Swiss Watchmakers Rebuff Apple's Partnership and Hiring Advances

[apolloa]

Hopefully you have better luck than I did with mine. It broke after 5 years. Battery went low, then that was the end. The mechanism went because the battery was low. WFT?!? Seems to be a common problem, google it. $400 to repair... no thanks.

I paid for an extended warranty up front just in case. So the case and mechanism are covered. I got it at a great price too, it was in a sale already and because the jewellers screwed up a little I got another 10% off that! Odd for the mechanism to go due to a flat battery?

I see they have now launched the solar powered model but I don't like it's design.

But I am loving the watch, so gadgety with the touch screen, and certainly solid, the glass seems good quality and tough. Has the Swiss quality feel about it. I have an old 1960's solid gold automatic Omega too I was given from my father after he passed away, it needs an overhaul and service, think the springs gone. Need to save up as reading up on it, to get Omega to do it will be around £400, but it's not a watch I would wear everyday.

 

[MH01]

Actually, many of the replicas coming out of China are ridiculously good, barring some inaccuracies that you'd need (1) working knowledge of the original model and (2) a loupe to spot. Not saying that owning a genuine isn't worth it, but they aren't "far far better" in any sense other than resale value.

Can't agree. I have seen both and only someone who has not seen the original might be fooled. Maybe I have not seen one of these excellent copies, dunno, what I have seen was obvious.

 

[albusseverus]

Nice to see that Apple doesn't mind an employee free market, when they know the other company won't be attracting any staff away from Apple.

All the same, this has a real RIM/Blackberry smell to it. These companies have had years of warning. Instead of getting any partnership they can with Apple, they'll stick their heads in the sand and pretend Apple can't make a difference in their industry.

Funny thing about sticking your head in the sand, it leaves your more sensitive areas prominent for the new player to get a free kick—and that's the cleanest analogy that came to mind.

Ignore Apple moving into your market at your peril, especially if you're a one-trick product (a watch is a classic example) and Apple can offer integration into the customer's digital world.

Dropbox seems to be the only company to resist Apple and keep breathing. And that's a combination of—offering a genuinely better (niche) product, and customers seeing the wisdom in spreading their digital eggs across a few baskets.

I agree with the case argument - watches have nicely engineered cases. Apple's lucky—people seem to love chunky watches, and that gives Apple more room to move to stuff the insides. I can't see where thin will win for Apple on this one… but I'm no designer, and certainly no Ive.

Starting to take an interest in this now. I wore a watch the other day to see how much fun it was, not to have to take my phone out of the pocket just to read the time (and it was a great relief). Give that pony a few more tricks, and there might be something in it.

I hark back to that TWiT host who claimed those that had seen the iWatch said there's no doubt it will blow the smart watch market away. Phones were boring before iPhone. I was perfectly happy with my Moto F3 and a fat Nano, they did everything I needed (except web browsing & email). Together, they were even lighter than an iPhone, but Apple knew how to make their phone irresistible.

Note to Ive - make the day & date big enough to read in a dark room without my glasses, and you've half won me over.

 

[malloc]

No thanks, I'll keep my Rotary over whatever geekware watch Apple makes and others copy.

 

[RGKahn]

Remember the swiss invented the digital watch

The Swiss Watch industry invented the first digital watches. But, because that was such a paradigm shift they did not even patent their work and so, as they say, the rest is history. Maybe this rebuke to Apple will become the second worst marketing decision of all time on the part of the watch making industry of Switzerland. It would cost so little to become part of something that could be worth a great deal of money, or not. If I could predict what is going to happen I would be doing what they, the watch industry, does not seem to want to do. They still can't get around their mechanical watch paradigm, even in this, the 21st Century.

 

[magbarn]

Can't agree. I have seen both and only someone who has not seen the original might be fooled. Maybe I have not seen one of these excellent copies, dunno, what I have seen was obvious.

Reading the endless threads here complaining about creaking cases, misaligned cases by millimeters, and LCD quality issues you would think the average macrumors board reader would be able to spot a fake Rolex a mile away. Seriously I still haven't found a fake Chinese copy that passes for the real thing on close inspection.

