Swiss Watchmakers Rebuff Apple's Partnership and Hiring Advances

[charlesdayton]

Looks like another company that will regret holding on to the past instead of embracing the future.

Swatch group already went through a similar situation when quartz watches where invented. They refused electric watches and continued to only make mechanical ones.

That almost killed the Swiss watch industry at the time. Now most Swiss watches are high end mechanical or budget Quartz.

Seem they did not learn the lesson.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Wow. Who knew watchmakers were dumber and bigger luddites than the RIAA! I personally enjoy a nice watch but I'm an aging Gen X. Let's face it Millennials, as a generation, have no respect for watches.

Swatches were super cool when I was in HS but they are pretty much a collector's niche today. I never see anyone in their stores (unless the Apple Store in the same mall) or notice anyone wearing them (unlike people using Apple products). A little Apple magic couldn't hurt Swatch.

As for high end swiss watches, I fully understand why they wouldn't want to mar their brand w/ Apple.

Hayek is actually CEO of Swatch Group, which includes all those high end brands, not just the $30 plastic watches.

 

[gnasher729]

Mechanical timepieces will not enjoy a strong market forever. They're already falling out of vogue with younger people.

Isn't that a matter of having enough spare cash to buy an expensive mechanical watch?

 

[MH01]

Dear Watchmakers,

A paradigm shift is coming. If you keep doing things the way you always have done them, you will be marginalized. Think of Palm and Blackberry phones.

And--face palm--think of the WATCH industry. In the 1960s, quartz movement was a paradigm shift for watch makers. The Swiss said, "no, thank you" and the Japanese took quartz and ran with it. It changed the whole industry. The mass market moved to away from the Swiss watches and started buying Seiko, Casio, and other Japanese watches. It's about to happen again and they don't see it.

Dear Apple Fan,

Swiss watch makers have nothing to fear from an itoy (watch). NOTHING!

People who buy a "swiss made" watch are not going to lower themselves to a toy. The swiss watch brands will feel no impact by the introduction of an iwatch.

Simple fact, say the iwatch costs $300. In the land of watches...... that's a very very cheap, if you want a decent quality watch!

Though good news, you will be able to get buy in from all those people who still have a calculator watch!

FYI, your paying for the movement, a quartz watch will never cost anywhere near a swiss watch!

click on any of the swiss brands on this site http://www.chrono24.com/

how exactly is a itoy going to impact some of thier line up? Its just going to be cheap...... head over to amazon.com, its might impact the watches sold on there, but not quality time pieces

 

[dannyyankou]

Your loss, Swatch.

 

[prowlmedia]

Shows you what you assume. Yes, Swatch Group owns some high end brands, but the majority are lower end department store brands, most of which sell for under $500, many for less than $200. But so what? When I mentioned Swatch it was the Swatch brand specifically and that brands particular quirky styling that can match Apple's. Swatch Groups other brands are very staid an un-Apple.

With your logic if I discussed Seven for all Mankind jeans I'd also be talking about Wrangler jeans.



Yes, understood, but I'm assuming Apple isn't interested in Swatch's mechanical watch movements, but rather the Swatch brands styling.

Apple have not needed another company for design in 15 years.

And certainly not from swatch. POS watches. Even the owned brands are mostly hideous.

 

[gnasher729]

One imagines Mr Jobs would never have approached the watchmakers in such a crude fashion, with so little class or style. Sending an email to an employee is very in the box corporate, no imagination.

Would you prefer a pretend alien abduction?

 

[everything-i]

Hmm... who's talking about replacing? I own a Baume Mercier AND a FuelBand. My brother has a Rolex and a Nike Sportwatch. My brother-in-law also has a Rolex and a Garmin running watch. I think you need to dispense with your stereotypes. A sport or smart watch is a supplement, not a substitute to a nice watch. Many people own both just as they have a nice car and a junker for winter weather.

Well said a high end time piece is as much a piece of jewellery as a time piece. The finely crafted workings of a good Swiss watch is no more accurate than a cheap digital watch in fact its a lot less accurate. People own them because of the craftsmanship that goes into them and how they look. Smart watches are not going to change this, and no smart watch is going to be able to compete on this level with a $50k+ Patek or Vacheron Constantin. They are purchased for totally different reasons and smart watches won't change that at all.

