I’ve been ridiculed. I’ve been ignored. I’ve been hassled for my love of watches. But today is a reckoning. All of my education, my effort, my endless fascination with horology is paying off. Why?
Because Apple did something wrong.
The Hermes collection of Apple Watch bands includes mention of a set of leather models with fancy buckles. But, under these buckles, is a mechanism well known to the watch world. It’s a sort of clasp that opens – unfolds – when you touch both sides of the band.
It’s called a déployant clasp from the French déployer. Déployer means “to spread” or “to unfold,” which is exactly what this clasp does. It is related to the word “deployment” but it is not the same thing. I thank my friend Nicholas Deleon, who fell in love with watches because of me, for finding this outrageous mistake.
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1305994886651486209
Look, if we were talking about some rubes over in Mountain View who are releasing some generic garbage watch bands, then by all means call it a “deployment” band. If you’re Sam down at Zale’s in the mall and you heard the word once? Deployment all the way. But if you’re selling Hermes-branded watch bands to a discerning audience then you dun goofed, Apple.
So Tim: you have a few hours to fix this before I call down the entire watch world on your heads. This is a rookie mistake and if you’re selling this hunk of cowskin for $539 you get the name right.
