Apple should keep the current watch design for decades

[Poochi]

I just don't see this as a luxury/fashion item. No matter what Apple bills it as. It's really just a nerdy piece of gen 1 tech you wear on your wrist. It's really nice looking, and I can't wait to get mine, but I just can't see this design as being iconic. Give it 4-5 years and maybe it will evolve into something more fashionable that will stand the test of time. But there is no way that in 5 years people will still be wearing this fat, square design and actually thinking it still looks great.

This, is exactly my point.

Apple wanted to position this as luxury fashion, I am saying make it so.

If they go down the same path of iPhone iPod iPad like they have done in the past, this this is no more than a nerdy gadget that may be very useful one day.

Rolex has been fat and round for over half a century and we are fine with that.

 

[dotnet]

I don't know what people think the Rolex brand stands for, but it certainly isn't design, taste or fashion.

Try: status, wealth, ostentatiousness, and yes, mechanical excellence.

 

[OllyW]

Rolex has been fat and round for over half a century and we are fine with that.

It took a while before Rolex settled on the iconic designs we are familiar with today.

I don't expect Apple to rush out with massive changes but I'm not convinced they will keep the current design for decades to come.

 

[DJTJ]

I agree with the op... if they start churning out new models within a year or 2, people that dropped over 20k on an edition are going to be right pissed.

 

[SHNXX]

I agree with the op... if they start churning out new models within a year or 2, people that dropped over 20k on an edition are going to be right pissed.

I kind of doubt it.
The people who can buy the 17k apple watch probably buy the 500k traditional watches.
They are probably not thinking much at all about things like resale value like mere mortals such as me.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Like others have said, it's way too thick now. The black bezel looks cheap and gaudy.

Hope the screen eventually fills the whole face so they can ditch the bezel.

It is not to thick !! A mans watch has to cast a shadow. They can add tiny watches but please keep the real one.

 

[dotnet]

It took a while before Rolex settled on the iconic designs we are familiar with today.

I find some of their old designs much nicer than their vulgar style of today. They also had a very nice old-fashioned chronometer in an art deco inspired look.

EDIT: This one here, I don't mind that.

 

[Poochi]

I kind of doubt it.
The people who can buy the 17k apple watch probably buy the 500k traditional watches.
They are probably not thinking much at all about things like resale value like mere mortals such as me.

My point is not about resale value. It's about starting something timeless. Submariner got popular and it's been the same for long time.

Apple had the opportunity to study the industry, I am just hoping their direction is to create something truly personal and luxurious that most people would keep it and even pass it down to next generation like what we are doing with most of our watches. Instead of more e-garbage that go to landfill/recycle in a few years.

 

[SHNXX]

Apple should keep the current watch design for decades

My point is not about resale value. It's about starting something timeless. Submariner got popular and it's been the same for long time.



Apple had the opportunity to study the industry, I am just hoping their direction is to create something truly personal and luxurious that most people would keep it and even pass it down to next generation like what we are doing with most of our watches. Instead of more e-garbage that go to landfill/recycle in a few years.

There is no chance that an electronic product can be timeless. Come on.
Do you still use the original Mac?
The gen 1 iPod?
Your expectations are completely unrealistic.

The Apple Watch Edition is an odd product for sure but nobody buying it would be expecting it to have lasting value.

 

[Poochi]

There is no chance that an electronic product can be timeless. Come on.

You are most likely right. But if any company can make it happen, it's got to be Apple

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The Apple Watch Edition is an odd product for sure but nobody buying it would be expecting it to have lasting value.

The silicon inside will never be timeless. The design and case can be.

I am just saying making this design (with refreshed internals) eternal.

I am saying making the silicon and lithium inside swappable for a fee akin to taking your mechanical watch in for servicing.

Then we are talking a truly personal device and perhaps more people would be interested in Edition or whatever limited edition they come up with and multiple Apple Watches.

 

[SHNXX]

You are most likely right. But if any company can make it happen, it's got to be Apple

There's 0 chance that any electronic device can last a long time.
Microchip advances according to Moore's law.
Battery usage and supply will also advance, as well as sensor technology used in the Apple Watch.
Applications will come along that may effect design changes as well.
There's no doubt that the Apple Watch will undergo significant changes in the next few years.

 

[OllyW]

You are most likely right. But if any company can make it happen, it's got to be Apple

It's not how Apple works though is it? They would much rather you discard the old and embrace the new.

 

[SHNXX]

You are most likely right. But if any company can make it happen, it's got to be Apple



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The silicon inside will never be timeless. The design and case can be.



I am just saying making this design (with refreshed internals) eternal.



I am saying making the silicon and lithium inside swappable for a fee akin to taking your mechanical watch in for servicing.



Then we are talking a truly personal device.

Taking a Rolex or a high end complications watch can cost more than 500 to thousands, more than it costs to manufacture the innards of the Apple Watch 10 times.

 

[Poochi]

There's 0 chance that any electronic device can last a long time.
Microchip advances according to Moore's law.
Battery usage and supply will also advance, as well as sensor technology used in the Apple Watch.
Applications will come along that may effect design changes as well.
There's no doubt that the Apple Watch will undergo
significant changes in the next few years.

