Nest founder Tony Fadell swooped in to take on Google Glass earlier this year, after its first iteration failed.
In an interview with BBC News, the 46-year-old spoke about the project, as well as other developments going on at Google.
Fadell clarified: "It wasn't handed to me and said, 'Tony clean it up' - I offered.
"I remember what it was like when we did the iPod and the iPhone. I think this can be that important, but it's going to take time to get it right."
The inventor went on to say that Google acknowledged the wearable did not "have the impact" it was hoping for and would keep future test versions of the device in-house.
He also defended the shift, saying: "If you are only doing services based on electrons, you can iterate quickly, test it, and modify it and get it right.
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"But when you are dealing with actual atoms - hardware - and you have to get manufacturing lines and it takes a year or more to develop that product, you better understand what it is and what it's trying to do and specifically what it's not going to do."
Fadell also spoke about his ex-employer's Apple Watch, revealing that he has had one for two weeks.
"I think they did a tremendous job on the hardware components of it," he said.
"They are trying many different things with that platform - some are going to be great, and some are not."
Fadell worked with Apple from 2001 to 2008, until he left to launch Nest.