 

[losthorse]

-- removed by user --

 

[upekkharich]

watches as they currently exist fall into a few categories

A - tools that support the lifestyle of the user: a diver's style watch or a GShock, or a current techno watch
B - visual accessories on the wrist: no different than a bracelet, not always easy to read, generally overdone, often oversized, but mush more in tune with the wearer's visual aesthetic than an iPhone can be without a personalized case. how can an iWatch be personalized?
C - somewhere in the middle: good, or classic, design with functionality intact, a quick and easy way to find out the time, and, to a much lesser extent, a fashion accessory

there will be almost no impact on the analog watch market by an iWatch which comprise practically every nook and cranny of the swiss watch market.
there will be a substantial impact on current techno watches

almost every purchaser of a Rolex or an Omega does so because they have always wanted one. they look like the emotional desire they have had for many years. i am a techno geek, but would not ever wear an iWatch - too complicated and attached to an image of Dick Tracy. good design is simple. an iWatch is inherently complicated, it cannot constitute simplicity because it is not.

IMO, buyers of an iWatch will only satisfy the desires from a few of those categorical needs; an iWatch cannot possibly satisfy the desires met by a Patek Philippe, Omega Speedmaster, Rolex Datejust, nor even a Seiko SKX, its an apple in an orange world

an iWatch will be an update on a Casio calculator watch circa 1988. but will be done by apple, so will have their ethos intact: great design, fully functional and friendly, but more steeped in geekishness than an iPhone. does every watch wearing iPhone user wear a calculator watch?

 

[sillypooh]

In other news, console maker Nintendo's CEO talks about Apple and how they were not interested in a major deal

"Nah, Apple contacted us and said they need us really badly, but we're not really interested as we're doing great on our own, and we have this huge lead in the market. Check out our Blah console BTW!"

 

[firewood]

Hayek says his reluctance to work with Apple and similar companies comes from his desire to protect Swatch's advancements in ergonomic design, longevity and battery life, but he also has been critical of the iWatch, proclaiming publicly the smartwatch won't be "the next revolution" for Apple.

History may put this quote alongside similar quotes from Diamond Media, RIM, Nokia and Palm executives... Or not. We will have to see.

Mechanical timepieces will not enjoy a strong market forever.

Certainly not forever. But it's been over a half a century since non-mechanical timepieces became available, and watches are still a surviving multi-billion dollar business. Maybe in another half century their market will weaken?

Question is, would Apple be interested in a partnership with other watch companies? Apples history is that they are control freaks and rather do things in-house ...

Except for working with ARM, Imagination Tech, GT Advanced, Sony, Hon Hai, Intel, even Samsung, etc. for various key technologies.

 

[prowlmedia]

Dear Apple Fan,

Swiss watch makers have nothing to fear from an itoy (watch). NOTHING!

People who buy a "swiss made" watch are not going to lower themselves to a toy. The swiss watch brands will feel no impact by the introduction of an iwatch.

Simple fact, say the iwatch costs $300. In the land of watches...... that's a very very cheap, if you want a decent quality watch!

Though good news, you will be able to get buy in from all those people who still have a calculator watch!

FYI, your paying for the movement, a quartz watch will never cost anywhere near a swiss watch!

click on any of the swiss brands on this site http://www.chrono24.com/

how exactly is a itoy going to impact some of thier line up? Its just going to be cheap...... head over to amazon.com, its might impact the watches sold on there, but not quality time pieces

Do you just spend all you time slating apple products on an Apple forum? Pointless.

 

[everything-i]

Apple's product will be circuit boards and sensors inside a case. What could a traditional watch maker offer?

Probably they are after the expertise in making a decent case for their electronics. I doubt they are after any kind of design help, they just need people who have the skills to realise their vision.

 

[i.mac]

Looks like another company that will regret holding on to the past instead of embracing the future.

Exactly. We've seen this movie before.

 

[xxmrcxx]

Call me an old fashioned 22 year old, but I love having a standard analog watch. When you look down at it, it still looks professional. Also, I love having an enormous battery life. I already charge 2-3 devices when I go to bed so the last thing I want to do is make sure my watch is charged.

