And this is one of the reasons I personally think the Apple gold Edition watch may not sell like Apple hopes, even to those "new money in Asia" and the gaudy Instagram money people that posters on here keep throwing in my face as Apple's justification for this watch.
But both of those categories of people still, for the most part, buy expensive things (to show off) that most of the world lusts after and covets. They are buying and showing off Lamborghinis, Ferraris (with tigers on top of it), bentleys, Rolls Royces, an arm full of solid gold APs and Rolexes all because the average person lusts after and would love to own even one, much less the multiples of each these ridiculously rich people show off. Notice they aren't having solid gold Honda Accords made and showing those off...
Sure, every now and again I'll see a solid gold iPhone case, or jeweled iPhone studded with diamonds, but that's the exception, not the rule. The general rule is that people with stupid amounts of money that buy things to flaunt that money still buy expensive things that normal people lust after. And so far, in real life and every forum I'm an active member of...not just here, but EDC (every day carry) items forums, several different watch forums, etc the Edition version specifically is getting mocked. Badly.
I'm curious to see if the predominantly negative stigma that's already developing around the Edition will have a negative effect on the sales of it. I think what happens with it is important. Apple obviously wants to be taken seriously in the watch world, or they wouldn't be marketing this watch, particularly the Stainless and the gold models, more as fashion and jewelry than tech. Trying to mimic to some degree the experience and quality (materials) of high end Swiss timepieces.
Yet, even in the single category "watch" and the single brand "Rolex" there exists a wide variance in price. If one compares the price of a stainless steel Rolex and an 18KT gold Rolex (assuming same series, both w/o diamonds, etc) one sees a very large variance in price.
Is that gold Rolex better at keeping time than the SS model from the exact same series? Nope.
It's just more expensive and a more obvious symbol of wealth.
I think of the Edition in that manner. Do I think Apple priced it too high? Yeah. I do. But, I'm betting there will be some people who don't think that way. They just want the most expensive one because they've decided to buy Apple's new smart watch and they only buy the most expensive model of whatever they buy.
I've known people who shopped that way. They didn't just buy EVERYTHING they saw and they weren't out lighting cigarettes with 100-dollar bills, but if they wanted, oh, cowboy boots? They bought the most expensive ones. Because there was a perception that these were "better." If they bought a car, whatever manufacturer they chose, be it Chevy or Mercedes? They bought their flagship vehicle, fully equipped.
This is just how some people roll. And these are the people that will buy that Apple Watch Edition model.
They most likely don't care about Swiss precision or any of the things those of you who collect watches care about.
This conversation has been interesting, but at the end of the day, I doubt Apple made many of these Edition models and they'll sell the ones they made.
Whether they'll keep making them after they sell the initial batch in anything but extremely limited quantities will depend on demand.
I do think that if the Watch makes it to version 2, there will be models that bridge the pricing gulf, though.
This Watch discussion has nothing to do with watch quality. It's about the perception of the term "best."
