In 1506, the renowned philosopher Wang Yangming experienced his famous enlightenment in Longchang, Guizhou, during his exile. This “Longchang Enlightenment” led to his influential concept of “Unity of Knowledge and Action” that continues to resonate today.
On the other side of the continent, along the shores of Lake Geneva, the Swiss watchmaking industry embraces a similar philosophy: watches, as vessels for recording and displaying time, must withstand time’s test.
The traditional mechanical watchmaking industry faces challenges not only from time itself but also from quartz watches, electronic watches, and now smartwatches. Yet time has provided its answer: those faithful to time are blessed by it.
Interestingly, traditional watchmaking and smartwatches aren’t mutually exclusive but have already merged. Brands like Montblanc and Louis Vuitton have launched smartwatches, while traditional watchmaker H. Moser & Cie has produced the Swiss Alp Watch, which closely resembles the Apple Watch design.
What moves are tech companies making in this space?
Huawei’s HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Sapphire Gold Edition (referred to as “Huawei Blue-Gold Watch”) is the second ultra-premium smartwatch in the “Ultimate Design” family. It represents the tech industry’s interpretation of this dialectical relationship with time and watchmaking integration, defining what an “Ultimate Design” watch should be.
This is also a silent response from smartwatch manufacturers to traditional watchmakers.
Challenging Sapphire Crystal Craftsmanship: A Step Further in Smartwatch Luxury
Today, smartwatches are a mature category in consumer electronics, with annual shipments in the billions. However, the industry’s premium segment has been primarily driven by traditional watch brands’ smart initiatives rather than emerging smartwatch brands venturing into luxury territory.
When we ask AI why luxury watches command such high prices, the answer, besides brand value, points to exquisite craftsmanship and luxurious materials as the two most important factors.
Following this thread, let’s explore what makes the HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Sapphire Gold Edition luxurious.
The previously released HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Gold Edition, priced at ¥21,999, already demonstrated Huawei’s craftsmanship in ultra-premium smartwatches.
Compared to its predecessor, the new Sapphire Gold Edition features two main changes: first, the bezel is crafted from sapphire crystal instead of black nano-microcrystalline ceramic; second, it sports a blue-gold color scheme rather than black-gold.
Sapphire crystal, second only to diamond in hardness, is renowned for its durability, scratch resistance, and crystalline brilliance. This makes it exceptionally challenging to work with, particularly in creating precision components like watch bezels.
The watch’s bezel is crafted from a single piece of 99.999% pure sapphire crystal, requiring processing time ten times longer than regular glass. The manufacturing process spans over 100 days, involving more than 70 complex procedures including cutting, polishing, annealing, and color coating. The final bezel is selected from a mere 30% yield rate.
The sapphire crystal is grown at 2,300°C over 264 hours to create 99.999% pure sapphire single crystals. After directional C-face crystal selection and various processing steps, sapphire crystal rods are prepared.
These rods are then cut into discs using diamond wire cutting technology. The discs undergo CNC machining using industry-leading 5-axis CNC equipment and special diamond cutting tools to create the complex three-dimensional bezel shape.
The final stages involve hand polishing and comprehensive buffing, similar to traditional watchmaking techniques. These manual processes are crucial for achieving the perfect finish and brilliant appearance of the sapphire crystal bezel.
The finishing touch is the bezel coating. Since pure sapphire crystal is transparent, a special coating is required to achieve the blue ice aesthetic. As this is the first use of sapphire crystal for a smartwatch bezel, Huawei developed proprietary coating equipment and technology, utilizing 720° rotating PVD coating to ensure uniform coverage across the bezel’s complex structure.
The Huawei Blue-Gold Watch’s luxury materials extend far beyond sapphire crystal.
In the watch industry, gold and golden colors carry special significance, which explains why both of Huawei’s “Ultimate Design” watches incorporate gold elements.
Complementing the sapphire crystal bezel are six segments of 18K gold, reminiscent of a ship’s wheel, symbolizing guidance and direction.
The characters on the sapphire crystal bezel are engraved using picosecond laser technology, then coated with 18K gold using PVD technology. This is followed by electroplating of both 18K and 24K gold layers, creating a rich, multi-layered golden finish.
The crown and buttons, though small, represent a lighthouse beacon – symbolizing high aspirations guided by clear direction. These components undergo 14 manufacturing processes, combining titanium alloy stems with 18K gold rings and plates to create elegant yet durable controls.
Beyond sapphire crystal and gold, the watch shares materials with high-end brands like Richard Mille and Rolex, establishing its luxury credentials.
The watch case uses amorphous zirconium alloy, several times stronger than stainless steel yet lighter. The strap is made from aerospace-grade titanium alloy, combining lightness with durability and corrosion resistance. The watch crystal is sapphire glass, matching the bezel’s hardness while maintaining clarity.