And silicon gets smaller. Battery capacity per unit volume gets better.

Case does not need to grow, so you can literally fit new internals into the existing case because new microchip would be smaller.

 

[SHNXX]

And silicon gets smaller. Battery capacity per unit volume gets better.



Case does not need to grow, so you can literally fit new internals into the existing case because new microchip would be smaller.

And if they get small enough, apple might give us another form factor that's much sleeker.

Either way, whether you want it or not, we all know there's is virtually 0% chance that Apple will do this.
The only way you can make it happen would be to buy a majority stake in Apple and replace the board and the executives.

 

[Poochi]

It's not how Apple work though is it? They would much rather you discard the old and embrace the new.

Agreed. And the purchase strategy would reflect that.

Since I am not made of cash nor a celeb who gets the Edition for free, it's something I would never consider unless Apple proves that this is not yet another disposable gadget. Nothing personal nor valuable to a piece of disposable technology.

Apple could disrupt even the luxury market now so they choose.

 

[SHNXX]

Agreed. And the purchase strategy would reflect that.



Since I am not made of cash nor a celeb who gets the Edition for free, it's something I would never consider unless Apple proves that this is not yet another disposable gadget. Nothing personal nor valuable to a piece of disposable technology.



Apple could disrupt even the luxury market now so they choose.

Apple does not make luxury products in the traditional sense.
Mass market brands that sell high priced novelty items cannot disrupt luxury brands.

 

[Poochi]

Apple does not make luxury products in the traditional sense.
Mass market brands that sell high priced novelty items cannot disrupt luxury brands.

Correct. That's why I am suggesting Apple to not go down the same road of making everything they release e-garbage after a few years.

I would love to have a true luxury timeless technology product.

 

[SHNXX]

Correct. That's why I am suggesting Apple to not go down the same road of making everything they release e-garbage after a few years.



I would love to have a true luxury timeless technology product.

Technology and timeless are oxymorons.

 

[dotnet]

Correct. That's why I am suggesting Apple to not go down the same road of making everything they release e-garbage after a few years.

This is what I'm thinking, too. Apple needs to set the watch apart from their other, short-lived gadgets. That is the only way it can succeed in the luxury watch market, and even the $1000 watch market. There are early signs that they're planning to do things differently (no geek queues around the block for the watch, for example), but we'll have to wait and see how this pans out.

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Technology and timeless are oxymorons.

Not at all, it was technology that made Swiss watches timeless in the first place. Now "timeless watch" – there's an oxymoron (or at least a bit of irony) for you

 

[AbsoluteMustard]

A luxury fashion brand doesn't mean it has to stay the same. There are classic pieces that are currently in style, and some keep their style longer than others; however, fashion is always changing.

I would classify Rolex as a luxury brand more than a fashion brand.

I am sure the white ceramic in this $4,000 Chanel watch will be out of style soon enough

 

[ninethirty]

This. You can close the thread now.

Technology and timeless are oxymorons.

 

[kdarling]

It's not how Apple works though is it? They would much rather you discard the old and embrace the new.

Right.

Others have mentioned that they think the Watch will follow the same kind of design path as the iPhone... starting with the obvious super rounded design of today, similar to the first iPhone / silver iPod.

I'd love it if someone with skills could cobble together concepts of the next few Watch models, following the iPhone 3 -> 4 -> 5 -> 6 style differences.

Dark glass skeleton back with chamfered top edges, anyone?

 

[SHNXX]

This is what I'm thinking, too. Apple needs to set the watch apart from their other, short-lived gadgets. That is the only way it can succeed in the luxury watch market, and even the $1000 watch market. There are early signs that they're planning to do things differently (no geek queues around the block for the watch, for example), but we'll have to wait and see how this pans out.

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Not at all, it was technology that made Swiss watches timeless in the first place. Now "timeless watch" – there's an oxymoron (or at least a bit of irony) for you

You are severely confused.

Technology of watchmaking is centuries old technology.
At this point, it's more similar to art than technology.
Sure, Rolex uses (sometimes high) technology to manufacture their watches, but most of the horological breakthroughs inside of a mechanical movement, even with high complications, are at least 50-200 years old, with many of the key innovations already finished by the time Mr. Abraham Breguet passed away.

 

[dotnet]

You are severely confused.

Technology of watchmaking is centuries old technology.
At this point, it's more similar to art than technology.

Art? Hm, I'll go with craft.

Sure, Rolex uses (sometimes high) technology to manufacture their watches, but most of the horological breakthroughs inside of a mechanical movement, even with high complications, are at least 50-200 years old, with many of the key innovations already finished by the time Mr. Abraham Breguet passed away.

You are right, technological progress in the mechanical watch arena came to a screeching halt about 50 years ago, with the advent of the quartz watch. Before that however it was a fierce arms race of technological innovations, to achieve ever higher accuracy, more complications, better power reserves, and whatnot.

If 50 years old counts as timeless, well, so be it.

There are still a few notable innovations by some mechanical watch makers, such as power reserves of a month or more. So there is still something to behold. And some of those innovative watches even have class and style