TAG Heuer Sales Director Patrick Pruniaux Joins Apple in Run-Up to iWatch Launch [Updated]

[bsolar]

How is it that people still misunderstand the fact that when Apple aims at a new product segment, they ARE the competition and usually take over that segment?!?!?

This just shows how out of touch this hiring manager was that said this.

Note that even in their very successful mobile phone market Apple is not interested in taking over the whole mobile phone business, they are only interested in the mass-consumer premium segment.

With the iWatch Apple is most likely interested in the mass-consumer wearable devices market, which has nothing to do with the kind of luxury watches Tag Heuer & company sell. From this point of view the manager is probably correct.

 

[manu chao]

There's been plenty of reports stating iWatch has been pushed back to 2015. Timing of these recruitments would verify that.

Can you point me to any MacRumors or AppleInsider report on this?

 

[Arndroid]

I prefer Movado. Sorry Apple no sale!

 

[GuitarDTO]

Anything over $250 and I won't be "watching" it. $2k for a computer. $550 for a phone, and I'm going to pay how much for a device that at most will act as an extension of my phone and let me do some simple things? Not more than $250.

Link to source that says it will act simply as an extension of your phone.

This product won't be marketed to the tightwad consumer who won't spend more than $250 on an item. What I find interesting though is the mix of rumors indicating there could be a high price tag/luxury appeal, but then also medical device/medical industry potential as well. Bottom line, nobody has a clue what this thing will really do.

 

[Polansky]

Only time will tell me if I am interested....

 

[manu chao]

Yeah. If the watch is coming as soon as some claim, why aren't we seeing any leaks yet like with the iPhone?

One reason could be that they don't expect to sell 50 million of it in the first quarter and thus don't need to start up production as early. And we don't have the commercial interest of the case makers which pay good money for any leaks of the external case (there have been very few leaks about internal components).

 

[KPOM]

Tag Heuer, Burberry...

This iWatch thing is going to be pricey everyone.

There could be a line of watches at various price points, just like the iPod in its heyday. Heck, maybe the watch replaces the iPod line except for the iPod Touch.

 

[manu chao]

Why are they still hiring even at this late stage.. By this time everything should have been finalised.. Looks like Apple is not so confident..

One can argue that setting the marketing and sales is one of the latter stages of the whole watch project. It is not hat Apple can approach jewellers before they have a product to present to them, or at least there is very little they could discuss with them ("Do you want to sell our watch? But we cannot show you how it looks, what materials it is based on, what features it will have, or what it will cost.").

 

[69Mustang]

I don't think so. Rather, I think this gentleman sees the writing on the wall that his company and industry will soon be superceded by Apple's innovation. So he's happy that at least his sales manager was able to exit the sinking ship successfully.

Said by someone who obviously has no clue about the luxury watch market, and apparently even less knowledge about Tag. A sinking ship? In no way am I saying you're dumb. In no way whatsoever. But that statement? Plain.Stoopid.

 

[bushman4]

Tim Cook has kept his word in doubling down on Secrecy. Not one part has come out. No release date really no info just a lot of speculation and the hiring of some high profile people.
Hopefully this iWatch takes on some features nobody expected

 

[69Mustang]

It would be possible to have some high-end watches that sell for considerably more than $1,000. They wouldn't sell many, and the profit would be negligible or even zero, but it would improve how everyone looks at the whole product range.

I'm not being elitist, but a $1000 watch is nowhere near high-end. It just isn't. That's just a mid-range watch. You can still find digital watches in that price range. High end watches like the Jaeger Jony Ive wears, start in the 5 figure range.

I actually think Apple could sell a higher end iWatch in the $700-1000 and a couple of regular versions in the $2-300.

 

[firewood]

Lol to anyone who thinks Apple or wearables will take over the luxury watch segment.

They don't have to "take over" anything. Just suck a huge portion of the revenue (and thus profits) out of the higher midrange (e.g. the type of customer who buys a new Mercedes or BMW every couple years, not Ferrari and Bentley collectors). Luxury watch makers do not make most of their revenue from their top end product. Their revenue can be hollowed out from the bottom.

The iPod touch is 200$ what makes you think it will cost more than that when It will have LESS hardware?

Most watch buyers do not buy watches because of the amount of hardware or silicon inside them.

 

[Azzin]

It would be hilarious if the iWatch was a huge trolling campaign by Apple and they're actually not planning on releasing anything remotely similar.

It really wouldn't.

 

[69Mustang]

{snip}

Plastic with a gorilla glass screen competing with Swatch watches, through space grey aluminium with a sapphire coated screen, right up to platinum with a solid sapphire screen competing with LVMH.

