As tech advertising of late has started to blur together into one big emotional marshmallow, Apple appears to be taking a different tack in its latest ads for the Apple Watch.

Steering clear of the zeitgeist of product as emotional connector, the series of spots seems to take a page out of playbooks of fashion brands and retailers such as the Gap or Target.

Their spare, design-minded tableaux feature one or two actors against simple backdrops, accompanied by a cool selection of tunes. Barebones stories hinging on a date (in one spot starring actress Lake Bell and her husband tattoo artist Scott Campbell), a fallen ice cream cone, a cycling or boxing workout, a scooter ride or a song help to put the watch itself at center stage. If anything, the ads feel more like the brand's classic iPod silhouettes spots than its recent, story-driven commercials.

We can't help wonder if the influence of Apple's big name fashion hires is spilling over into the marketing. Since Apple's appointment of Burberry CEO in October 2013, the company has added other industry talent including YSL's Paul Deneve and Catherine Monier, designer Marc Newson and Marcela Aguilar, former senior global director of marketing communications at Gap Inc.