I really don't think Swiss watch makers have much to fear from apple as they're basically jewelry companies at this point. It's Casio, Citizen, and Seiko maybe who may have more to lose. Of course, Grand Seiko's would be exempt hehe.

 

[sirdir]

There is an odd undercurrent to these statements, although it may just be my perspective.

It doesn't come across do much as they being unwilling to partner, although I am sure that is part of it, as it does a group of people trying to huddle in and convince themselves and the rest of the world that the status quo will be maintained.

Also, I am curious as to why they are already proclaiming that the iWatch will come, and that it will be a failure.

Not only does history show them the error in believing such a statement, but they are outright ignoring the fact that it might not come at all.

If it does come, I think we can be quite certain it will be a great product. For whom and how many they sell is a legitimate question, but it will be great under some light regardless.

The whole thing smells more "scared" than "confident".

Karl P

Edit: I wonder if Apple has approached any of these to partner at all. As some other posters have pointed out - it's not normally like them to partner on something. It is likely they have tried to poach - and have probably been successfully in many cases. Maybe this is a veiled attempt to say back-off, or perhaps, oddly enough, even a backhanded way to say "we have kept a key employee or two... maybe you should consider partnering with us..."

Whatever it is, seems as though there is at best some half-truths here.

Macrumors is only citing half of the story indeed. The very same 'Hublot' boss also stated the Apple watch will be the first smartwatch he'll buy because he trusts Apple to make a beauty- and useful watch.
He also said he turnded down a partnership between Hublot and Apple because the brand Hublot wouldn't fit (a Hublot costs no less than ~$30'000)
I wonder what Apple wanted from them anyway...
He also stated it just didn't come to his mind then that they could in fact found a new company and use this one to partner with Apple.
Anyway, I'm glad Apple didn't partner with any mobile phone maker when they developed the iPhone... (anyone remember the motorola with iTunes integration? ieakkk)

 

[sanook997]

Somethings fishy here:

I don't believe Apple would ever go direct for positions like these, they would use a recruiter who would keep the client highly confidential. Any correspondence would come from the recruiter, not direct from Apple. After Apples name is disclosed even then all correspondence will be from the recruiter, yes then finally an actual offer letter from Apple but usually there is a well vetted verbal agreement before Apple or most other large corporations put anything in writing.

Could be wrong here, but this is how we do it and how I have know it to be in my past positions.

 

[macfacts]

Some how I don't think Apple would do the exact same thing. I think this is more on getting the talent on board who can do what Apple is looking to do. Not so much with the coping.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=apple+copies+swiss+clock

 

[DriedTurnip]

These watchmakers aren't stupid..













...or maybe they are.

 

[IbisDoc]

To anyone with the slightest bit of taste, this blows away a digital iwatch that gives you a totally inaccurate reading of your heart rate....only if you keep your wrist moistened, of course.

 

[Vtwo]

Reading the endless threads here complaining about creaking cases, misaligned cases by millimeters, and LCD quality issues you would think the average macrumors board reader would be able to spot a fake Rolex a mile away. Seriously I still haven't found a fake Chinese copy that passes for the real thing on close inspection.

I really don't think Swiss watch makers have much to fear from apple as they're basically jewelry companies at this point. It's Casio, Citizen, and Seiko maybe who may have more to lose. Of course, Grand Seiko's would be exempt hehe.

Yes, in the short term, I think you are right. People that are buying the Rolexes, AP, hublots, etc aren't really going to stop buying them and switch to just wearing the iwatch (if and when they come out). Although those people will probably buy one anyways. It is the watches in the 200-300 range that will be hit harder since those people general buy one watch which they use daily. So if they buy an iWatch, they aren't buying the casio, citizen.

Basically Apple is building a better Pizza Hut, red lobsters, Olive Garden. They aren't trying to compete with high end hotels and Michelin places. So I don't see any direct competition with the high end stuff. The market is big enough for both to flourish.



As for hiring people, I don't think Apple is going to make a $30,000 watch. But they might want to get the people who know the best look and feel. If you look at something like the iphone5/5s, the build quality and finish is definitely very high. It is still not at the level of a high end watch but pretty higher than all electronics.

