design. Modern. Timeless. As I mentioned earlier, the brushed black metal fits any costume one would want to pair with this great watch. It looks expensive and tech...y [look i just started making up words!!!].Alone the design, paired with the build quality of this device put most competitors through their paces.
Well, to kick things off, I'm in love with the design. Modern. Timeless. As I mentioned earlier, the brushed black metal fits any costume one would want to pair with this great watch. It looks expensive and tech...y [look i just started making up words!!!].Alone the design, paired with the build quality of this device put most competitors through their paces.
From a distance, the Vector Luna looks like a normal watch. Until you get close, of course. What exposes it? Well, the screen. Literally the centerpiece of the watch. This is not your average LCD/ IPS/ (AM)OLED panel. Quite the opposite in fact. The Vector Watch uses an e-ink display (monochrome, sand-yellow). This allows it to be on at all times. Finally. With the Vector Watch, you don't have to raise your hand to see the time. Not only is this practical, but it is also a step back in the right direction; reminiscent of the watches we all know and love. But wait, there is more. [Kindle owners are familiar with this...] What happens at night, when it's dark? E-ink does not produce any light, so what do you do? The Vector watch has you covered here too. Right next to the Vector logo on the lower side of the screen area, barely visible lies an ambient light sensor. If it detects darkness it activates a blue backlight upon raising your wrist or when a button is pressed. Very clever.
To navigate the very basic operating system of the watch, the vectorOS, you have to use the 3 hardware buttons on the right side of the watch. There's no touchscreen. So you navigate the installed apps and read trough notifications with the upper and lower buttons. The middle button acts as the select button. It is used to open the apps or to dismiss notifications.
Speaking of notifications, when they arrive the watch vibrates. You will see a circle around the edges of the screen. Press the middle button and you can see who sent that text during math class... Incoming calls are pushed to the Vector, but it is not equipped neither with a microphone nor with a speaker. You can only ignore calls by pressing the mid button.
The 5atm water-resistance of the Vector watch is another interesting feature. You can shower or even swim without having to remove it from your wrist. However you may not be able to read incoming notifications, since Vector strongly advises against pressing any of the buttons if the watch is submerged or wet. Makes sense to me. I also keep it away from water if I bought a Vector with a leather bracelet. I almost forgot to mention: if you like to keep the watch on in the shower and went like me, with the steel bracelet, mind that the bracelet becomes very slippery, so if that bracelet is rather loose it can slip off and fall.
Last and probably most important: battery life. Vector advertises 30-day battery life. This is more than any smartwatch I know of; their claim is not just a marketing trick either: I've been using my Vector for almost 3 weeks now without having to charge it and it looks like there still is about 40% battery left. And it's not like I have not used the watch or something: the watch is set to vibrate, I get dozens of notifications daily, I have a couple of alarms every day and I use it as a media-remote for my phone all the time when I listen to music. This is simply impressive.
To navigate the very basic operating system of the watch, the vectorOS, you have to use the 3 hardware buttons on the right side of the watch. There's no touchscreen. So you navigate the installed apps and read trough notifications with the upper and lower buttons. The middle button acts as the select button. It is used to open the apps or to dismiss notifications.
Speaking of notifications, when they arrive the watch vibrates. You will see a circle around the edges of the screen. Press the middle button and you can see who sent that text during math class... Incoming calls are pushed to the Vector, but it is not equipped neither with a microphone nor with a speaker. You can only ignore calls by pressing the mid button.
The 5atm water-resistance of the Vector watch is another interesting feature. You can shower or even swim without having to remove it from your wrist. However you may not be able to read incoming notifications, since Vector strongly advises against pressing any of the buttons if the watch is submerged or wet. Makes sense to me. I also keep it away from water if I bought a Vector with a leather bracelet. I almost forgot to mention: if you like to keep the watch on in the shower and went like me, with the steel bracelet, mind that the bracelet becomes very slippery, so if that bracelet is rather loose it can slip off and fall.
Last and probably most important: battery life. Vector advertises 30-day battery life. This is more than any smartwatch I know of; their claim is not just a marketing trick either: I've been using my Vector for almost 3 weeks now without having to charge it and it looks like there still is about 40% battery left. And it's not like I have not used the watch or something: the watch is set to vibrate, I get dozens of notifications daily, I have a couple of alarms every day and I use it as a media-remote for my phone all the time when I listen to music. This is simply impressive.
Overall - Should Vector shut up and take your money?
Most tech companies see the smartwatch as a possible replacement for the smartphone, while (in my opinion) a smartwatch should only be like an extension of the smartphone... a second screen... but a fancy one. If this was Vector's goal for this watch, then they achieved it. It is a decent, if not basic, smartwatch that does its job well (after you go through the painful process of setting the wicked thing up). And think of buying a Vector this way: it offers only the most basic smartwatch functionality. The OS is basic. It looks really stealth. In a few years, when other smart watches will feel outdated, the Vector will not, exactly do to this basicness ["making up words again, huh, Alex?"].
But wait! There is more!
Guess who bought the small company from Romania named Vector! If you guessed Fitbit, then you're right. And what does Fitbit do best? Cut off development of subsequent hardware and of new software features. A shame, really. What remains is a very interesting, niche device, that does not get the love it deserves... and (especially for the Windows Phone platform) needs. Add the 400$ (300$ for a Vector with a leather bracelet) and the vast majority of potential buyers will buy a Fitbit Blaze. Or an Apple Watch. Or an expensive mechanical watch.
The Vector Watch happened when a good idea brought together a watchmaker and a small tech company. It's the ultimate watch. a fine smartwatch and my new companion.
But wait! There is more!
Guess who bought the small company from Romania named Vector! If you guessed Fitbit, then you're right. And what does Fitbit do best? Cut off development of subsequent hardware and of new software features. A shame, really. What remains is a very interesting, niche device, that does not get the love it deserves... and (especially for the Windows Phone platform) needs. Add the 400$ (300$ for a Vector with a leather bracelet) and the vast majority of potential buyers will buy a Fitbit Blaze. Or an Apple Watch. Or an expensive mechanical watch.
The Vector Watch happened when a good idea brought together a watchmaker and a small tech company. It's the ultimate watch. a fine smartwatch and my new companion.
If you can afford one and are a tinkerer, go ahead, but it. Many features of other smartwatches are gimmicks. Trust me. You don't need to call a friend using your watch... it's weird... it would look weird too. And since Fitbit bough Vector, why wouldn't you buy a Vector too?
Thanks for reading, folks, that's all for now. If you liked this article be sure to check out my other articles, you can find those at the top of the page. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments down below. If you loved this article I'd appreciate a thumbs-up, or even a follow.If you are interested in buying a Vector Watch, check it out at the link below:
Vector Watch (Amazon US): http://amzn.to/2n848zc
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