Beyond Good Materials and Craftsmanship: Auspicious Design
Unlike most smartwatches where form follows function, the HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Sapphire Gold Edition has invested heavily in design, materials, and craftsmanship – elements that largely justify its value.
The concept of “wearable devices” has typically focused on basic functionality rather than aesthetics, with traditional brands filling this gap.
Huawei’s Blue-Gold Watch expands the industry’s understanding of wearable devices, imbuing them with greater aesthetic value. This represents Huawei’s unique design language, previously seen in products like the FreeBuds Lipstick series and WATCH GT 5 series.
In the luxury watch world, auspicious meanings often add value – like how “Rolex” sounds similar to “hard work” in Chinese. Similarly, the Blue-Gold Watch’s color scheme creates a homophone for “gathering gold” in Chinese, suggesting prosperity for its wearer.
Technical Excellence for Summit, Sea, and Wilderness
The question arises: why choose a smart luxury watch over a traditional mechanical timepiece?
Technology is Huawei’s foundation and the answer to this question.
Since introducing satellite communication technology with the Mate 50 series, Huawei has continued evolving this breakthrough technology. The Blue-Gold Watch supports independent two-way BeiDou satellite messaging with customizable messages, allowing users to send both location and text information.
Additionally, during emergency assistance requests, users can report vital signs including heart rate and blood oxygen levels, significantly improving rescue effectiveness.
This represents another form of “unity of knowledge and action” – Huawei didn’t simply transplant smartphone satellite functions but integrated them meaningfully into the watch’s purpose.
The Blue-Gold Watch isn’t just a “smart Rolex” in design and materials.
Just as the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner was the world’s first 100-meter water-resistant diving watch, the Huawei Blue-Gold Watch achieves the same depth rating while maintaining audio functionality, supporting free diving and recreational scuba diving modes.
Beyond reaching the sky and diving deep, the watch offers professional sports modes fitting its positioning, notably professional golf and outdoor exploration modes.
The watch covers over 15,000 golf courses worldwide, displaying 3D views of tees, fairways, trees, bunkers, water hazards, and greens. It can recommend club selection based on user performance data and course information, including hole layouts, obstacle positions, and terrain slopes.
The auxiliary button at 10 o’clock serves as an outdoor shortcut – a quick press enters exploration mode, while a 3-second press sends preset BeiDou satellite messages. New features include route importing and guidance, expanded outdoor knowledge guides, and protection through five-star dual-frequency positioning, plateau care mode, and satellite communication capabilities.
This represents the dual nature of the HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Sapphire Gold Edition – it’s both Huawei’s masterpiece in watchmaking craftsmanship and their technical pinnacle in smartwatches, making it unique in the market.
While smartwatch manufacturers can master traditional watchmaking crafts, the extensive technical capabilities remain beyond traditional watchmakers’ reach.
Most Precious is Time, Most Distant is Exploration
Due to time’s irreversible nature, when asked about life’s most precious thing, “time” is the most common answer.
When recording and displaying time became a watch’s most basic function, this category was destined to develop a more complex relationship with time. This relationship helps us further understand the HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Sapphire Gold Edition.
When discussing luxury watches’ value retention and investment potential, we often assume they can maintain both function and appearance for extended periods.
Just as sapphire crystal and gold can shine throughout history, this explains why the watch uses these materials and craftsmanship methods.
The goal isn’t merely luxury, but creating a timepiece that can accompany time itself, recording and accompanying it while remaining timeless.
This extends the concept of “unity of knowledge and action.” Huawei likely underwent its own “enlightenment” process, contemplating what kind of watch product would fit the ULTIMATE DESIGN brand.
It’s not just about material accumulation and craft evolution, but internal coherence: if time is most precious, then what accompanies time longest is most valuable, best demonstrating what’s extraordinary, what’s ULTIMATE.
After clarifying its relationship with time, the HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Sapphire Gold Edition naturally explores space.
Thus, the breakthrough satellite communication technology, 100-meter water resistance, outdoor exploration mode and more indicate that this watch can accompany users to explore the most distant places.
Space has another meaning – smartwatches are often the closest consumer electronics to users, closer than phones, earphones, computers, or tablets, making them the most intimate with users.
This closeness and care represent technology’s alternative expression of “space.”
Perhaps in the smartwatch era, people feel its relationship with time has become less intimate, with hands displayed in pixels and watch faces freely changeable, time’s form seemingly fluid.
But as long as this category maintains the watch form and name, time’s scale and importance remain unchanged. We need such a product that still comprehends time’s essence and preciousness in the new smartwatch era.
Its materials, craftsmanship, and design are just subtle reminders about time.
On multiple dimensions – from the unity of technology and craftsmanship, to exploration from sky to sea, to focus on and care for humanity – the HUAWEI WATCH ULTIMATE DESIGN Sapphire Gold Edition represents Huawei’s watchmaking pinnacle, achieving unity of form and function. This represents both Huawei’s Ultimate Design brand’s self-cultivation and the highest standards for the smartwatch industry’s leading products.