CES 2025 is officially underway and the adrenaline of a day running around Las Vegas is quickly fading. However, I can't fall asleep. Probably because I've been playing the same three product preview videos over and over again. One begins with the familiar frenetic chords of Vivaldi. four seasons violin concerto, panoramic of a CGI desert, where grains of sand blow in wavy wisps. The words “Rare by Ultrahuman” emerge against a deep black background. Then, from the depths of a CGI dune, a sentient ring emerges.
The other two videos are carbon copies, except in one, the desert is a rose gold. On the other, a winter silver.
I review the press release. Rings range from £1,500 to £1,800. I immediately open Google. That's roughly between $1,900 and $2,200. I rack my brain. The most expensive smart ring I can remember is the Oura collaboration with Gucci, which I described in my article as a whopping $950. I double check that my tired brain hasn't made a mistake in the conversion. It's not like that. My eye twitches.
Rare, Ultrahuman's press release says, is intended to be a luxury smart ring. It will be available in three colors: desert rose, dune and desert snow. Or, you know, rose gold, gold and silver. Apparently they are so named because the collection “captures the essence of nature's most captivating phenomena. Drawing from the intricate, fluid elegance of wind-sculpted dunes, each piece embodies the harmonious combination of beauty and resilience found in these arid landscapes.”
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The desert rose and dune rings are made of 18k gold “sourced from the London Bullion Market Association.” These will cost $1,900. Meanwhile, the desert snow ring is “meticulously crafted from pt950 platinum, a metal of exceptional purity and prestige.” It will cost $2,200. As I think about how that relates to my monthly mortgage payment, I read more purple prose about the symbolism of the harmony between nature and technology, the gentle caress of the wind on a dune, and the rarity of snow covering the desert .
I squint at the press versions of these rings. They look like normal smart rings.
Specs-wise, Rare is the same as Ultrahuman Ring Air. The Ultrahuman Ring Air is a great smart ring and it arrived is close to beating the Oura Ring in my smart ring battle royale last year. That ring costs $350, a standard and reasonable price for a smart ring. The Rare series costs approximately five to six times that price. According to Ultrahuman, this is the price of intricate craftsmanship, engineering, and a lifetime membership to UltrahumanX, the smart ring maker's extended warranty subscription. You also get access to all of Ultrahuman's PowerPlugs, features you can purchase a la carte on the Ultrahuman platform, like period tracking, vitamin D tracking, and smart alarms. That includes any future PowerPlugs. Is that worth between $1,900 and $2,200?
I go back to my inbox and reread the FAQ Ultrahuman sent me for the billionth time. When asked “Is there demand for this” and “who is the target buyer?” There is a passionate plea. People have been using the Ultrahuman Ring Air, which I vehemently maintain is a great smart ring, for engagements and gifts for loved ones. Rare, according to the FAQ, is a natural evolution towards jewelry becoming smart like everything else. The ideal buyer? “Rare speaks to those who seek exclusivity and purpose in the decisions they make.”
The more I read, the more it seems like a Jony Ive fever dream, because it's the same doomed approach Apple took for its Watch Edition.
I don't know what time it is anymore, but I look at the Oura Ring 4 in brushed silver on my finger. Then I look at the rendering of the desert snow ring on my laptop screen. My eyes move from side to side several times. Hmm. Hmm.
At some point, I don't know when, I realize that I have become The edgeIt's Gollum himself. I'm sleep deprived and have dark circles forming under my eyes. My reflection in the hotel mirror while I drink some water scares me. But I can't think of anything else. We must see our gorgeous $2,000 smart rings in person. Yes. We want it. We have to look for it in the showroom because, for starters, Rare will only launch in London and Paris at “select premium retail locations.” Yes, we must see this, we must feel it on our finger if only to answer the one burning question: What would make a $2,000 smart ring worth it?
