Apple Watch Had Record Year With Estimated 18M Shipments in 2017, Topped Entire Swiss Watch Industry Last Quarter

[newellj]

Just a note here: the stainless steel model ONLY comes in LTE. A lot of buyers prefer it to the matte sport edition because it has the sapphire screen and is incredibly difficult to damage vs the sport edition. I suspect a lot of those units that remain unconnected to LTE never intended to use it at all.

Definitely posible, but I don't think we know what percentage of the Series 3 sales are LTE-only models. Given the significant upcharge, I would guess that it's not a huge percentage. I could be wrong.
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I never though I would have any interest in this until my wife got me a Series 3. I cannot imagine ever getting along without it.

same here- my wife didn't want it one until it could replace her phone - already a life saver when she is in the gym and the few times she runs out of the house without her phone thinking that it is in her purse

I bought one and was sure I'd return it. I was so wrong.
[doublepost=1517947664][/doublepost]

I know a lot of watch obsessed fans who find themselves wearing their Apple Watch a lot more now. That most certainly cuts into sales of other watches when someone chooses to wear one more than others. There's less reason to consider adding another to your collection if you have one you're using a lot currently.

Are smart watches hurting Swiss watch sales? Certainly appears they are.

Are-Smartwatches-Really-Hurting-Luxury-Watch-Sales-2.jpg

I may be missing something, but I'm not sure how an AW competes with watches selling for $3K and up, which is where the most significant drop in units and value has occurred. Something other than the AW has impacted that market, don't you think? The segment that should be worst affected would be the $200-500 segment.
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Many analysts are pointing to smart watches as the cause for the recent massive decline in the Swiss watch industry.
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-swiss-watch-swatch-2017-6

Well, Swatch, sure. Rolex and more expensive watches, hard to see?
[doublepost=1517948198][/doublepost]

Nice way to stick it to them. Every little bit that stays in our pockets then better.
As mentioned I feel $13.70 a month to forward a call is a bit much. Then again why isn't the technology there to sync the same number to the IMEI.

I think you put your finger on it. To me, it's not so much that $10 or $15 a month is a lot of money. The problem is that it feels abusive when the watch is essentially tied to my cellphone that I'm already paying a significant fee on. I mean, come on, I pay $10/mo for my iPads, and I get that - I can use a LOT of data in a month on an iPad. But on a watch??? They're just hosing us.
[doublepost=1517948494][/doublepost]

Life of Apple watch: 3 years, warranty 2, unsopported in 5, obsolete in 7.
Life of a Rolex: 100 years, warranty - infinite, supported forever, always good looking.

Speaking as the owner of several Rolex and Omega watches, and wearing one on my other wrist as I type this, last time I checked Rolex did not offer a warranty that was infinite. A couple of years ago they made a big deal of extending the warranty period to five years. And while I haven't had problems with Rolex watches (possibly because my oldest is early 1970s), parts for Omega watches only slightly older can be a big problem. Finally, you're overlooking periodic maintenance on these watches, which can be several times the cost of a basic Apple Watch.

 

[chumpy34]

Yup, no complaints here as my Apple Watch 3 is just awesome. So much better than version 1 and the speed, usefulness and GPS is just so cool. A pretty huge success for Apple when there were so many naysayers.

 

[pizzafunghi]

Apples and oranges. You can’t compare a mechanical timepiece with a battery reliant gadget.

Both compete for the place o your wirst.

 

[BeefCake 15]

Both compete for the place o your wirst.

My phone and wallet both compete for a spot inside my fanny pack, doesn't mean they're comparable.

 

[Keirasplace]

Life of Apple watch: 3 years, warranty 2, unsopported in 5, obsolete in 7.
Life of a Rolex: 100 years, warranty - infinite, supported forever, always good looking.

If you own a Rolex 100 years, you'd have spent as much as car to maintain it or are you regurgiting Rolex's marketing (if you use it all the time and even if you don't use it at all).

I've got a 3GS that still works, if a watch lasts that long, that's already just $70 a year for a stainless steel pocket computer, pretty good deal hmm.

IF your telling me that Rolex is decent jewelry, maybe you have a point, but the watch working or not is accessory to that function and there are better looking high end watches out there (and even cheaper ones too).
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My phone and wallet both compete for a spot inside my fanny pack, doesn't mean they're comparable.

