Apple Watch Launches April 24, Price Ranges From $349 to Over $10,000

[ZCT]

What makes you think you need to "service" a watch every 5 years?
My Seiko 6309-7040 (automatic movement) has been running "like a clock" since 1982 without a single service. Ditto for my other Seiko's, ditto for my Rado, etc. etc.

Your argument here is nonsense.

The fact is, the Apple watch has less functions than the phone which it requires to function. It will keep time just as well as any other watch.

Oh yeah, the phone you have to carry with the apple watch keeps good time too.

Just because you've owned a Seiko automatic for a very long time without servicing it, doesn't mean that is a good idea. In fact if you had say a Rolex from 1982 with no service history, that's going to raise some eyebrows among a potential customer base.

My argument is not nonsense, servicing is recommended on any decent mechanical watch. That's just a fact. Ask any horologist. Even if yours still tells good time, without a service you have no way of knowing how the seals are holding up that protect the watch from water. As the various oils dry out you can also be causing costly damage too.

I mean, I could drive my car long after the service engine warning comes on, but does that make that a good idea?

I also call into question your assertion that an Apple Watch tells time like an ordinary watch. Since they are collecting time data from the atomic clocks in GPS satellites, I'd argue that they are several thousand times more accurate than any mechanical watch. Even those that are COSC certified are accurate to within only a few seconds a day. Mechanical watches also don't adjust for time zone shifts or daylight savings.

And look, I'm not trying to dis mechanical watches. But in this day and age, it is an obvious reality that such devices are more collectable jewelry with impressive engineering, than an essential time piece. That function is after all already performed far better by the phone in your pocket.

But just like the watch made the transition from pocket to wrist, I think there is some merit to the idea of what Apple is doing here.

I'll be sure to let you know what the reality is after I get mine.

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Fine mechanical watches like Patek Phillipe and Rolex do hold their value well. "Fashion" watches, even expensive ones, not so much.

Do you believe that the kind of person spending $17K on an Apple Edition Watch could give two hoots about resale value?

I think there are some watch enthusiasts out there who would pay more than $10K for that dream watch of theirs. But I don't think that's the consumer Apple is looking to snag with the Edition.

The vast majority of Apple Watch purchases will be $400-$600. Not the kind of money that could get you a Rolex or Patek Philippe.

 

[NedBookPro]

Just because you've owned a Seiko automatic for a very long time without servicing it, doesn't mean that is a good idea. In fact if you had say a Rolex from 1982 with no service history, that's going to raise some eyebrows among a potential customer base.

My argument is not nonsense, servicing is recommended on any decent mechanical watch. That's just a fact. Ask any horologist. Even if yours still tells good time, without a service you have no way of knowing how the seals are holding up that protect the watch from water. As the various oils dry out you can also be causing costly damage too.

I mean, I could drive my car long after the service engine warning comes on, but does that make that a good idea?

I also call into question your assertion that an Apple Watch tells time like an ordinary watch. Since they are collecting time data from the atomic clocks in GPS satellites, I'd argue that they are several thousand times more accurate than any mechanical watch. Even those that are COSC certified are accurate to within only a few seconds a day. Mechanical watches also don't adjust for time zone shifts or daylight savings.

And look, I'm not trying to dis mechanical watches. But in this day and age, it is an obvious reality that such devices are more collectable jewelry with impressive engineering, than an essential time piece. That function is after all already performed far better by the phone in your pocket.

But just like the watch made the transition from pocket to wrist, I think there is some merit to the idea of what Apple is doing here.

I'll be sure to let you know what the reality is after I get mine.

Whatever! LOL!

All I know is all my mechanical watches are running sweet and never had a service.

Do I care what someone else values my watch at? No.

My watches are priceless to me (despite them not being $17,000), that's all that matters... and they'll be handed down to the next generation. If they want to service them. That's up to them. By that time, this apple watch will be selling on ebay for 0.99c.

FYI, I just checked on ebay for another cutting edge innovation: an Apple Newton 110... going for a massive $130.

[SARCASM]Yeah, what an investment.[/SARCASM] (oh, and I have 2 of them)

.

 

[Gildarts]

Looks very nice and interesting but since it is not water proof, I will hold until it happens.
Not bitching, I am a avid swimmer, surfer and I like to wear my watch at all times. I love the watch possibilities. It's definitely something I will consider down the road. Very cool.

As a surfer/swimmer. How do you take you iPhone with you in the water?

Because the watch only works with the iPhone..

 

[OllyW]

As a surfer/swimmer. How do you take you iPhone with you in the water?

Because the watch only works with the iPhone..

