Hermès’s H08 Watch, the Other Source for Samsung’s Ultra Rip-Off

I’ve seen a few people arguing that Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra, though clearly inspired by Apple Watch Ultra, isn’t a rip-off, per se, because it’s not an exact clone. Ben Thompson even tried to argue such with me on Dithering this week.

Here, for example, is a literal clone of Apple Watch Ultra that I bought on Temu last year for $16. (I’m linking to the user manual because the watch itself is no longer available, but here’s a thumbnail photo from Temu.) But of course Samsung wasn’t going to go that far and literally clone Apple Watch Ultra. That’s absurd. What they did was rip off as much as they thought they could get away with.

What I neglected to point out, but have since updated the post to mention, is that whatever elements of the Galaxy Watch Ultra weren’t copied from Apple Watch Ultra were clearly ripped off from Hermès’s H08 watch:

Photo of Hermès H08 Watch

That’s a handsome watch in and of itself, but it should be noted that Hermès is a longstanding partner of a smartwatch maker named — checks notes... — Apple.

★ Friday, 12 July 2024