Like comparing apples to bowling balls, sure both tell the time but each in their own class. I own both and love them both for what they are.
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Apple Watch vs Rolex
- Thread starter r0k
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Unless they get into the smartwatch business, Rolex will most likely get hurt in the long run. Today's young people who are starting with the Apple Watch Sport will become so used to having a smartwatch that later in life they'll consider a more expensive smartwatch when they're well able to afford it.
Most of us have become so accustomed to the iPhone that we can't operate without it and won't ever go back to a dumbphone. The same will happen with the smartwatch, and Rolex is likely doomed in the long run unless it evolves. They're after all competing for the same wrist space.
Rolex has been around for over 100 years I don't think their going anywhere any time soon.
The past isn't necessarily an indication of what will happen in the future. Rolex has never had to evolve beyond being a dumbwatch manufacturer. Trust me, today's young people will have become so dependent on having a smartwatch that they'll only consider another smartwatch. We've already heard from members who said that they'll likely not ever wear their expensive dumbwatches again. Rolex better evolve or it's doomed. Jony Ive alluded to this a few months ago when he gleefully said that Switzerland is in trouble.
I agree and disagree with your statements. How about in the 70's when they came out with digital calculator watches I'm sure everyone said the same thing. I mean really who needs a 10k rolex when a $200.00 Seiko with a quartz movement can do the same thing and probably more accurately. There will always be a market for expensive automatic watches. I love my apple watch, but when I put a suit on and strap my Rolex to my wrist it's a totally different feeling.
The difference is both were dumbwatches whose primary function was to tell time. The addition of a calculator doesn't make a smartwatch that people rely on in daily use. The market for expensive automatic dumbwatches will likely shrink in the long run, as more people consider jewelry-quality smartwatches.
Automatic watches are like children if you don't have one you'll never understand.
The fact that we now have members saying they'll likely never return to their expensive automatic watches disputes this.
The value of collectibles also depends on scarcity. In the future there will probably be more demand for the first Apple watch because most of them will be in landfills while those Rolexes, that last forever, will be found in abundance.
I owned an automatic watch for a number of years. It was a Rolex clone. I know, if I take it to the jeweler they have to smash it. Anyway more recently I owned a Citizen Eco Drive. That's the closest thing to an automatic watch only better. If you don't wear an automatic watch or put it in one of those winder gizmos, it stops after a few days. The Eco drive will run for 6 months after you walk around one sunny day wearing it.
Of course I hope Apple figures out how to make the Apple Watch work either without charging or charging weekly but for now I'm happy with my Apple watch because those other watches can only do one thing: tell time. I've gotten used to seeing my text messages scroll by unobtrusively on my wrist. I've gotten used to getting tapped on the wrist when it's time to make a turn during navigation directions. I've gotten used to speaking the response to a text message to Siri instead of digging for my phone. I've gotten used to glancing at my wrist to check my pace during a walk, run or bike ride. There is no way I'm going back to those nice antiques. If I need a nicer looking watch for a special occasion, I put on one of those fancy metal link bracelets I picked up on Amazon for under $50. The rest of the time I wear the sport band because it is by far the most comfortable.
When I started this thread I was tempted to post the photo of my beat up old Rolex clone but I didn't want to misrepresent the tradeoff I was talking about: between new expensive tech and old expensive tech. I've decided to upload it today now that I'm admitting to having owned a watch that for a few years looked pretty much like the watch it was imitating, especially when it comes to the automatic self winding feature and the smooth sweep second hand.
Of course I hope Apple figures out how to make the Apple Watch work either without charging or charging weekly but for now I'm happy with my Apple watch because those other watches can only do one thing: tell time. I've gotten used to seeing my text messages scroll by unobtrusively on my wrist. I've gotten used to getting tapped on the wrist when it's time to make a turn during navigation directions. I've gotten used to speaking the response to a text message to Siri instead of digging for my phone. I've gotten used to glancing at my wrist to check my pace during a walk, run or bike ride. There is no way I'm going back to those nice antiques. If I need a nicer looking watch for a special occasion, I put on one of those fancy metal link bracelets I picked up on Amazon for under $50. The rest of the time I wear the sport band because it is by far the most comfortable.
When I started this thread I was tempted to post the photo of my beat up old Rolex clone but I didn't want to misrepresent the tradeoff I was talking about: between new expensive tech and old expensive tech. I've decided to upload it today now that I'm admitting to having owned a watch that for a few years looked pretty much like the watch it was imitating, especially when it comes to the automatic self winding feature and the smooth sweep second hand.
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And Switzerland sarcastically smiled at the gleeful comment of J.I.
