Thanks for the insight. How time consuming would you project this process to be. Seems like it would take some time do do a single band. Apple has to price this band high enough just so they can keep up with the demand.
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Sport Watch/Milanese Loop
- Thread starter JerTheGeek
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Thanks for the insight. How time consuming would you project this process to be. Seems like it would take some time do do a single band. Apple has to price this band high enough just so they can keep up with the demand.
Huh? Are you saying red and pink don't match?
Not sure if you're being serious?
Red and pink are generally seen as clashing colours.
316L isn't very scratch resistant, neither is 106 which is far stronger, so brushing it up doesn't take a lot of time. I would guess maybe that they spend an hour polishing on a single band?
The polishing is the cheapest part of the production. Considering the average hourly pay in China is $1.3, it's not very costly. If the rest of that 9 hour process is machining and assembly (which might be around 2 hours), that's where the money lies. But, then again, they have probably bought CNC milling machines solely for this process, so there is no real cost but the CNC machines them self.
(The good part of it not being very scratch resistant is that damage is easy to fix. Not on the coated ones though..)
They're commonly seen together as Valentines Day colors, and some girls mix red and pink in their wardrobe.
Do you think Milanese Loop will be compatible with Sport?
Regardless of the photo you posted and valentines, in a fashion sense, they are generally seen as clashing colours.
I think it's pretty well highlighted by your photo.
Regardless of the photo you posted and valentines, in a fashion sense, they are generally seen as clashing colours.
I think it's pretty well highlighted by your photo.
Seriously, there are no such thing as "general" clashing colors. Any colors can be made to match. Clashing occurs because of mismatch in tone, not color.
One persons "clash" is another's personalized fashion statement.
There's no right answer here. Safe answers, perhaps?
There's no right answer here. Safe answers, perhaps?
I'm pretty sure oil rigs in the North Sea will disagree...
It isn't a real concern per say, but rain coupled with salty sweat captured inside the band insert without proper drying _might_ cause corrosion. Corroding aluminium isn't all that nice too look at
Edit: Last sentence clarified; looks like aluminium will corrode with SS according to your sheet.
I did further reading on this. From http://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=89
"Aluminium and stainless steel together also appears to be a bi-metallic corrosion risk, from the 'nobility' table. With this combination the affect of relative surface area on corrosion is important.
A large area of 'cathode' relative to 'anode' will accelerate the anodic corrosion. Although aluminium is anodic to stainless steel, large relative surface areas of aluminium to stainless steel can be acceptable, dependant on local conditions. Stainless steel fasteners in aluminium plates or sheets are normally considered safe, whereas aluminium rivets or bolts holding stainless steel parts together is an unwise combination, as there is a practical risk of corrosion.
An example of the safe use of stainless steel and aluminium together is where stainless steel fasteners and hold down bolts are used to secure aluminium roadway or bridge parapet guards. Even with no insulation between the metals, there should be little risk of corrosion.
In contrast, in a marine environment, severe localised pitting corrosion to the aluminium treads has been observed where un-insulated stainless steel bolts were used to secure the treads in place. On the same ladder however, bolts with sound insulating washers did not show any pitting on the surrounding aluminum."
Based on this, a small stainless steel connector to a large aluminum body would normally not pose a problem. However, the presence of sweat (from working out or just from wearing the watch on a hot day) may change this equation.
Which was the original point that I made.
Whether technically correct or not, the point still stands that as a general rule, pink and red are seen to clash.
Could be a cultural difference, but pink and red are pretty standard and considered "safe" in girls" kimonos.
Really? Ya think so? That much for the mid-level watch with a link bracelet?Fortunately, I'm gonna get it no matter what it costs. Within reason of course. Do u think its the machining of the band that will drive up the cost? What's ur estimate of what u think the stainless apple watch will cost by itself? And how about the link bracelet by itself? What are ur guesses?
Huh? Are you saying red and pink don't match?
Ummmm.....
Not sure if serious, but YES... pink & red clash horribly.
Also, I don't think people say "match" anymore. I believe the modern vernacular is "go". Like an earthy green and an earthy brown certainty aren't "matching" colors, yet they "go" together.
