J O Y C O M P L E X makes the most distinctive Apple Watch accessories available - hand crafted cast metal covers. Almost a throwback in our throw away society these watch covers help the Apple Watch transcend obsolescence.

The first batch of cast metal Apple Watch covers for the 44mm Series 4 have just been released.  To mark the occasion we caught up with the designer - Jeremy Burnich.

JC: The Series 4 Apple Watch came out in September 2018.  The covers you make are just arriving into customers hands now, nearly four months later.  What caused the delay?

JB:  At first I didn’t want to design for the Apple Watch series series 4. The previous covers were difficult to design and make and I didn’t see that I would gain anything from going through the same exercise for the series 4.

Plus, I didn’t have a Series 4 myself so there was no rush. 

JC:  What changed your mind? 

JB: I kept on getting requests from people to make covers for their series 4 watches. So I decided to offer pre-orders. I figured if people wanted the cover bad enough and were willing to put their money where their mouth was than I would be fine being obligated to make them a cover. 

JC:  So the pre-order option was successful.  Was this something you expected.

JB: I really wasn't sure! People say they will "definitely buy" something a lot online but IRL that gets translated as "maybe I'll buy that sometime."

I was upfront with people that I wasn’t really even in the prototype stage at that point and it could be a month or two between them forking over money and them receiving their covers.

It turns out people weren’t lying and they really did want these covers for their Apple Watches. 

So I had to go through with my promise to make the cover for the watch. 

JC:  Can you tell us a little about the work that goes into making these covers?  Are the Series 4 covers that different from the Series 0-3 covers?

JB: The series 4 cover was a lot harder to design. The watch has tighter tolerances, more sensors, more areas that Apple says in their design guidelines to keep exposed and uncovered. 

I suppose that if I didn’t care about people being able to use their watch properly then it would probably be easier. But more and more people rely on these watches for health reasons.  You hear stories almost every day of it detecting something, a doctor then checks out, and then she says that the watch saved his or her life.  

I don’t want to sell something that people put on their Apple Watch and then when they’re counting on the watch to properly record their steps or their heart rate or whatever and have my product be the reason why their watch doesn’t work properly.  

So I really studied the design guidelines and made sure my cover fully complies with it.

JC: Even the steampunk one?

JB: Well, for aesthetic reasons that cover makes accessing the side button harder but there’s a reason for it and I’m clear about that.  But none of my covers will interfere with the core functionality of the watch. If Apple says 1 mm around a hole has to be open, I’ll leave 1.2 mm.  These watches are engineered to an exacting standard and my covers, even though they’re just decorative, are engineered to just as an exacting a standard.  

JC:  Where do you see these covers going in the future?  Any ideas for new ones?

JB:  First I want to complete the 40 mm S4 covers.  They should be ready sometime in February. After that, I’ve always wanted to do an Art Deco cover. 

I have several ideas but I first want to concentrate on delivering the orders that folks have already placed before I move on to the next design. 

But I have talked with a fellow artist about milling a cover and even reached out to a programer who was able to make custom faces. I'd love to keep pushing the boundaries of something as simple as a cover.

JC: You seem really customer driven when it comes to these covers. 

JB: That’s because I might not have done these covers without the requests to make them from customers.   Since they put their faith in me I want to make sure I can deliver. 

For example, I’m really excited about the watch bands that I’ve sourced from Turkey that go perfectly with the covers. 

JC:  Turkey?  How did you go about finding out about them. 

JB:  I've been asked over and over which bands I use for my photoshoots.  I liked the bands but I chose them purely for how they looked and not necessarily for the quality of the craftsmanship.  

I wanted to offer people an option that I could stand behind.  

I sampled bands from a number of vendors before running across O2Leather.  I couldn't find a good balance between price and more importantly, quality. O2Leather hits that sweet spot. The leather feels like butter - incredibly smooth and supple. The depth of color in the leather they use is great. They're really, really nice watch bands. 

I'm pleased that I found a good product from a small company that takes pride in their work and am glad I can recommend their bands to my customers. It complement's their watch (and their cover) and I know they'll be happy.  

JC: One last question.  You ship your watch covers with a small stick of cinnamon.  Why?

JB: I want to provide a complete sensory experience.  Open the box and you see this beautiful hand crafted metal object; you feel the shapes and patterns on the surface, AND there’s now a smell component, the cinnamon.  

I got the idea because copper actually does have a smell. If you rub a real copper penny it has an earthy/electric scent.  It gave me the idea to purposefully package a scent.

I chose cinnamon because pretty much everyone loves the scent of cinnamon. And if for some reason it was thrown away it’s a natural object  that will be reclaimed by nature. 

This choice of packing material is in keeping with our evolving environment policy. 

I’m even proud of the source.