Rugged and good-looking, it is easy to see that the Michael Kors Access Grayson watch is a modern man’s timepiece. Considerably more expensive than some of its competition, the Grayson is a traditional wristwatch packed with a minimum amount of technology for your convenience.
With this baby, it was love at first sight. When the sleek navy-tone model arrived, I was instantly curious about what’s under the hood of this wearable tech prima donna. As I unboxed it, I suddenly had the feeling that it was not going to be an easy decision to swap my Apple Watch for the MK smartwatch.
The thing is, before the MK Grayson arrived, my Apple Watch had been the only device that made me run back to the house if I left home without it. In my experience, the Apple Watch not only looks great on my wrist, but it also meets my needs. That being said, I was intrigued by Michael Kors Access Grayson’s classic design. So as I put the high-end device in my hand, I fastened the clasp and felt this immediate comfort of knowing I am wearing quality.
Nailing The Core Smartwatch Essentials
More substantial in weight than expected, there is no denying that the Access Grayson is a stylish and masculine talking piece. Made entirely of metal, this is a watch that is very generous in size, which meant that I had to remove a link or two for it to fit correctly on my wrist. If I hadn’t done this, my timepiece would have been more of a man bracelet than a watch. The good news is that not only can the links be easily removed, should you require extra links, they have also been included in the box that the watch comes in.
Visually, the Grayson has three standard buttons on the side that you can use to navigate through the OS of the smartwatch. The central button is the main button which acts as the crown and allows the wearer to scroll through certain aspects of the user interface like the app drawer. Some might find that the buttons protrude a bit too much, but I think it comes down to taste. I personally, didn’t mind.
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Powered by Android Wear 2.0 and bragging the Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip, this MK version does not have the infamous flat tire that plagued the previous MK wearables Dylan and Bradshaw. Now gone, and hopefully never to return, the full-circle display is a 1.39-inch AMOLED panel with a 454 x 454 resolution. The AMOLED display does not require backlighting because each pixel of organic material generates light itself. When I wore the watch, I made sure to keep it on auto-brightness.
A contemporary smartwatch compatible with iPhone and Android, you can receive text and email alerts, access smart Help From Google, take advantage of the built-in fitness tracker and voice-Activated Google. Also, the water-resistant Grayson does not overheat when worn. This is brilliant because, in my previous experience, overly hot smartwatches quickly found a new home in the kitchen drawer among other wearable devices that just didn’t live up to the hype.
When it comes to the software, I found that the watch I wore was quite intuitive and did not suffer from slow-downs, or slow redrawing of the UI, which was great. Other positives included the My Social feature which connected me to my Facebook and Instagram account. Then for those who like to switch things up there is My Modes. Although only three watch faces are pre-loaded, there are others available and easily accessible in the Android Wear companion app on your smartphone. Therefore you can use one watch face style during the day and then a different one at night. I was surprised to see some neat looking feminine watch faces which immediately made this oversized wearable suitable for those women who can appreciate a more heavy looking accessory.
When it came to the battery power, it is easy to think that because the Grayson is a bit dressed down in features, it would have a better battery life, but unfortunately, it did not. Powered by a 370mAh unit, the watch lasted between 24-48 hours. Designed to charge wirelessly, I found out the hard way that it can take a lot longer to achieve a 100% charge then with other smartwatches. Superficially, Michael Kors did not disappoint. Funny enough, it is the first watch that made people in my circle make comments like, “it’s beautiful, and doesn’t look like a smartwatch at all.” Which did make me think about the MK’s wearable technology philosophy behind the chosen strategy of building a smartwatch that is less smart but looks the part.
I do think for a lot of people this piece won’t be validated as the best Android Wear watch. But looking like this I can only appreciate that MK isn’t trying to be the best wearable tech device. It might fall short in the fact that it doesn’t have NFC for Android Pay and it lacks the heart-rate monitor. No matter how you put it, the demand for tech features per square inch on the wrist is only increasing. Although these features are not essential, they would have future-proofed the Access Grayson’s position in the smartwatch hierarchy.
So in conclusion, the Michael Kors Access Grayson Android smartwatch successfully combines innovative technology with a refined aesthetic. Also; a new range of Spring 2018 colours have been introduced to the Michael Kors Access Android Wear smartwatches. For the Grayson, they include a silver-tone, black and cool army green shades. It is also worth mentioning that Access Sofie’s, the feminine version of Access Grayson, Spring 2018 colours include a two-tone, rose-goldtone, a blue tone and a white silicone-wrapped style. With the promise of new colours, the Access Grayson has the goods to keep you stylishly connected around the clock. Priced at €369,00, this watch is a worthy investment for those who desire more style than tech.
FashionTech Consultant, Freethinking Opportunist Hero, Aspiring to Inspire. Wearobot Groupie with a Tech for Passion. Contributed to Wired.com. Founder of WearableGuru.com Founding Managing Editor FashNerd.com