God, that's inane and not just because your actually admitting to carrying a fanny pack.
[doublepost=1517952487][/doublepost]

Yeah but in fairness the quartz and mechanical timepieces are bought for more long term use, tell time and date but most of all jewlery pieces. Smartwatches are bought complimentary to phone functionality.

They can at least compare it with digital watches like Casio/G-Shock for more perspective if they wanted to..

The amount of money people have is not unlimited, so the Apple Watch certainly has an impact at least in the mid market and that's where most watch makers make their money and not at the high end of the market.

 

[BeefCake 15]

The amount of money people have is not unlimited, so the Apple Watch certainly has an impact at least in the mid market and that's where most watch makers make their money and not at the high end of the market.

A healthy percentage of people that are buying Apple Watches were not considering to buy or wear a traditional/non-smart watch.

 

[Camusrieux]

Just a note here: the stainless steel model ONLY comes in LTE. A lot of buyers prefer it to the matte sport edition because it has the sapphire screen and is incredibly difficult to damage vs the sport edition. I suspect a lot of those units that remain unconnected to LTE never intended to use it at all.

This describes me and my use case precisely. LTE in a watch has near-zero value for me (I frankly don't understand why this is such a vital feature as long as we remain in the smartphone era), but the durability of steel and especially sapphire are huge. So my current Apple Watch is a steel Series 3 with an LTE chip that will never be activated.

 

[ocnitsa]

This laughable argument (Apple makes tech products that get obsolete since 40 years) is all remains today to Apple Watch haters.

I think it's kind of an interesting difference to think about, rather than a laughable argument. I guess if it is an argument against Apple watches, then maybe it's laughable...consumers buying one or the other thing have different motivations and expectations I think regarding how they are going to use the watch, the main function of it, and it's continued value. Don't know if you saw Pulp Fiction and remember the story Bruce Willis's character has about the watch, but I doubt anyone is going to go war with an Apple watch up their body cavity in order to save it for their buddies offspring.

 

[hamiltonrwatch]

"Finally, you're overlooking periodic maintenance on these watches, which can be several times the cost of a basic Apple Watch."

Deduct $750.00 of restoration, from the attached invoice, and you're still looking at $2,115.00. And these are 2010 prices, when the Swiss were still selling Rolex-Certified American watchmakers parts.

 

[jimbobb24]

The watch was pretty useless until I started running with it. Built in GPS, heart rate, stream my music. Its a dream for me. I just wish Nike would make their watch app suck less. And I wish you could correct distance on in door runs on all the running apps. Thats pretty important for the winter months. Great product overall.

 

[imwoblin]

"Finally, you're overlooking periodic maintenance on these watches, which can be several times the cost of a basic Apple Watch."

Deduct $750.00 of restoration, from the attached invoice, and you're still looking at $2,115.00. And these are 2010 prices, when the Swiss were still selling Rolex-Certified American watchmakers parts.

View attachment 750210

Im not exactly sure, but aren’t you talking about a vintage 1958 ish Rolex Submariner 5508 here, not a modern Caliber 3135 model from the late 80’s?
My Submariner, from 1989, has been through 2 wars, many brutal training regiments and countless dives in conditions ranging from desert to the jungle and shows zero wear. It gets tuned up at an authorized Rolex service center in SoCal for around $300-500 every 5 years or so, including new gaskets, oil and polishing.
I can’t imagine dropping $2k for servicing, but that’s just me..

 

[hamiltonrwatch]

Im not exactly sure, but aren’t you talking about a vintage 1958 ish Rolex Submariner 5508 here, not a modern Caliber 3135 model from the late 80’s?

You are correct. While editing my original post, part of it was deleted; the first line of which was, "Not to mention restoration", wasn't included, which put my comment out of context. I was commenting on the poster who brought up the normal maintenance costs associated with high-end mechanical watches and was trying to illustrate how much higher those costs are for vintage pieces.

 

[OllyW]

"Finally, you're overlooking periodic maintenance on these watches, which can be several times the cost of a basic Apple Watch."

Deduct $750.00 of restoration, from the attached invoice, and you're still looking at $2,115.00. And these are 2010 prices, when the Swiss were still selling Rolex-Certified American watchmakers parts.

View attachment 750210

You probably haven't picked the best example to use, the value of a 5508 Submariner has rocketed since that work was carried out and has probably paid for that service work 4 or 5 times over.

