Beautiful, really beautiful, different. Or so over the top that your colleague will look at you strangely when you wear them at your desk. Because they are used to seeing you with every kind of wearable on. Because, generally speaking, when there is something new, I try it. But there is a catch: the aesthetic code of novelty today has become banal, incredibly banal. Minimalism, once the triumph of functionality, has turned into a diktat. And often into a banality too.

Diesel is not a tech company, even though it has flirted with tech quite a bit. It is a fashion brand. One of those brands that defined an era and that are now finding new energy. Diesel’s recent social campaigns have been among the most successful of the past few months and have lit up Instagram. In short, it is a brand that is used to doing things differently, and not only for fashion insiders. Quite the opposite.

And in fact its new earbuds have sent the tech press into a frenzy — from The Verge to Digital Trends — more intrigued by the design than by the audio specs. The name is as tech and anti-tech as one could imagine: Diesel 60458 Wired Earbuds. A somewhat random number and then simply “wired earbuds.” Sublime. And then there is the aesthetic. Perfect for these days of minimalism winter. More than just earbuds, they are a jewel. Their look is that of a chain. They come with the charms that are so fashionable right now. They are the perfect accessory for anyone who has always thought earbuds — especially wired ones — were banal. Too banal. Extremely banal.

Banal but functional, it must be said. Because Diesel’s is a beautiful aesthetic provocation. With a price point that is, to say the least, intense: around 90 euros, with no real audiophile ambitions. Apple’s EarPods cost around twenty. Here we are close to ninety. In short, something Diesel sells at a relatively accessible price, yet one that sits completely outside the usual range for this kind of product. But the real question is another one.

Perhaps the question is this: is this the end of invisible tech? After years of objects designed to disappear — from AirPods to smartwatches — Diesel does the opposite. And it does so without being a tech company.

The 60458 — which sounds a bit like a postal code that sticks in your mind, something like Beverly Hills 90210 — are almost unusable. Because of course they are heavy. Sure, they could have been even heavier. But they are heavy enough to become very uncomfortable when you wear them, also because there is not the slightest sign of a clip to fasten them to your jacket or shirt. So they stay in your ears for a while, then slip away. But the dream had already fallen apart earlier: because the whole metal aesthetic actually disappoints at first touch. This is plastic. Still too heavy, but plastic nonetheless.

So you will use them very little. But if you need a pair of earbuds to wear around your neck at a listening bar — or something to provoke the disgust of that colleague you enjoy teasing at the office — they are perfect.

All images: Diesel 60458 Wired Earbuds