 

[SeanR1]

Nice concept. It diverges from these ugly rectangular watches currently sold.

Kind of like this one.
http://www.engadget.com/gallery/moto-360-0/2491902/#!slide=2491902

 

[Vtwo]

Image

To anyone with the slightest bit of taste, this blows away a digital iwatch that gives you a totally inaccurate reading of your heart rate....only if you keep your wrist moistened, of course.

Well, people that can afford that Cartier will probably buy an iWatch anyways for when they go to the gym or on weekends when they are home. Unlike a phone, most people that buy the high end stuff have a collection of watches, so I bet the people with those watches are MORE likely to buy iWatch compare to the general public.

 

[vehicross]

When we ever get the chance to look at the inside of an Omega, Rolex, etc., or see the factory process on, “How Do They Do That”, one must be in aw of the metal magic taking place. Spending a year to fabricate and assemble these watches shows up under a low power microscope and is well worth the time to have a look. I have seen the magazines devoted to watches. Truly amazing, no question, but –
Consider techno magic of another kind. The process of making the semiconductor devices and electromechanical interfaces is also worthy of recognition.
Familiarity breeds contempt – So quickly we take for granted the availability of mass-produced devices no matter how remarkable their content. Instead of a very few craftsmen working hundreds of hours on a single watch, we have hundreds of people operating processes and equipment worth hundreds of millions of dollars to produce atomically small structures that can perform all kinds of operations from chemical sampling and positional input to bright colorful displays. All of the data processing and interfacing is done instantly. All of the communication with the outside world is done on the fly. When you grind the lid off of a modern integrated circuit or look at a 12-inch wafer covered in CPU’s, all you see is a rainbow of scattered light, since the structures are so small that the light is broken into colors like a prism. The fact that everyone has a few of these electromechanical marvels should not diminish the achievement of their construction.
“It’s just a bunch of geometry”, you might say. Not so. I was responsible for the operation of a scanning electron microscope in a semiconductor lab and we could operate the logic while we viewed the device. The scanning of the electron beam over the surface was much slower than the operation of the device frequencies. What resulted was a stroboscopic effect of light and dark bands running along the interconnecting metal traces. Some parts were running faster than other parts of the circuit. The level of activity was astounding. Not gears and springs, but pulses of electrons interacting with other logic functions. (We were looking for breaks in the signal path, by the way.)
I submit an iWatch loaded with sensors and communication abilities, should rank equal to anything crafted by Swiss master craftsmen.

Roy

 

[Robert.Walter]

Humans only have two wrists. Excepting Norm Schwartzkopf, most only populate one of those wrists with a watch.

I have owned Omegas for more than a decade, and when the latest was stolen, I pocketed the 4,500$ in insurance money, because my next device will be more than a timepiece, it will be a iBioWatch.

Unless SMH/Swatch Group and competing companies manage to convince consumers that it is both necessary and cool to wear a timepiece on the other wrist to stylistically compliment an iWatch, there is no doubt in my mind that the watch companies are going to lose significant business (unless iWatch is a dud - which I doubt it will be.)

 

[MacNut]

I own an Omega and IWC replica watches from China. They are virtually identical to the originals. I think Apple will be just fine without the overpriced pretentious Swiss employees on board.

If it is a Apple product won't it be by default over priced?

 

[randyj]

Just had a look at the Hulbot watches. Not Apple's taste at all.
Maybe that particular brand needs some free press, so by saying their staff are too good for Apple, they might attract a few Samsung customers...lol

Rado would be a better fit out of the Swatch portfolio of brands for Apple.

Personally I have 2 high end watches (that I only wear now if I have a special event, birthday etc) and one plastic surf watch that has the tide times etc which I wear in summer.
This new iwatch will have to be pretty amazing to get people to wear watches again every day

 

[Vtwo]

What is the last Apple product that was not over priced? I am talking about electronics not timepieces.

Errr... The iPhone? All the flag ship phones from the major vendors are around the same price (both in US where it is subsidized as well as the non subsidized price).

Of course, if you want to compare to brands like xiaomi, yeah, they are more expensive But then so is Samsung, HTC, Nexus, Sony, etc.

