There is now a $ 950 Gucci version of the Oura Ring

The Oura Ring was one of the busiest gadgets during the pandemic. Not only did it spark a bizarre sleep rivalry between Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian, but it was also included in the NBA’s COVID-19 prevention plans, and there have been several studies to see if wearables could predict COVID-19. And now, there is a Gucci version that costs $ 950.

The Gucci x Oura ring is made of “black synthetic corundum” with a knitted border and 18ct gold Gucci G. It weighs four grams and is 0.3 inches thick. Aside from the luxurious design, this is essentially the same as the $ 299 “regular” Oura Ring Generation 3. The main advantage of the Gucci version is that it comes with a lifetime subscription. Starting with the Gen 3 ring, Oura started charging a monthly fee of $ 6 for its services. (You can still use the ring without a subscription, but you are limited to the most basic measurements.)

The Oura Ring itself is a specialized tracker. Unlike smart watches and other wrist-based fitness monitoring programs, their main focus is recovery and sleep. Users receive three daily scores for sleep, activity and “readiness”, a measure of how well their body has recovered based on heart rate fluctuations and other factors.

Image: Oura

It may seem strange to launch an even more luxurious version of what was already considered an expensive gadget, but it starts to make a little more sense when you look at Oura’s high profile clientele and what other luxury brands have done in this area. Celebrities such as Prince Harry, Jennifer Aniston and Diplo have been spotted wearing the gadget, as have many athletes, including former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. (Also shown in an episode of HBO Max And somehow … ). What do celebrities tend to like? Spending an unreasonable amount of money on luxury fashion brands if every Pinterest board is dedicated to appearances Continuing with the Kardashians is any indication. Other luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton and Montblanc, have also come up with expensive Wear OS smartwatches that have their own distinctive style.

Fashion has a certain power in the mobile space. Because you really have to wear these devices, the design aesthetic ranks quite high when customers decide which wearable to buy. But betting heavily on wearables as a form of luxury has not succeeded. Apple famously released an $ 10,000 gold version of the Apple Watch in 2015. It was discontinued a year later. While celebrities were paying for this device, Apple’s wider success in wearable only took off when it moved away from luxury sensitivities to health and fitness.

Honestly, this collaboration is very likely that Oura and Gucci will scratch each other’s backs. Gucci looks technologically smart and future-oriented. Oura continues to benefit from this “factor” that helped it gain a $ 2.5 billion valuation in April after selling one million rings. Just do not expect to see anyone other than a celebrity wearing it in the wild.