Overview
The Luku Snapback Watch reimagines traditional timepiece design, addressing the saturation of recycled watch designs for millennials today. In a market of redundant styles, my team and I strategically shifted focus from the watch face to the band, creating a distinct identity that combines minimalism with the iconic snapback hat design aesthetic. Branded as Luku, this product is the world’s first Snapback Watch, an interchangeable timepiece inspired by minimalist styles and ’90s urban hip-hop culture. We aimed to develop a customizable hybrid watch addressing millennials’ growing desire for authentic self-expression through endless personalization.
Research & Design
Product Development · Design for Manufacturing (DFM) · Sustainability lifecycle design
- Duration: October 2017 – February 2018
- Partners: Acrivia Innovations
- Team: Fas Lebbie, Colby Smith
My Role
I lead concept, development, and manufacturing, focusing on creating a minimum viable product that we could test with the target demographic to gather insights for future iterations.
WHAT I BROUGHT
I led comprehensive market research to identify opportunities in the oversaturated millennial watch market, analyzing cultural trends from 1990s snapback culture.
I developed the snapback-inspired timepiece concept, creating a new product category that shifted focus from traditional watch faces to customizable bands.
Product Background
In an oversaturated market with conventional watch designs, millennial consumers increasingly sought products that allowed for personalization and authentic self-expression. The history of the snapback hat design began in the 1980s and continued through the 1990s in cities such as Los Angeles and New York. It started to be adopted as an urban symbol of soul and artistry. This cultural artifact represented individual expression and symbolized an urban style that transcended demographics. Snapbacks soon became a fashion accessory for people from all walks of life.
Market Gap
Traditional luxury watch brands remain anchored in aspirational marketing, missing a fundamental shift in the market where young consumers have prioritized authentic cultural connections over status symbols.
The primary target audience was style-conscious millennials who value individuality and self-expression. These consumers seek versatility in their accessories and are willing to invest in distinctive designs that set them apart from mainstream fashion. The snapback watch offers flexibility to change accessories according to the outfit or mood.
The design required a functional snapback mechanism while ensuring that all components remained easily interchangeable without the need for tools. Durability was paramount, as the watch needed to maintain its structural integrity despite frequent band changes. Water resistance of up to 3 ATM was specified to provide everyday practicality, and a Japanese quartz movement was selected for its reliability and accuracy.
The inherent customizability promotes sustainability by extending product life through a refreshed appearance with new components. This approach reduces waste by allowing the replacement of individual components rather than the entire watch when styles change or parts wear out. The modular system creates a platform that evolves with changing trends, ensuring the product remains relevant and desirable.
The initial product run included six watch faces and twelve bands to test with the target demographic and gather insights for further product iterations. The production strategy focused on creating high-quality components that maintained interchangeability across all variations. We collaborated with our manufacturing partner, Acrivia Innovations, a company based in Shenzhen, China, where we jointly established quality control processes to ensure reliability. The product was packaged in a sleek white box. The team developed minimum viable prototypes and established production processes to ensure the final product met durability standards while maintaining the original design.
Concept to Consumer
From early sketches to marketing, refined features, packaging, and real users showcase product design.
Concept Design
The team created sketches exploring watch face designs, band configurations, and component interchangeability methods. The design evolved into a system where every element, face, band, and hardware can be swapped using simple pop-up spring pins. The watch maintains a sleek aesthetic while incorporating the unique snapback mechanism, shifting focus from face to band for a distinctive visual identity. The final product features six watch faces, twelve band colors, and interchangeable loops and accents for extensive personalization.
Concepts and Features
Material exploration focused on premium athletic silicone for the bands, providing comfort, durability, and flexibility.
Reflections & Impact
The Snapback Watch successfully reimagined traditional watch design by shifting focus from the face to the band, creating a unique hybrid of snapback culture and timepiece functionality. It established a platform for endless customization, providing millennials with authentic tools for self-expression. The provisional patent design combines comfort, durability, and adjustability while maintaining fresh aesthetics. Its one-size-fits-all approach and customization options make it accessible to broad audiences. By combining cultural references with innovative design approaches, the Snapback Watch created a distinctive position in the saturated market. The design’s success lies in fundamentally rethinking watch architecture, prioritizing the band as the key distinctive element rather than focusing on the traditional face. This shift created opportunities for personalization and style expression previously unexplored in watch design.