So things like Apple TV and MacBook Air are actually priced similar to their competition. And I am not just talking about specs. I mean the overall device including specs, build quality, reliability, etc. when you try to match all the criteria, most Apple products are competitive in terms of pricing.

 

[malloc]

Image

To anyone with the slightest bit of taste, this blows away a digital iwatch that gives you a totally inaccurate reading of your heart rate....only if you keep your wrist moistened, of course.

Most things do. Even as someone whose username is "malloc" and who is logged into a Raspberry Pi right now via SSH running a task, I'm not wearing Apple's geeky watch, let alone Samsung's. There's a difference between nerds and geeks.

----------

What is the last Apple product that was not over priced? I am talking about electronics not timepieces.

It's your judgement vs that of Apple's business managers who think that it's not overpriced. They actually lose profit if they overprice their products, so I would trust them more.

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Actually, many of the replicas coming out of China are ridiculously good, barring some inaccuracies that you'd need (1) working knowledge of the original model and (2) a loupe to spot. Not saying that owning a genuine isn't worth it, but they aren't "far far better" in any sense other than resale value.

The obvious problem I can think of is density. A company cannot fake the density of gold and diamonds on an expensive watch. They'd end up making the watch too light.

 

[Rogifan]

Well that completely sucks.
Here's what I don't understand. People spent the last three years complaining about skeuomorphism, now, as soon as the topic changes to something new, the only vision anyone can produce is more skeuomorphic crap. WTF?

Let me say it loud and clear. Devices that pretend to be watches this faithfully have ZERO chance of success in the marketplace. There is no way Apple will sell one. I want me an Apple SmartWatch as much as anyone else, but if Apple ever ships this POS it's time for me to buy a Pebble.

If you want jewelry, buy jewelry. But the value of a SmartWatch is in FUNCTIONALITY. If you're crippling the functionality to produce a product that insists on looking like something from 1913, you're producing something that no-one ACTUALLY wants.

Tell that to the tech media who got a collective boner over the Moto 360, all because it looked like a traditional watch.

 

[robjulo]

So now there are a whole bunch of people on macrumors who think they are watch industry experts.

 

[apolloa]

Errr... The iPhone? All the flag ship phones from the major vendors are around the same price (both in US where it is subsidized as well as the non subsidized price).

Of course, if you want to compare to brands like xiaomi, yeah, they are more expensive But then so is Samsung, HTC, Nexus, Sony, etc.

So things like Apple TV and MacBook Air are actually priced similar to their competition. And I am not just talking about specs. I mean the overall device including specs, build quality, reliability, etc. when you try to match all the criteria, most Apple products are competitive in terms of pricing.

Actually the iPhone is WAY overpriced, all other models drop in price over a year, Apple goes to great lengths to ensure the iPhone does not. And also my Nexus 5 is a great top end phone and costs half of what an iPhone does.

Anyway the Swiss makers have NOTHING to fear from Apple, it is unintelligent to make that statement, you may as well state they are all doomed because no one where's a watch anymore and they use their phones right? Oh wait that never happened...

Someone who spends thousands on a watch will also buy an iWatch if they want it. And add it to their collection.

 

[Steve121178]

All the same, this has a real RIM/Blackberry smell to it. These companies have had years of warning. Instead of getting any partnership they can with Apple, they'll stick their heads in the sand and pretend Apple can't make a difference in their industry.

Funny thing about sticking your head in the sand, it leaves your more sensitive areas prominent for the new player to get a free kick—and that's the cleanest analogy that came to mind.

Ignore Apple moving into your market at your peril, especially if you're a one-trick product (a watch is a classic example) and Apple can offer integration into the customer's digital world.

Apple won't and can't hurt the likes of Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer etc. These types of companies have a certain market to themselves. The owners of these watches don't want, require or need what Apple & Google can give them in a watch. Those customers are buying into exclusive luxury brands.

 

[Hilbrink]

... Swatch and Hublot are nothing more that a lot of hype and marketing and have no serious watch making credentials. Probably why they sound so scared.

Huh?! Did you even bother to check swatch group and it's history ?!