It still works without the iPhone but you get limited functionality.

 

[ZCT]

Whatever! LOL!

All I know is all my mechanical watches are running sweet and never had a service.

Do I care what someone else values my watch at? No.

My watches are priceless to me (despite them not being $17,000), that's all that matters... and they'll be handed down to the next generation. If they want to service them. That's up to them. By that time, this apple watch will be selling on ebay for 0.99c.

FYI, I just checked on ebay for another cutting edge innovation: an Apple Newton 110... going for a massive $130.

[SARCASM]Yeah, what an investment.[/SARCASM] (oh, and I have 2 of them)

.

You're getting really off topic.

If you really think about the future value of items you'd never buy anything.

What about that nice car? Gonna lose 30% when you drive it off the lot and depreciate to nothing.

Big screen TV? Good luck selling that on eBay when you're done with it. $2000 today, haul away for free when you buy your next one.

Ditto any computer, household appliance, just about most things in life.

Jerry Seinfeld once quipped that we are all just garbage men. We keep 'stuff' we buy for a while, then it moves to the garage, then eventually to the trash.

If you want to buy a Seiko mechanical watch instead of an Apple Watch, never service it, and give it to your kids, have fun with that. But I don't really see how that opinion needs to be repeatedly shouted on the Internet.

 

[ZCT]

Bingo. Glad another watch enthusiast gets it. No watch nuts want this. An analogy I and some friends came up with this morning is very similar to what you said...

If honda made an Accord with solid gold sheet panels (instead of typical steel), and priced it in the same league as true exotic luxury/super cars (hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars), those customers still wouldn't buy it. Why? Because it's still an accord, just in a fancy shell.
I own/have owned many watches at or over the $10k mark, and I don't want anything to do with this thing.

I think you're missing the point of who Apple is targeting with the Edition watch.

They are not trying to take business from Rolex, or the kind of people who go one high end watch forums to post pictures of their watches.

You know that guy who posts pictures on Instagram of his pet lion standing on the roof of one of his Ferraris? He might buy a couple, for a laugh. The kind of person who gold plates their Range Rover might pick up a couple.

Then there are rich people in countries like China where gold culturally is a big deal.

I don't think this product is for normal people would would have to decide between a gold Apple Watch and a Rolex. This is a watch for people who drop $10K like a normal person would spend 25c.

Bottom line, I think Apple were brilliant to do this. Look at the buzz they created by doing something as outrageous as making a gold version for the kind of money most people could not even imagine spending on a watch. I think it helps elevate their product above and beyond smart watches that have come before.

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I think it's too early for Apple to release this.

Sometime in the future (maybe 5-10 years away), when we no longer need sim cards in our phones and battery/solar tech is vastly improved, then the watch becomes a viable option. There are times where a phone is impractical to carry with you (out running, swimming, surfing etc), and if you could have the ability to do a limited amount of stuff you would normally do with your phone without actually having your phone with you then that would be amazing and really would solve a first world problem.

For this iteration I was kind of hoping it would at least have GPS so it could track my run/cycle without me needing to carry my phone as well, but I guess that is a few versions away.

Wish they had spent the time and energy on something we are ready for, like a proper Apple TV using some of the tech they put into the iMac.

Based on this logic, Apple would never release anything.

After all, the current iPod is lightyears ahead of the first one. Who the heck wants a moving hard drive in their iPod? And look at the display on the MacBook Air compared to the MacBook they just announced. What about that stupid 30 pin connector compared to a lightening one?

Apple have to have a version 1.0 or there will never be a 2.0.

But if everyone turns their nose up at the 1.0 and refuses to buy it, there will never be a 2.0.

And Apple have been spending time on the Apple TV, and are launching a new one later this year. I think a company of this size and resource can work on several products at once. Some you'll like, some you won't.

 

[chris975d]

Apple Watch Launches April 24, Price Ranges From $349 to Over $10,000

I think you're missing the point of who Apple is targeting with the Edition watch.



They are not trying to take business from Rolex, or the kind of people who go one high end watch forums to post pictures of their watches.



You know that guy who posts pictures on Instagram of his pet lion standing on the roof of one of his Ferraris? He might buy a couple, for a laugh. The kind of person who gold plates their Range Rover might pick up a couple.



Then there are rich people in countries like China where gold culturally is a big deal.



I don't think this product is for normal people would would have to decide between a gold Apple Watch and a Rolex. This is a watch for people who drop $10K like a normal person would spend 25c.



Bottom line, I think Apple were brilliant to do this. Look at the buzz they created by doing something as outrageous as making a gold version for the kind of money most people could not even imagine spending on a watch. I think it helps elevate their product above and beyond smart watches that have come before.