 

[Sevendaymelee]

What do we all want as a society? Do we really want to allow ourselves to turn into electronic cyborgs unable to disconnect from the internet? Enough is enough! These companies aren't motivated to improve your life. Sure, they'll sell you on these products as devices that do that, but that's based on their desire to improve their own quarterly earnings, not your life. What you all need is less, not more. You already stay jacked into the Matrix via your smartphone 24/7. Do you really need more? Can't you see you're slowly turning into... slaves?

It's getting damn near ridiculous walking around and seeing people in every area of life, faces jammed into a computer like braindead little chimpanzees, unable to function anymore. At the rate we're going, by 2030, no one will be able to independently think for themselves.

 

[DynaFXD]

You probably haven't picked the best example to use, the value of a 5508 Submariner has rocketed since that work was carried out and has probably paid for that service work 4 or 5 times over.

Only if/when you sell it and get the price you want. Until then it is money out of pocket to maintain a precision instrument.

 

[OllyW]

Only if/when you sell it and get the price you want. Until then it is money out of pocket to maintain a precision instrument.

You wouldn't be spending that much every few years though. Remember that watch was around 50 years old when that work was done and that bill is meaningless without access to it's previous service history. It could easily have been the first maintenance carried out in decades.

 

[hamiltonrwatch]

It could easily have been the first maintenance carried out in decades.

Nope.

I know (because I know the watchmaker) that particular piece was serviced at the recommended, regular intervals. The missing piece is that his customer wore it daily like a Timex and beat the $$$$ out of it. Thus you have a $2,865.00 invoice eight years ago.

And yes, I probably didn't use the best example, but as I pointed out, I was commenting on newellj's post, who brought up the normal maintenance costs associated with high-end mechanical watches, and was trying to illustrate how much higher those costs are for vintage pieces.

 

[Quu]

I see them everywhere now. It has become a very trendy thing to wear.

 

[falainber]

What's a SWiss Watch Industry? Aren't their products in a totally different category both in terms of the product nature and price? Is it like saying that Hyundai sold more Accents than Lamborghini sold Aventadors?

 

[newellj]

Both compete for the place o your wirst.

Nope, got two wrists and enough self-confidence to pull it off.
[doublepost=1517961867][/doublepost]

"Finally, you're overlooking periodic maintenance on these watches, which can be several times the cost of a basic Apple Watch."

Deduct $750.00 of restoration, from the attached invoice, and you're still looking at $2,115.00. And these are 2010 prices, when the Swiss were still selling Rolex-Certified American watchmakers parts.

View attachment 750210

5508 - nice watch! And worth every penny.
[doublepost=1517961920][/doublepost]

The watch was pretty useless until I started running with it. Built in GPS, heart rate, stream my music. Its a dream for me. I just wish Nike would make their watch app suck less. And I wish you could correct distance on in door runs on all the running apps. Thats pretty important for the winter months. Great product overall.

I used to use Strava, Runkeeper and/or Nike. Honestly, for my present needs, the Apple native workout app works fine.
[doublepost=1517962058][/doublepost]

Im not exactly sure, but aren’t you talking about a vintage 1958 ish Rolex Submariner 5508 here, not a modern Caliber 3135 model from the late 80’s?
My Submariner, from 1989, has been through 2 wars, many brutal training regiments and countless dives in conditions ranging from desert to the jungle and shows zero wear. It gets tuned up at an authorized Rolex service center in SoCal for around $300-500 every 5 years or so, including new gaskets, oil and polishing.
I can’t imagine dropping $2k for servicing, but that’s just me..

I've been using an independent jeweler who charges $500-600-ish for Rolex watches, less for Omega. My older son and I have had half a dozen watches serviced in the last few years and everything has been great.

 

[philryan]

Apples and oranges. You can’t compare a mechanical timepiece with a battery reliant gadget.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve owned the AW0, 1 & 3LTE, and I really am a fan, but when there is no power grid or I’m in scuba or surfing mode, it’s my Submariner 7 days a week....
Not to mention the Submariner’s heirloom value.

The supposed heirloom value of conventional watches is over-over-hyped by those companies. Do you actually know anyone who is wearing their parents' or grandparents' timepieces?

The computer-on-the-wrist devices like the AW do, absolutely, compete in the same space.

I gave up wearing a conventional $100 watch when I got my iPhone4. But I still missed it. Now with the AW3 I get all that basic "time-ish" functionality and a million other things.

Yeah, so battery life is still a pain, but it will improve. The first mechanical watches (fobwatches etc) had to be wound frequently, it wasn't until 100+ years into their development that they worked out ways to auto-wind based on wrist movement. I expect it will be less than 100 years before we get 1 week+ of battery life from a smartwatch.

