True for Rolex. But there are mid-range automatic watches that won't nearly cost as much or require that much maintenance.
Japanese Domestic made watches from Seiko is one that come to mind.
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Apple Watch Had Record Year With Estimated 18M Shipments in 2017, Topped Entire Swiss Watch Industry Last Quarter
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Japanese Domestic made watches from Seiko is one that come to mind.
Interestingly, it appears that this growth has resulted in Apple Watch shipments coming in higher than all Swiss watch brands combined for the first time last quarter, according to IDC research director Francisco Jeronimo.? In other words, Apple is now the biggest watchmaker in the world.
Article Link: Apple Watch Had Record Year With Estimated 18M Shipments in 2017, Topped Entire Swiss Watch Industry Last Quarter
So Apple shipped more watches than all Swiss brands combined for the last quarter. That doesn't make them the biggest watchmaker in the world. You have to count in all the Citizen, Orient, Seiko, Casio etc. If Apple beats them all, then they are the biggest watchmaker in the world. Also you probably have to consider ETA which is Swiss and owned by Swatch. They supply movements to a lot of watch companies (some not Swiss label) although they are phasing that out.
The thing is I still see some people using 90's Citizen Eco-Drives that spent the last 20+ years ticking along without a single battery replacement (they use solar power to charge themselves).
How many Apple watches (or any other smartwatch) will a consumer buy in the same 20 year period? That by itself explains why Apple will sell more watches than any other watch manufacturer.
How many Apple watches (or any other smartwatch) will a consumer buy in the same 20 year period? That by itself explains why Apple will sell more watches than any other watch manufacturer.
I’ve been using the S0 since about 5 months after it came out replaced by the S3 which I have worn daily since. I generally clock in 1 to 2 workouts a day with the app, sometimes with a Bluetooth heart rate monitor and sometimes with the built in monitor.
Number of crashes to date: zero.
Occasionally I have issues connecting my external monitor but we’re talking a couple times a year.
Exactly this, my S2 is brilliant and I have no need to upgrade, it does everything I could ever want and the battery life is still excellent. I own another watch that I wear to family events, parties etc. The AW will never replace what I still call my 'main' watch (despite being the 'main' being worn less
)Sure thing. I used to ware watches of several prestigious swiss marks. After switching to AW I am not planning to buy those timepieces anymore.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 didn't upgrade from series 1 since it is already fast enough for the apps that run on it. And no LTE in my country, so series 3 would only be a speed upgrade that I don't need.
I think AW is a good product, and current price of series 1 seems right. Is good for notifications and quick Siri interactions like reply to a message or set a reminder. I use it also as a fitness tracker, but the heart rate measurement isn't so great, at least on my model. I don't really need a precise measurement, if so I'd buy dedicated hardware.
Your phone and wallet don’t compete. You’re unlikely to own or carry just one of the two.
You are, however, likely to only carry a single wristwatch.
There's clearly a shift in the watch buying pattern.
People usually think of spending $4000 in an Omega or a Rolex as a luxury for a few wealthy lucky ones despite the owner using it daily for 20 years but the mass market accepts spending the same amount of money during the same period on 10 smartwatches as a normal consumer behaviour. It's really interesting!
People usually think of spending $4000 in an Omega or a Rolex as a luxury for a few wealthy lucky ones despite the owner using it daily for 20 years but the mass market accepts spending the same amount of money during the same period on 10 smartwatches as a normal consumer behaviour. It's really interesting!
It is interesting, and I hadn’t thought of it that way.
But as others have alluded to, they really are different devices, having one or two functions in common: time and date.
I have a Tag, modestly priced, which I stopped wearing years ago because I could tell the time and date often enough when I took my phone out of my pocket. It’s being a form of jewelry wasn’t important enough to me to keep wearing it.
Then the Pebble piqued my interest, primarily for viewing notifications without having to take my phone out of my pocket. It was the gateway drug, if you will. Then the Apple Watch took what the Pebble did to another level. So I went from not wearing my pretty decent analog watch at all, for years, to wearing a smartwatch all day, every day.
Why? Because the Tag only tells me two things, and the effort (for lack of a better term) of wearing it wasn’t worth the benefit. The Watch does a number of things throughout the day that I find useful, and to me is well worth the effort of wearing it.
So I see “normal” watches and the Apple Watch as truly different devices that compete based on occupying the same space on a wrist, rather than on function.
Bypassing a fundamental disagreement on what competes with what, I am not sure that we are going to see increased battery life - I think the odds are equal or greater that we're going to see ubiquitous low-rate charging - something like the Energous model. If filling the airwaves with that energy doesn't do something like turn us all into walking cancer cases - the real health impacts of the Energous model haven't been tested.
That would leave the question what happens when, for example, you go on a week-long backpacking trip. So maybe a week or more is needed.
That would mean fundamental improvements in batteries, which as we can see from the ongoing controversy about power management is a very real, current need.
How long have you had your watch?
I've had mine for more than 2 years and use the workout app frequently; cycling, at the gym, and hiking. My Watch has never crashed, under any use circumstance.
Yes. I have a Vacheron and do wear the watch when I have a need to have something of my father near me.
While it has a monetary value the emotional value is way more than the monetary value.
Well, people do sleep and you can easily carry a cheap and enormous powerpack with you that will easily get you through the week. If you want to carry less and need power in general (say for your Iphone too), there are now very good foldable solar panels you can put on your backpack that will charge a powerpack during the day while you walk, and even larger ones for in camp.