Additionally, a minuscule feature of analog watches that I enjoy is using them for a compass.

 

[firewood]

One imagines Mr Jobs would never have approached the watchmakers in such a crude fashion, with so little class or style.

There are stories of Jobs cold calling executives and engineers he wanted to influence or hire... even at random times late in the evening or at night.

 

[JeffDM]

You forget the "Swatch" brand is more known for brightly colored rubber watches, meaning, Swiss-made toys.

I get it, there's a lot that goes into a mechanical watch. But fancy watches strike me as jewelry, a status symbol, lots of fancy gears & mechanisms which the wearer doesn't understand, other than it's expensive and stylish. Status symbols are part of Apple's gig too.

I'm not in favor of electronic watches, it just seems the luxury watches are mostly jewelry & poofery.

Dear Apple Fan,

Swiss watch makers have nothing to fear from an itoy (watch). NOTHING!

People who buy a "swiss made" watch are not going to lower themselves to a toy. The swiss watch brands will feel no impact by the introduction of an iwatch.

Simple fact, say the iwatch costs $300. In the land of watches...... that's a very very cheap, if you want a decent quality watch!

Though good news, you will be able to get buy in from all those people who still have a calculator watch!

FYI, your paying for the movement, a quartz watch will never cost anywhere near a swiss watch!

click on any of the swiss brands on this site http://www.chrono24.com/

how exactly is a itoy going to impact some of thier line up? Its just going to be cheap...... head over to amazon.com, its might impact the watches sold on there, but not quality time pieces

 

[petsounds]

"Apple has contacted some of my employees – I saw the emails personally,"

Just another part of Apple's elaborate ruse to make competitors think the iWatch is actually a real product.

 

[SmileyBlast!]

I imagine an Apple iWatch might have a NEST Thermostat like spinning dial as a UI. Or some sort of thumb wheel touch screen maybe.
I don't see it having a winding stem mechanism.
That's my least favourite thing about mechanical watches.

 

[AppleInLVX]

I don't typically cross-link posts, but this piece on Furbo made me question the whole idea of a smartwatch. It's one of the most thought-provoking articles about an iWatch that I've read:

http://furbo.org/2014/03/13/wearing-apple/

In the light of this, I'm almost ready to don my conspiracy theory hat and say that Apple might be reaching out to these companies as either a total red herring, or more for the expertise in watch-specific craftsmanship, or wearable technology in general.

 

[everything-i]

Dear Watchmakers,

A paradigm shift is coming. If you keep doing things the way you always have done them, you will be marginalized. Think of Palm and Blackberry phones.

And--face palm--think of the WATCH industry. In the 1960s, quartz movement was a paradigm shift for watch makers. The Swiss said, "no, thank you" and the Japanese took quartz and ran with it. It changed the whole industry. The mass market moved to away from the Swiss watches and started buying Seiko, Casio, and other Japanese watches. It's about to happen again and they don't see it.

But the Swiss watch industry is as strong as ever so the move to cheap quartz movements did nothing to their sales because they don't just sell something that tells the time, they sell a hand crafted items that are more like jewellery than just a time piece. The smart watch will come and will be popular but its the current quartz watches that will see their sales affected not high end Swiss watches which exist for a different purpose than just telling the time. Swiss watches have never been about the mass market they have always been a small niche serving a very different function than mass produced watches.

 

[keterboy]

This reminds me of Balmer bashing the iPhone and iPad and then reaping the shame when proved wrong

 

[Rogifan]

This is the watch Jony Ive wears. I don't know what it would retail for as only a few were made. But the one auctioned off at the RED auction went for $365K. How do Apple executives design and build a watch they themselves would want to wear at a price point people will be willing to pay? That's why I'm skeptical we'll ever get a watch from Apple. Ive & Co. aren't going to design something they wouldn't use/wear.

 

[69650]

I'm glad Hublot turned them down, have you seen the price of their watches! I don't think a 50 grand iWatch would sell all that well IMO.

I'd rather they re-imagine what a watch could be in the 21st century.