This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Samsung brought back the "Classic" variant of its smartwatch this year. One of the hallmarks of the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and a big marketing point, is the physical rotating bezel. Today I'm going to go against the grain and argue against this physical interface.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but to be honest, I've seen quite a few people share this sentiment that the rotating bezel in Samsung's watches is an unnecessary, bulky, laggy, and even ugly contraption.
But first, a few words on the history of the rotating bezel. Back to the year 2015!
History of the rotating bezel
The first iteration of the rotating bezel in the Gear S2 | Image by PhoneArena
Samsung introduced it with the Galaxy Gear S2 in 2015. Back then, people were fascinated by the idea.
My colleague Nick praised it in the Galaxy Gear S2 Review: "Speaking of the bezel, it is one of the Gear S2’s stand-out features. By rotating it, one can navigate through the smartwatch’s menus, scroll down emails, and interact with apps, having to touch the display only to confirm a selection. The solution is elegant, convenient, and superior to anything similar that we’ve seen on a smartwatch to date."
The design made its way to the Galaxy Watch 3 and subsequently to the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. But then Samsung decided to move to a two-year release cycle for the rotating bezel models, skipping it on the Galaxy Watch 5 series, only to bring it back a year later on the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic.
The Galaxy Watch 7 series once again omitted the rotating bezel, and now we have it back on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. What’s going on?
It turns out that most of the reasons match the ones I already mentioned in the beginning. Let's dive deeper.
Design and aesthetics
The true origin of the rotating bezel can be traced back to diving watches in the 1950s | Image by Omega
One of the reasons Samsung has been taking away and bringing back the rotating bezel on a regular basis lies in the aesthetics department. I know design is subjective, but in 2022, when Samsung removed the rotating bezel from the Galaxy Watch 5 series, the industry was pushing for a minimal and stylish look.
Samsung was competing with the Apple Watch 8 and allegedly saw the rotating bezel as old school, bulky, and outside the design language the company wanted to portray. Samsung didn’t say this officially, but that’s what the rumor mill was spitting out at the time.
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The sleek and stylish Galaxy Watch 7 | Image by PhoneArena
I'm absolutely on board with this point of view. Smartwatches have been trying for years to mimic regular timepieces, mainly because we're so accustomed to the design through the ages.
But given the true origin of the rotating bezel, I think it looks odd and out of place on a modern and stylish smartwatch. Hear me out.
The origin of the rotating bezel can be traced back to diving watches back in the 1950s. It was a crucial safety feature to remind divers of the time they'd spent underwater.
Nowadays many smartwatches go for that "diving watch" aesthetic, even though they're not specifically designed for diving. I personally find this annoying; instead of making smartwatches innovative and exciting, we're clinging to the past.
But even as an interface piece, the rotating bezel is, in my opinion, not a very good idea.
It's redundant as an interface
You still need to tap on the display to navigate in and out of menus and apps | Image by PhoneArena
The rotating bezel is mainly used to scroll through menus and text on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic. In order to select something or go back, you need to touch the display.
Many people argue in favor of the rotating crown with the argument that it lets you navigate without touching the display—for example, with wet or dirty hands, underwater, etc.
However, it's simply not the case—you can't even use the other physical buttons to avoid touching the screen—you can only return to the home screen. To me, it's a flawed design and a failed opportunity.
Had Samsung allowed the physical buttons on the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic to be used to go forward and back one step, the rotating bezel would've made much more sense. And even then, doing a rotating motion to scroll up and down or left and right isn't the most intuitive way to do it. And speaking of alternatives…
There's a better way to do it—the rotating crown
Apple Watch's rotating crown is minimal and gives more design freedom
As far as physical scrolling interfaces go, Apple did a great job with the rotating crown. Don't get me wrong, I still think that the Apple Watch is overpriced and flawed with its 18-hour battery life. The rotating crown, though, was a great invention, and no wonder so many companies have copied it.
It requires less physical effort to turn (you can do it with a finger), your hand doesn't obscure the display while you're turning it, and the direction of the rotation mimics what's happening on the display—you turn it up or down, and the text or menu moves up or down.
For me, the rotating crown is a better implementation of the same idea and also leaves much more design freedom.
Other problems with the rotating bezel
People are complaining about rotating bezel's durability and functionality on older Galaxy Watch models | Image by Reddit
The rotating bezel is a big moving part. And as we all know, parts that move mechanically are prone to failure. It's also a point of entry for dirt and moisture, adding to the risk of failure I mentioned above.
The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic is still quite new, and it will take some time for such problems to manifest, but still, it's a potential issue.
Conclusion
Design and interface are two subjective parts of the smartwatch equation. I get that many people still love and swear by the rotating bezel, but it's just not for me. I see it as a gimmick and a tribute to our old ways of thinking.
I would love to see new designs, new interface choices, and braver solutions when it comes to smartwatches.
What do you think of the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and the rotating bezel? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comment section below.
What do you think of the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic and the rotating bezel?
I love it!
80.65%
It's okay, I rarely use the rotating bezel...
9.03%
I rarely use it. The rotating bezel is a gimmick.
7.74%
Other (leave a comment)
2.58%
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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