--- title: Apple iWatch: The Smartwatch's Evolution As Told By the Pages of TIME description: With Apple rumored to be unveiling its take on a smartwatch on Tuesday, take a look at how TIME has covered the devices in the past canonical: https://time.com/3293508/smartwatch-apple/ author: Alex Fitzpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-09T11:00:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:03:06.755Z article:section: History og:title: The evolution of the smartwatch, as told by TIME og:description: With Apple rumored to be unveiling its take on a smartwatch on Tuesday, take a look at how TIME has covered the devices in the past og:url: https://time.com/3293508/smartwatch-apple/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63fbc19e5257c160/6986a25bcd68483f530965a3/dicktracy.png?branch=production&width=471&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 471 og:image:height: 265 og:image:alt: Dick Tracy, Sept. 21, 1953 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The evolution of the smartwatch, as told by TIME twitter:description: With Apple rumored to be unveiling its take on a smartwatch on Tuesday, take a look at how TIME has covered the devices in the past twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt63fbc19e5257c160/6986a25bcd68483f530965a3/dicktracy.png?branch=production&width=471&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Evolution of the Smartwatch > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Sep 9, 2014 11:00 AM UTC  From the Sept. 21, 1953, issue of TIME From the Sept. 21, 1953, issue of TIME TIME  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Sep 9, 2014 11:00 AM UTC Tech junkies have fantasized about a wrist-phone ever since comic book detective Dick Tracy first donned a two-way radio watch (described above) in the 1940s. In [1953](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,890634,00.html), TIME reported that the U.S. Army Signal Corps had developed a wearable radio with a 40-mile range — but only in the past decade or so has the concept of a “smartwatch” really taken hold, with popular models from companies like Samsung, Motorola, and LG, mostly running versions of Android OS. One company is notably absent from that list: Apple. [Apple is rumored to be unveiling its take on a smartwatch](http://time.com/3270547/apple-iphone-iwatch-new-tech/) — maybe called the “iWatch” or “iBand” — on Tuesday, in a move that would shake up an already exciting product category. But modern smartwatches aren’t brand new inventions — many have tried to perfect the “smartwatch” over the years. Let’s take a look back on how the devices have evolved, as told by TIME: **1\.** [**Seiko Message Watch, 1994**](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,982061-2,00.html) --- > “” --- **2\.** [**Fossil’s Palm Pilot Watch, 2002**](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1003780,00.html) --- > “” --- **3.** [**Microsoft’s Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT), 2003**](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,1004059,00.html) --- > “” --- **4\.** [**BMW MP3 Watch, 2004**](With%20its elegant mingling of analog hands and digital functions, BMW's new MP3 watch %28available at dealerships for $275%29 looks as if it came straight out of a James Bond film. It's packed with 256 megabytes of internal flash memory, which means you can store more than four hours of high-fidelity music, record voice memos and use it as a mini--hard drive for transporting computer files as well.) --- > “” --- **5\.** [**Suunto X9 “Wristop Computer,” 2004**](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,995720,00.html) --- > “” --- 6\. [**Samsung and Sony Smartwatches, 2013**](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2151808,00.html) --- > “” --- Your move indeed, Apple. 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