You really consider it a fact because a few members on MR stated it? We will see this "likelyhood". You would be surprised.
It's a fact that a few members have stated it. That's an indication it doesn't bode well for young people who start with a smartwatch as their first watch and won't consider anything else but a smartwatch in the future when they're well able to afford an expensive Rolex.
If this is the futute, hopefully ill be dead by then. All these gadgets and people are just way too dependable on them. (sarcastic btw)
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Lol great picture. At least the Apple watch is helping ppl lose weight..or so I read.Speaking of which:
An interesting discussion. I have a 15-year-old Rolex Air-King in stainless steel. It's a simple, plain watch without even a date. It has worked nearly non-stop as my daily driver, well, until the Apple Watch came along. I haven't worn the Rolex much more than a few minutes since May. I'm curious whether I'll return home to the Rolex again someday, or if it will find itself amongst other finely crafted yet stubbornly obsolete and out-of-fashion technologies, like Leica film cameras (or perhaps dedicated every-day cameras in general).
The Rolex is a compact mechanical watch having nearly the same dimensions as the 38mm Apple Watch. I'm still impressed that Apple was able to pack so much into the 38mm case and yet have the apparent "on-wrist" thickness no more than a Rolex. In contrast, my Moto 360 looks like a wall clock strapped to my wrist.
Could I go back to the Rolex? It would mean giving up all the perks I enjoy from the Apple Watch: day/date, reminders of upcoming appointments, who's calling (so I don't have to go running to find my iPhone before the call goes to voicemail), night visibility, Apple Pay, hands-free Siri for timers and lists, and fitness tracking. It's pretty stylish and lovely and all that, too.
One thing is certain... as time marches relentlessly onward, my Rolex will keep working, albeit perhaps not without an expensive servicing. I've received 15 years of timekeeping out of the Rolex, working out to about $133 per year. My present Apple Watch? It will probably be but a technological memory like the original iPhone, but I just might still have an Apple Watch on my wrist.
The Rolex is a compact mechanical watch having nearly the same dimensions as the 38mm Apple Watch. I'm still impressed that Apple was able to pack so much into the 38mm case and yet have the apparent "on-wrist" thickness no more than a Rolex. In contrast, my Moto 360 looks like a wall clock strapped to my wrist.
Could I go back to the Rolex? It would mean giving up all the perks I enjoy from the Apple Watch: day/date, reminders of upcoming appointments, who's calling (so I don't have to go running to find my iPhone before the call goes to voicemail), night visibility, Apple Pay, hands-free Siri for timers and lists, and fitness tracking. It's pretty stylish and lovely and all that, too.
One thing is certain... as time marches relentlessly onward, my Rolex will keep working, albeit perhaps not without an expensive servicing. I've received 15 years of timekeeping out of the Rolex, working out to about $133 per year. My present Apple Watch? It will probably be but a technological memory like the original iPhone, but I just might still have an Apple Watch on my wrist.
In ten years time we will be laughing at the Apple Watch! That will never happen with a Rolex.
I'm also an automatic watch wearer, and I really like my Apple Watch. Currently wearing the AW on weekdays/traveling (i.e. on planes/airports) and reserving automatics for weeknights/weekends/vacations.
One other job-to-be-done for automatics is as jewelry. So perhaps automatics will stick around (for the older crowd) for this purpose.
As for the younger generation who grows up with AW and similar devices (and assuming these are successful and gains mass adoption)--it's likely that the need of jewelry will remain. Now, the question is whether this need will continue to be served by traditional watches, or if this will be served by something else (i.e. rings, bracelets, etc).
Well stated. I don't think automatics will be like Leicas because these are jewelry (as well as for telling the time/date). I wish there's a way to wear both automatics and AW together! "Double-wristing" looks odd (tried it and it didn't stick for me).
Cost-wise, both are about the same when averaged out over the long term, so it's not much of a consideration (especially if you can afford luxury watches, cost is usually not a concern).
One other possibility is that the AW form factor migrates to somewhere else on our body, at which points it may be possible to go back to "simpler things" with a nice automatic on the wrist (or nothing at all).
In either case, I'll continue enjoying both the old and new everyday
There's absolutely no reason why we can't have jewelry-quality smartwatches. Rolex and other high end watch manufacturers can easily evolve into this venue, and they should unless they want to shoot themselves in the foot in the long run. Apple already has a head start with the $10,000-17,000 Edition models.
Don't know if we'll be laughing at the apple watch by then, but I'm sure Rolex will still be around.
More like we'll be laughing at Rolex for being the Nokia of watch manufacturers, unless it's smart enough to evolve.
Better evolve or die a slow death. Smartwatches are here to stay.