Unless your hiking in deep forest on the Appalachian trail and purposely avoiding power sources, you should be all right with that. In the rockies and most of the west (except the upper pacific coast) there is more than enough sun to get you through.
Still a happy owner of S0 watch. My Omega and a couple of other less luxurious watches are collecting dust in a drawer. AW was a big convenience and a very light watch from the beginning. My only objection was the rectangle form, but I am used to it now. I know s3 is so much better, but I will hodl (sic) for an actual change in shape/form as well.
I'm not sure if Apple will ever allow third party faces but I wish they would offer more flexibility for customising their existing ones.
Yep.... I think when the Apple watch first launched, it was kind of a mess. The watch itself was way too slow, especially when you tried to use any of the (still buggy at that point) apps on it that talked to the companion app on the phone.
The marketing angle proved to be all wrong too, trying to appeal to the fashion industry with it. At the end of the day, Apple's watch is a product for the masses, including all the "tech geeks" who never set foot in those high-end clothing stores or care a bit about what's fashionable. That solid gold "Edition" watch was the butt of a lot of jokes, and felt like Apple pandering to celebrities and sports athletes rather than concentrating on a product for "the rest of us".
Series 3 really got things right with how the product should actually work and perform.
The marketing angle proved to be all wrong too, trying to appeal to the fashion industry with it. At the end of the day, Apple's watch is a product for the masses, including all the "tech geeks" who never set foot in those high-end clothing stores or care a bit about what's fashionable. That solid gold "Edition" watch was the butt of a lot of jokes, and felt like Apple pandering to celebrities and sports athletes rather than concentrating on a product for "the rest of us".
Series 3 really got things right with how the product should actually work and perform.
Good points, and you're right that you and I would be fine. I'm not so sure that companies like Energous or, as a better example, Apple, will let us think we're fine. I'm thinking of Apple's seemingly arbitrary decisions like removing USB-A ports, MagSafe charging, and 3.5mm headphone jacks. I could envision Apple deciding that ubiquitous low-rate charging is The Next Thing and cramming it down our throats. But there are probably so many practical and marketing issues with that that you'll be right about great runtimes. I do think that will require a leap ahead of and away from lithium-tech batteries.
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Agree, and yet it still offers higher-end (of the AW range) products, so probably just about everyone is happy at this point - at least anyone who actually wanted to own and use an AW.
I need to stop and look at the ceramic watch next time I'm in an Apple store. Not that I want to buy one, but I've worked with companies that were in ceramics and this is an interesting use.
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Yes, and it's surprising that there aren't. Presumably Apple has this locked down, but it's hard to think of a reason why. You would think that you could at least incrementally increase sales by offering really customizable faces.
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Post below is an interesting thread that you linked to in February 2016 (two years ago) - basically a similar question on the impact of the AW on the Swiss watch industry (with apologies to the person who posted above asking why other watch industries, especially the Chinese industry, weren't included in the comparison):
The latest data from Strategy Analytics reveals that the Apple Watch remained the most popular smartwatch through the fourth quarter of 2015, capturing 63 percent global market share based on an estimated 5.1 million sales in the three-month period.
Samsung trailed in second place with 16 percent market share and an estimated 1.3 million sales. Apple and Samsung together accounted for 8 in 10 of all smartwatches shipped worldwide during last year's holiday shopping season, based on the data.
Global smartwatch sales rose to an estimated 8.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2015, an increase of 316 percent from 1.9 million in the year-ago quarter. The growth was led by North America, Western Europe, and Asia.
The record-breaking smartwatch growth contrasted the troubled Swiss watch market, which declined 4.8 percent in Q4 2015 over the year-ago quarter. Swiss watch sales totaled 7.9 million units in Q4 2015, down from 8.3 million in Q4 2014.Apple does not break out Apple Watch sales in its financial earnings results, but rather groups the wrist-worn device under its "Other Products" category with iPod, Apple TV, Beats, and accessories revenue.
Strategy Analytics previously estimated Apple Watch sales at 4 million in the second quarter, and 4.5 million in the third quarter, meaning that Apple sold an estimated 13.6 million Apple Watch units overall in 2015.
Early rumors suggested an "Apple Watch 2" would launch this spring, but it now appears that Apple's much-rumored March 15 event will focus on smaller Watch updates, including new bands and perhaps another fashion partner like Hermès.
Article Link: Apple Watch Sales Estimated at 5.1 Million in Holiday Quarter, Swiss Watch Sales in Trouble
Interesting. I personally have seen more Android watches on medical staff in emergency rooms.
But you have to look for them, since they often look like large regular watches.
There's no real competition for iPhone owners because Apple makes sure only their own product can be fully integrated.
That the question of how the Apple Watch fits into the watch market generally, and its impact on the "Swiss" watch market, are not new questions.
I know, I’ve been posting in discussions about it since it was announced.
Coincidentally, confidence also seems to be growing for the Swiss watch industry. https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/swiss-watch-industry-2017-year-end-data-positive-signs
Sure, that's why Android users all choose Apple Watches.
Oh wait. Same problem. Not full support.
If Apple allowed Android watches full access, I think a ton of iPhone users would move over to round versions with thousands of available watchfaces, the ability to keep face visible, etc.