While Apple Watch could be more than a month away from a public release, it has won a 2015 iF Gold Award from the International Forum (iF) Design in its annual industrial design competition. The jury called the Apple Watch design "an icon".

applewatch

The idea of combining classic materials such as leather and metal with state-of-the-art technology to create a very individual fashion accessory has resulted in a delightful product offering a holistic user experience. The Apple Watch scores highly for each design detail and is an altogether extraordinary piece of design. For us, it is already an icon.

Apple Watch was one of only two telecommunication products out of 64 recipients to earn the "Gold" designation. Out of the 1,624 products recognized, only 75 of them received a Gold Award.

The iF has been hosting its renowned design awards since 1953, and its jury evaluates products on a set of criteria that includes workmanship, choice of materials, environmental friendliness, design quality, safety, brand value, ergonomics, workmanship, degree of innovation and functionality.

Apple has won a number of iF Design Awards, for major products like iPhone 6, iPad Air and iMac to accessories like EarPods and Apple Keyboard. In total, Apple has won 118 iF Design Awards, but only 44 have earned a "Gold" designation, with Apple Watch being the most recent.

The design of Apple Watch is one aspect of the device that Apple has been marketing thus far, with design chief Jony Ive talking about the challenge of designing the smart watch and it appearing on fashion magazines in both interior multi-page spreads and cover features.

Apple will provide more information about the Apple Watch at its March 9 media event.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 9
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

filmantopia Avatar
119 months ago
absolutely ridiculous.
Interesting. What's your design background?
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
filmantopia Avatar
119 months ago
They used steel and leather to make a watch. WOAH. You crazy Apple, you are so far ahead of the curve with your crazy ideas.

I'm glad that the judges' attention to detail is clearly more evolved than yours.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
119 months ago
Maybe he means don't judge a book by it's cover.

It's plain stupid to judge this thing based off looks. And it does not look great to begin with.

That's pretty subjective.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BlueParadox Avatar
119 months ago
absolutely ridiculous.

And why is that? Or have you simply signed-up to cause a stir?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
filmantopia Avatar
119 months ago
So do they have one already? I'm guessing no. Which makes the iF Gold Awards seem a bit shallow..(?)
Apple had to submit, so they clearly had access to all of the information required to make an informed decision. The judges are accomplished well respected in their design-related fields.

http://www.ifdesign.de/awards_jury_e
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shlee9803 Avatar
119 months ago
absolutely ridiculous.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...