I know this sort of thing doesn't matter to some people & I suppose if your visual cortex is wired such that you can't recognizing clashing colors, and it hasn't caused problems in your life... feel free to rock brushed aluminum with polished stainless steel! =)
Yes I am serious. As I show in previous post (https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20793759/), I grew up seeing girls wear pink and red kimonos all the time.
Not that my Mom ever made me wear those...
As for Milanese loop on sports watch, I'd have to see them in person to see if they clash or not, to my eyes. Be fun to hear people's reactions once they see it in RL.
Not in person, but this might give you an idea.
Source: http://veronte.com/watchmix/
Edit: Ok, I just noticed someone had already posted a very similar picture at the begining of the thread
. Sorry for the double post.Attachments
I've seen those pictures, and they make me think the steel-aluminum combo looks ok. However, those aren't real pics, and in any case colors can look really different when seen in real life. So I'm reserving final judgment until I can see them in person.
Apple is still making an affordable option: the Sport version. I have no idea, but I wouldn't be surprised if they go after the low end Swiss brands in the $1K-$2K range with the steel watch.
My Omega watch band costs $1K on its own, and it isn't made any better than the Apple link bracelet. Heck, there have even been rumors and evidence that Omega may be sourcing bracelets from China, too.
Apple might do that but upselling someone from $349 to $1K-$2K seems like a tough sell.
My pricing guesses:
Apple Watch Sport 38mm: $349
Apple Watch Sport 42mm: $399
(Space gray models same price)
Sport bands $29 each
Apple Watch SS 38mm: $599
Apple Watch SS 42mm: $649
Leather bands $99 or more each
Stainless steel link bracelet $199 or more each
Milanese loop maybe $99 or more each
Apple Watch Edition: I have no clue, my guess is starts at $4999.
I also think that all bands will be available for purchase separately, to be used on any model you want.
We'll see in less than 42 hours!
I'd be ecstatic, if the Sport watch comes with a band for $399(42mm), and the Milanese loop is just $99.
Mass market would probably prefer a watch that does not come as standard with a rubber band. If the sport model is the Mac Mini, does that mean all the other macs now cost over 2000 dollars? No.
Swiss watches are expensive not because they have a highly polished case and sapphire crystal, but because of the precision mechanical movement and all the work that goes into that. ...And brand markup, of course.
Slapping the same guts as the sport model in a flashier casing at 400% the price is going to be a tough sell. The gold watch is expensive because gold is expensive, but steel is a common material. Like I said, premium but still affordable is their recipe for success. Not silly season prices on virtually everything.
Not sure why so many here are so quick to jump into these high-priced rumor-barrels...
Oh yeah? And how many of those bands does Omega sell each year then? How many could Apple sell at a hundred bucks a pop (still a high price)? Far more than ten times as many, because even though many could perhaps afford to spend $1k on just a band for a watch, they still wouldn't spend $1k on just a band. Most people have better things to spend their money on.
I was talking about with the closer to $1K mark with the link bracelet, which it seems like Apple is positioning closer to the high end, but who knows? If a Rolex or Omega bracelet is a grand or more, I think $300-500 extra for the Apple bracelet is possible.
The movement of a Rolex is worth a few hundred bucks. They probably build the whole DateJust for $500 or less. It's a Veblen good.
Rolex did $4.5 billion in sales last year alone, and those are in a much higher price bracket than these Apple Watches, I'd assume. Swatch group, which Omega is a part of, did $8.9 billion. The high end market is there. It'll be interesting to see where Apple positions these watches. I think, if they want these "geeky" gadgets to become mainstream acceptable, they need to position things a little higher up the luxury scale, and they'd be smart to make the Sport version affordable, the steel version competing in the low Swiss range around a grand, and the Edition in the $3K-$5K range.
I sure hope Apple sells most of the straps for under $100; to pay any more than that seems crazy to me. Then again, I'm buying it more for the tech aspect not for the fashion aspect.
I don't see why I wouldn't be compatible... It's looks are subjective, but I also think the mixing of the bands will just be subjective. I'm loving the look of the space grey sport with the black link band. The metals might not "blend" well, but it's still a very attractive combo (At least to my eyes)
I used "mixmywatch.com" to mess around with different combos.
I used "mixmywatch.com" to mess around with different combos.