The only thing I would say to this is...WHY does that Instagram guy take pictures of...whatever...on his Ferrari? Why did he buy a Ferrari in the first place? Because people aspire to own one. Because owning one (or more) gives the owner some "clout". It has prestige associated with it. It's revered by "car guys", which has in turn led to it being revered by average people. THAT'S why the Instagram guy is showing it off to start with. Same thing with gold plating his Range Rover you mention. Notice how you didn't say gold plating a Honda Accord?

This is the point that I personally think Apple is missing with the Edition. At some point, to be a product that people aspire to own, it's going to have to be well received with the enthusiasts. Same as the Ferrari, Range Rover, etc. Those products are considered "worth the money" by the people that revere them and aspire to own them. I don't see people wanting to spend money on a gold Apple watch that the actual watch enthusiasts are laughing at. That's my point. I can sculpt a dog turd out of solid gold. Are those Instagram people going to show that off, or the new Asian money buy that just because it's gold?

 

[ZCT]

The only thing I would say to this is...WHY does that Instagram guy take pictures of...whatever...on his Ferrari? Why did he buy a Ferrari in the first place? Because people aspire to own one. Because owning one (or more) gives the owner some "clout". It has prestige associated with it. It's revered by "car guys", which has in turn led to it being revered by average people. THAT'S why the Instagram guy is showing it off to start with. Same thing with gold plating his Range Rover you mention. Notice how you didn't say gold plating a Honda Accord?

I think the kind of guy that gets a pet lion and stands it on the roof of one of his Ferraris is just an idiot who likes to show off. He does stuff because he can, and he wants to.

I don't think he bought the Ferrari after doing endless research on expensive cars, he just knows they are out of reach for ordinary working people, so bought several because he can.

His shtick appears to be rubbing people's nose in his wealth. I think if he buys some Apple Watches in gold, it will be because he likes gold things, and he likes to own things other people don't have.

Ranger Rover guy (a different wealthy idiot), gold plated his Range Rover again to show off, and to be part of an elite club of wealthy people flaunting their wealth.

We can argue about mindset all we want. Get back to me in a few months and we'll see if some of these rich idiots post a picture of them with one or more Edition watches, and we'll see who is right.

This is the point that I personally think Apple is missing with the Edition. At some point, to be a product that people aspire to own, it's going to have to be well received with the enthusiasts. Same as the Ferrari, Range Rover, etc. Those products are considered "worth the money" by the people that revere them and aspire to own them. I don't see people wanting to spend money on a gold Apple watch that the actual watch enthusiasts are laughing at. That's my point. I can sculpt a dog turd out of solid gold. Are those Instagram people going to show that off, or the new Asian money buy that just because it's gold?

People have gold plated toilets. People do all manner of stupid things. And the kind of people who can buy an Edition, could give two hoots what some watch nerds on some Internet forum think about their choice of watch.

Again, we'll see who is right. Time will tell. I've made my prediction and you've made yours. No sense in arguing about it.

But consider this. Imagine the time, resources and smart minds that have been involved in making this device. I really believe that plenty of thought has gone into this. Apple didn't just shake a magic eight ball and randomly do something here.

 

[01silver4]

I think the kind of guy that gets a pet lion and stands it on the roof of one of his Ferraris is just an idiot who likes to show off. He does stuff because he can, and he wants to.

I don't think he bought the Ferrari after doing endless research on expensive cars, he just knows they are out of reach for ordinary working people, so bought several because he can.

His shtick appears to be rubbing people's nose in his wealth. I think if he buys some Apple Watches in gold, it will be because he likes gold things, and he likes to own things other people don't have.

Ranger Rover guy (a different wealthy idiot), gold plated his Range Rover again to show off, and to be part of an elite club of wealthy people flaunting their wealth.

We can argue about mindset all we want. Get back to me in a few months and we'll see if some of these rich idiots post a picture of them with one or more Edition watches, and we'll see who is right.



People have gold plated toilets. People do all manner of stupid things. And the kind of people who can buy an Edition, could give two hoots what some watch nerds on some Internet forum think about their choice of watch.

Again, we'll see who is right. Time will tell. I've made my prediction and you've made yours. No sense in arguing about it.

But consider this. Imagine the time, resources and smart minds that have been involved in making this device. I really believe that plenty of thought has gone into this. Apple didn't just shake a magic eight ball and randomly do something here.