I agree that Apple could release a couple of classes of iWatch. Swatch Group has low, middle, and high end watches. Apple could release something in the lower and middle markets and have some success. It can't be marketed like iPhones/iPads though. Sapphire in the watch world is a common material. It's nothing special.

 

[FieldingMellish]

The iWatch will be the preferred wrist candy for those who like their tech and status symbols while vacationing at a nudist colony.

 

[gnasher729]

Why are they still hiring even at this late stage.. By this time everything should have been finalised.. Looks like Apple is not so confident..

You are being stupid. Do you think everything that Apple is going to do over the next 50 years is already finalised?

I think Apple must actually be very confident, hiring people even when great thinkers like you claim it makes them look not confident...

 

[zipa]

LOL to your cynicism. Just you wait and see.

The fact that Apple sells products that cost less than $1000(0) makes it certain that Apple will never be a player in that market. No way, no how. It's a mass market brand, nobody worth his Patek wants to be associated with that.

 

[testcard]

Apple needs more Prunes.

 

[Serban]

From my experience people wear watches to tell the time, for purposes of fashion, for sentimental reasons (really high end mechanical watches given as gifts). A watch that Apple makes could do #1 reasonably well, but I remain deeply skeptical about #2, and #3 is a market Apple will never enter.

Questions/Comment I have:

1. What is it supposed to do? Being a better 'watch' is not sufficient.
1a. Sensors to track health?
1b. Receive notifications, so people have a fourth device receiving push notifications?
1c. Serve as an identity tool?

2. What is it going to look like and designed from?
2a. Presumably it will be stylish because Jony Ive wears watches and he would have a final say in what it looks like, but how broad an appeal?
2b. If it goes after high end timepieces, are you still going to want to wear it everywhere?
2c. If it's not worn everywhere, does it lose the value added tech proposition in tracking?

3. What is the cost and upgrade cycle?
3a. $1000+ watches rarely get upgraded, $400+ watches might get upgraded a couple times a decade, $100 watches might get upgraded annually.
3b. Presumably sensors are going to get better quickly, so Apple will want people to upgrade regularly, after all, regular upgrades are part of Apple's business model.
3c. How much money can Apple attempt to get out of consumers every 4 years? Does an expensive iWatch do damage to iPhone and iPad upgrade cycles?

4. Who is going to buy it and why?
4a. It's got to do some things that iPhone can't do and some things that iPhone can do, but better.
4b. I don't think it's going to convince people who don't already wear a watch to wear one.
4c. I don't think it's going to supplant the majority of watches that people already wear.

Final Thoughts
Apple has been great at making tech fashionable. This is their first foray in making fashion out of tech.

Whatever Apple's wearable is, it has to be always on you, under $200, and will be a secondary band on your wrist. No display, no Android Gear style push notifications, very thin, very elegant.

If will be stainless steel/leather and mature i will be replacing my Longines watches. Rolex/Longines watches can be replace by a good fashion high material iwatch with more features than tell the time/fashion suit. And Apple must known that the only jewel that man can have is the watch

 

[firewood]

Can someone PLEASE explain to companies that employees are not property? Employees are free to work for whomever the **** they want to work for.

In California maybe. Other states and countries actually do enforce non-compete contract clauses.

 

[Serban]

So an luxury mature iwatch with time, some notification and healt related it will be a hit for those who wear a fashion brand watch.
Apple must target people who have/like Rolex/Longines/Hublot etc BUT also the Swatch/Casio etc with a 300-400$ price target

 

[zipa]

I keep seeing this as an argument, but fail to see why it's such a big hurdle - what exactly is wrong with charging a device every night? I already charge my phone every night next to my bed so why would it be a big deal to charge a watch next to it (particularly if it supported wireless charging - just take it off and set it down next to my phone)? In some ways it's better to have something you charge every night than every 3-4 days because you won't forget then

My watch is from the early 1970's. It has never been charged so far.

 

[JaySoul]

Great. £600 iWatch ahoy.

 

[mrxak]

The iWatch is not going to challenge high end luxury mechanical watches, just like how the iBookstore hasn't challenged the leather-bound book collector market and the iPod hasn't challenged the vinyl records market.

 

[zipa]

Can someone PLEASE explain to companies that employees are not property? Employees are free to work for whomever the **** they want to work for. Stop you ***** aching and try to keep your employees by treating them better or paying them more.

This is an executive we're talking about here. That's a completely different legal entity than an employee. Exec's are very much "company property" and are totally not free to come and go as they please. Not without sanctions, that is.