Is it just me or is there something fundamentally wrong with buying a watch that cost over $400 that will undoubtedly be obsolete in 3-4 years? I keep thinking I want an Apple Watch but every watch I have spent that amount of money on I have been able to keep for at least 10 years or more and know that it is of relatively good quality. Any smart watch for that matter will be obsolete in a matter of years. I guess if the price point was around $150-$200 I could stomach the price more.
It may just be you, judging by the responses. ;-)
Seriously, you can ask this question about nearly any product in today's manufactured world. Why spend $1,000 extra to have a sunroof in your car, or the premium sound system, or a towing package that you may use once a year, or 4WD when you never leave city streets and live in a snow-free zone? Yet some people do clearly get utility and/or enjoyment from those expenditures and believe them to be worthwhile. But to me? My typical car trip lasts 10 minutes, I can get by without an audiophile extravaganza.
Now, if it was just a matter of having the time of day on my wrist, I wouldn't pay a penny - I'd just pull my cell phone out of my pocket. I stopped wearing wrist watches when I got my first cell phone. I wear my Watch because of what it does
beyond traditional wrist watch functionality. Most are not big things individually, but it manages to add up. The dozens of times daily that I do not have to remove my iPhone from my pocket are a nice convenience, though not a necessity. At about 25 cents/day, it's hardly an extravagance.
I certainly wouldn't spend $10,000 on a gold Rolex, which, using the $400 for 3-4 years ($100/year) example... damn, I'd better get 100 years of use from that Rolex! The thing is, the way my watches get scratched up (the metal case and band, not just the crystal), my hypothetical gold Rolex would have very little resale value. My heirs would likely only want it for its sentimental value. I don't dress to impress...