I agree with u here, that plenty of taught went into the AW. A mean three years is quite awhile developing a watch. The rose gold eidtion is My wife favorite, and she had her mind set on this one until she heard the price. If Apple had started the price at $3500 I would get her one of the AW Eidtion. Is the Gold eidtion AW over price? I don't think so, not because I cant afford it doesn't mean it's over priced. Before my father retired from being a police in the Cayman island, we used to go there and spend summer. I remember walking Into some of these jewelry stores, by the ports where the cruise ships would doct. I remember seeing $25,000 watches in some of these stores. And they don't do nearly all the things that the AW does, and this was back in 2000. Bottom line is there are people out there that is going to by the Editions like hot bread. And Apple knows this, are they wouldn't have made them to begin with at the prices they are asking them for.

 

[ZCT]

I agree with u here, that plenty of taught went into the AW. A mean three years is quite awhile developing a watch. The rose gold eidtion is My wife favorite, and she had her mind set on this one until she heard the price. If Apple had started the price at $3500 I would get her one of the AW Eidtion. Is the Gold eidtion AW over price? I don't think so, not because I cant afford it doesn't mean it's over priced. Before my father retired from being a police in the Cayman island, we used to go there and spend summer. I remember walking Into some of these jewelry stores, by the ports where the cruise ships would doct. I remember seeing $25,000 watches in some of these stores. And they don't do nearly all the things that the AW does, and this was back in 2000. Bottom line is there are people out there that is going to by the Editions like hot bread. And Apple knows this, are they wouldn't have made them to begin with at the prices they are asking them for.

I hear you.

I was recently at London's Heathrow airport, and among the gift shops they had a watch store selling plenty of watches far north of $10K, and tons for half that price, but really nothing much below a grand.

Apparently the market justifies it. There really are people out there so rich they can on a whim pick up a Rolex or Omega as they wait for their plane.

 

[01silver4]

I hear you.

I was recently at London's Heathrow airport, and among the gift shops they had a watch store selling plenty of watches far north of $10K, and tons for half that price, but really nothing much below a grand.

Apparently the market justifies it. There really are people out there so rich they can on a whim pick up a Rolex or Omega as they wait for their plane.

Yes the market has been justifying this for years, and Apple is like why not get a piece of it. And at the same time let's give them a luxury watch that tell more than just time.

 

[melburstein]

Deciding between:

Aluminum + white rubber + 42mm = $399

Stainless Steel + Milanese + 42mm = $699

If I purchase one, it will be the Stainless Steel + Milanese; but gosh! $699 for a watch

 

[urbanslaughter1997]

Let's say you wanted an Omega Planet Ocean today.

That would cost you $6100. Interestingly the same watch in gold is $28,000. So you see how much gold ups the price.

You'd need to get the watch serviced every 5-10 years, at a cost of $500-$1000.

So you could in fact buy a brand new Apple Watch every time they release one if you wanted to. The difference is that the Apple Watch has more functionality and more features, along with vastly superior time keeping. The Omega is certainly a nice watch, but it is hard to justify your comments about how outrageous the Apple Watch is in terms of price, when you have a couple of watches that cost more than a grand, and don't tell time all that well.

But my watches continue today to do the same thing they did when I first bought them. You won't be able to say the same about the Apple watch.

 

[ZCT]

But my watches continue today to do the same thing they did when I first bought them. You won't be able to say the same about the Apple watch.

You can't compare a timepiece that costs thousands of dollars with a smart watch that costs a few hundred. They are not the same.

It would be like me arguing that my car is faster than your bike.

 

[01silver4]

But my watches continue today to do the same thing they did when I first bought them. You won't be able to say the same about the Apple watch.

Why?

 

[urbanslaughter1997]

Why?

Really? You're asking "why?" While I can't understand why I would need to explain this, I'llgive it a try. Let's try an example. My first gen iPhone no longer works. My 3rd gen iPhone no longer works. My iPad two works, but so poorly that I usually don't even bother trying. My automatic watches, two of which are over 25 years old, work as well today as they did on the day I bought them.

 

[eko91]

too expensive`

Wow, I never imagined a watch to be that expensive! $17,000??? SERIOUSLY?
Does free money come out of that watch? WHY is it so expensive? Now the apple watch is going to be a luxurious, statement piece. Is apple planning on creating high end products and low end products?

 

[BSben]

Wow, I never imagined a watch to be that expensive! $17,000??? SERIOUSLY?
Does free money come out of that watch? WHY is it so expensive? Now the apple watch is going to be a luxurious, statement piece. Is apple planning on creating high end products and low end products?

Well, there is the low end Mac Mini, and there is the Mac Pro, there is the iPod touch and the iPod shuffle. They are not new to have different entry levels at Apple.