Daily Crush: The Apple Watch by Hermès

This week Apple unveiled a a new collection of watches designed in collaboration with the tres chic Parisian fashion house Hermes. The stainless-steel case stays the same, safe for the Hermes logo on the digital dial, but all the luxury goes into the leather bands, which use some of Hermes' signature styles: a double loop (usually a hit with the ladies), a single loop, for us guys, and a unisex cuff style, all available in several colors.

The joint effort makes sense for Hermes. The brand has always been keen on tech-savvy projects, from its Tie Break app, launched last year, to MANifeste, a website dedicated to men and spearheaded by the brand's creative director, Veronique Nichanian, for an imminent fall launch.

"At Hermes, we strive to provide our clients with elegant, creative and functional objects for their everyday lives," said Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermes' executive vice president in charge of artistic direction. "What more contemporary and relevant expression of this principle could there be than this collaboration with Apple... I see it as the establishment of an alliance in excellence; like horse and carriage, a perfect team."

Apple Watch sales have been less than stellar -- industry experts call it a flop, pointing out underwhelming figures, which are down 90% since April-- but it remains a beautiful object for gadget lovers. The price point could be a deal-breaker for first-time buyers (from $1,100 for the Single Tour watch, pictured above), yet Hermes manages to revive a sense of temptation, turning the object into an elegant compromise between fashion-forward luxury and new technology.

The question is: Who will yield to it?

Apple Watch by Hermes, $1,100 Single Tour (38mm case), $1,150 Single Tour (42 mm case), $1,250 Double Tour (38mm case), $1,500 Cuff (42 mm case), available at select Apple and Hermes stores, Hermes.com/applewatchhermes.