Honor has given the MagicWatch 2 smartwatch something it really needed — individuality. It has achieved this by partnering with several artists to design stunning new watch faces and straps, edging the wearable away from the relatively plain looks of the standard model, and into something more unique and desirable.
There are six artists working with Honor on the project, and perhaps the most well known is Jacky Tsai, who created the iconic floral skull used by designer Alexander McQueen. For the Honor MagicWatch 2, Tsai has created a similarly eye-catching Floral Horse design, which extends from the watch face on to the black strap, and looks fantastic. He has also penned a stunning, very colorful version called Shanghai Tang Cafe, where the strap plays a more important role in the overall design.
While Tsai’s artwork may capture a lot of attention, the other artists working with Honor have come up with some equally fantastic watch faces and straps for the MagicWatch 2. Giovanni Ozzola has made three designs. One Day and Ficus play with light and depth, while it’s Old Walls that really stands out with its texture, muted colors, and aged look.
- 1. Jacky Tsai, Floral Horse
- 2. Jacky Tsai, Shanghai Tang Cafe
- 3. Pencil Bryan
George Greeves’ colorful and summery The Palm Tree is considerably more playful, while Wang DongLing’s use of calligraphy and olive, almost emerald green tones matches his signature artistic style. Artist Zhou Li creates the most feminine design of the range with Peach Blossom Yard, where a gold MagicWatch 2 is matched with her subtle, yet energy-filled work. Finally, Xu Lei from the Pencil Bryan design team has introduced some surrealism to the MagicWatch 2, depicting time by using the sea and the sun in a dreamlike fashion.
- 1. Giovanni Ozzola, Old Walls
- 2. Giovanni Ozzola, One Day
- 3. Giovanni Ozzola, Ficus
All these unique styles give the MagicWatch 2 the uniqueness it was previously missing, sharing as it does a platform with the Huawei Watch GT2. Collaborations like this are hard to get right — Honor itself has failed before with its Moschino tie-ins — but work exceptionally well when the artists and brands really come together. It seems like these partnerships fit into that category.
- 1. George Greeves, The Palm Tree
- 2. Zhou Li, Peach Blossom Yard
- 3. Wang Dong Ling, Autumn Moon
This is a “soft launch,” of the special edition MagicWatch 2 models, as it is expected Honor will provide more details about the watches during Mobile World Congress at the end of February. It has not announced the price or availability yet. However, Honor is ready to release the standard versions of the MagicWatch 2 in the U.K. very soon. The 46mm model will cost 160 British pounds ($210) and will be sold through Amazon, along with the smaller 42mm model for 150 pounds ($196), from February 12.