 

[imwoblin]

The supposed heirloom value of conventional watches is over-over-hyped by those companies. Do you actually know anyone who is wearing their parents' or grandparents' timepieces?

The computer-on-the-wrist devices like the AW do, absolutely, compete in the same space.

I gave up wearing a conventional $100 watch when I got my iPhone4. But I still missed it. Now with the AW3 I get all that basic "time-ish" functionality and a million other things.

Yeah, so battery life is still a pain, but it will improve. The first mechanical watches (fobwatches etc) had to be wound frequently, it wasn't until 100+ years into their development that they worked out ways to auto-wind based on wrist movement. I expect it will be less than 100 years before we get 1 week+ of battery life from a smartwatch.

As a matter of fact I do know someone who is wearing a 1953 Oyster Perpetual Explorer given to him by his father, who recieved it from his father.
I purchased my Submariner from the Navy Exchange in 1989 for $1250, and today its value is between $7-10k.
Not a bad return for something I wear everyday...

 

[hamiltonrwatch]

The supposed heirloom value of conventional watches is over-over-hyped by those companies. Do you actually know anyone who is wearing their parents' or grandparents' timepieces?

Me



Can they match an Apple Watch for accuracy? Nope. But these epitomize what the American watchmaking industry was 100+ years ago. Adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism, and accurate to within 30 seconds a week in 6 positions.

 

[Keirasplace]

Me

View attachment 750241

Can they match an Apple Watch for accuracy? Nope. But these epitomize what the American watchmaking industry was 100+ years ago. Adjusted to heat, cold, isochronism, and accurate to within 30 seconds a week in 6 positions.

And they're pocket watches not those that you put on your wrist; those you put on your wrist emerged during WWI I believe and flourished post 1918. So, hundred years ago where the beginning of the end for the pocket watches and indeed probably when they were doing their best work.

Watches before 1940 were mostly high end luxury items much more expensive proportionally to salary than anything but the very high end these days. Squarish watches were very popular from 1920 to the mid 1930s (the Art Deco motif, the cheaper ones were merely slightly modified pocket watches and that's why they were round).

They also became by this link to aviators and the military a symbol of masculinity and virility instead of being seen as foppish and elitist like they were pre 1930s.

Aviator watches (who needed to be big and round to be seen in planes) and those used and distributed in the military (stamped and round so as to be kept cheap) popularized watches for the masses and that's why many think "watches" should be round and have always been round.

Some people act like watches on the wrist are some kind of 1000 year old tradition, most people could not afford them until post WWII. That's why receiving a watch was actually a big deal and not a perfunctory gift.

 

[hamiltonrwatch]

"And they're pocket watches not those that you put on your wrist; those you put on your wrist emerged during WWI I believe and flourished post 1918."

-----

- Yes and no. Many American soldiers in WWI strapped pocket watches to their wrists; my great-great uncle being one of them. Watch companies in the US were slow to begin production of wrist watches for men until the late 20s-early 30s. They were considered "effeminate".

-----

"So, hundred years ago where the beginning of the end for the pocket watches and indeed probably when they were doing their best work."

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- Looks like Charles Lindbergh would disagree with you

From Charles Lindbergh's book "The Spirit of St. Louis"

"It’s eleven fifty a.m. on the clock. I pull my watch from my pocket -- eleven forty-nine and three quarters. Yes, they check. I hold the watch in my palm for a moment. It always stirs old memories, for it belonged to my grandfather. He used to let me touch it with my fingers as a child, guess at the time from its hands, see how far away my ears could hear it tick. When my grandfather died my uncle gave the watch to me, and we’ve passed through many an interesting hour together. We’ve spilled off my motorcycle, stunted in my planes, made-- let’s see-- eighteen parachute jumps all told; and now we’ve flown across an ocean. Once a year I spend a dollar to have it cleaned, and it’s always carried on accurately and snugly, in its little nickel-alloy case, un-mindful of the changing time and space through which it passes."

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"Some people act like watches on the wrist are some kind of 1000 year old tradition, most people could not afford them until post WWII. That's why receiving a watch was actually a big deal and not a perfunctory gift."

------------

- The import of cheap, Swiss junk ("post WWII") was what made them so affordable. As a result, the American watch industry was decimated because the government wouldn't pass tariff laws to restrict trade and protect industry. This was especially ironic as the Hamilton Watch Company was the government's largest supplier of ships chronometers during WWII.