The situation with Apple Watch

[Jared G.K.]

I own a Rolex which I purchased long before the AW even existed.
Some 4 years ago I started to use AWes.
I love my Rolex, it ist beautiful and feels like a classy high quality product. And I would like to wear it from time to time.
But I always come back to my AW - there is too much that I'm missing when not wearing it.
I think the AW is a stroke of genius, which sadly makes me let down my beloved Rolex too often.

 

[0339327]

I am sipping on my 6th drink while I’m typing this. I shouldn’t let a thought slip away just because I’m not absolutely sober.

In my opinion, the Apple Watch is the best creation from Apple, second only to the iPhone. The amount of utility tasks you can do with the watch is limitless, while providing a respectable range of materials and colour choices to suit your design of choice and style (with the choices of bands included).

I’ve dabbled with the mechanical watch world recently and as much as I appreciate the history and the unique touch of a beating watch, I am not entirely sure how Apple hasn’t put the likes of Rolex, Omega out of business as of yet. I can understand why Omega will still be around because they’re managed by a bigger organisation (Swatch or LMVH is it?). But how does a company like Rolex and Patek stay relevant in the age of smartwatches, when the latter is accessible ( I’m looking at you ADs) and cost a fraction of their limited mechanical counterparts?

If we were to apply pure logic into this, the mechanical watch industry should be struggling. Not only that it’s not struggling but it’s thriving with the rise of micro brands.

So my question to everyone is, what would take the Apple Watch to ‘kill off’ the mechanical watch industry? Not that I want to see the death of mechanical watches but with the unattainable-ity of the Big Three, compounded by the true definition of utility watch in the Apple Watch, it’s perplexing to see how the mechanical watch world is still relevant and thriving. The latter was almost extinct when the Japanese created the quartz watches. I don’t think a Gerald Genta-esque intervention SHOULD save the mechanical watch industry to sink, given how much we can do with a smart watch.

Thoughts?

1. Next time you want to party, invite rest of us. I could use a 6th drink right now.

2. Before AW, I had a Pebble. My need for a smart watch was based on the fact that, at the time, most of work was in the field and my hands weren’t always free to answer the phone or respond to a text or email. It was very important to know if that call or text coming in was urgent or not. The Pebble and AW are supposed to show you this information. The Pebble was fairly reliable, though it was one way; I couldn’t respond with it. The Apple Watch was less reliable, often waiting a while before the notification would come through. Frustrating to no end, was the bug where the AW would continuously ring after I already answered the call on my bluetooth headset.

I hated the Apple Watch so much, that even after having several iterations, I gave it away. The notifications were the only reason to have it and the bugs weren’t worked out, even with the AW SE. And, the AW was very uncomfortable.

I now have a Citizen eco-drive. I still occasionally look at it when a call comes in 😄. My bluetooth announces the caller and, as I’m more in the office than in the field, my phone sits on my desk.

For me to even consider an AW again they would have get the basics right: notifications and calling. At the iPhone announcement, Steve said “the killer app is making calls!”. I don’t care about the exercise nonsense, I don’t care about the EKG, I don’t care about the step counter; get the damn notifications working…perfectly.

And, get a small round watch face with a simple, inexpensive, cloth or metal wristband. I don’t need an iPod strapped to my wrist with icky sticky rubber. (I know you can get cheap, third-party wristbands.)

 

[BillGates1969]

I own a Rolex which I purchased long before the AW even existed.
Some 4 years ago I started to use AWes.
I love my Rolex, it ist beautiful and feels like a classy high quality product. And I would like to wear it from time to time.
But I always come back to my AW - there is too much that I'm missing when not wearing it.
I think the AW is a stroke of genius, which sadly makes me let down my beloved Rolex too often.

Exactly me.

I have a lovely Rolex that I got for my 40th (14 years ago). Since 2015, at most it gets one outing a month. I love the Rolex, feels classy as you say and is a true piece of jewellery, but miss the AW too much when it isn't on my wrist.

The wife, on the other hand, double wrists...Rolex on the left and SSGS5 on the left. She can get away with it, looks ridiculous on me.

 

[Jared G.K.]

Exactly me.

I have a lovely Rolex that I got for my 40th (14 years ago). Since 2015, at most it gets one outing a month. I love the Rolex, feels classy as you say and is a true piece of jewellery, but miss the AW too much when it isn't on my wrist.

The wife, on the other hand, double wrists...Rolex on the left and SSGS5 on the left. She can get away with it, looks ridiculous on me.

I have to admit the thought of wearing both came to my mind too, and I even tried it, at home, secretly (don't tell anyone please).....but then I couldn't, it felt too embarrassing 😬😂

 

[Mezoxin]

smart watches have already overtaken the mainstream mechanical watches market , but it will never be able to overtake the high end watch market segment because luxury mechanical watches are timeless they hold value and sometimes even increase value with time , and you can't do that with smart watches

 

[BSG75]

smart watches have already overtaken the mainstream mechanical watches market , but it will never be able to overtake the high end watch market segment because luxury mechanical watches are timeless they hold value and sometimes even increase value with time , and you can't do that with smart watches

Agreed. Apple Watches and high-end timepieces aren't in the same market space.

IMO, Apple was a little off the mark when they launched the Apple Watch as a high-end timepiece. I remember having to make an appointment at the local Apple Store to try one on when they first came out. If you wanted a gold Edition model, they had a "back room" where they let you try on the watch away from the crowds, just like purchasing a Patek.
I felt the gold Edition model and the "sales experience" had Johny Ive written all over it.

It seemed like the AW finally hit its stride in Series 3, when the focus was more on timekeeping/notifications/fitness tracking, than trying to be a luxury timepiece.

 

[the future]

The notifications were the only reason to have it and the bugs weren’t worked out, even with the AW SE. (…) For me to even consider an AW again they would have get the basics right: notifications and calling.

Your experience is quite … unique. Because for millions upon millions of users “the basics“ are rock solid. Otherwise the AW wouldn‘t be the runaway success that it has become.

 

[0339327]

Your experience is quite … unique. Because for millions upon millions of users “the basics“ are rock solid. Otherwise the AW wouldn‘t be the runaway success that it has become.

That is certainly possible. It could be that because I use a BT headset, the BT connection to the AW is delayed. I don't know. All I do know is that I suffered the same issues over roughly 5 AW and iPhone iterations.

It's also possible that many people don't care about notifications because they use the AW for the other features.

 

[splifingate]

Charging every day can be a burden.

In my use, I can make it about two days before I find that I forgot to charge that little bugger; and--on my way out the door--further forget to take it off the charger, and strap it to my wrist. I don't cry when (half-way through my commute) I realise that it's still at home, on the charger

That being said, when I first got it, two out of seventeen co-workers commented with some degree of interest in my doing so.

A friend of mine wears her AW on one wrist, and a digital Casio on the other *shrugs*

 

[scorpio vega]

I am sipping on my 6th drink while I’m typing this. I shouldn’t let a thought slip away just because I’m not absolutely sober.

Me every time I have a point to make.

 

[Jared G.K.]

That is certainly possible. It could be that because I use a BT headset, the BT connection to the AW is delayed. I don't know. All I do know is that I suffered the same issues over roughly 5 AW and iPhone iterations.

It's also possible that many people don't care about notifications because they use the AW for the other features.

when I'm at home (or in office), I have a Mac, an iPad, an iPhone and the AW on and online. All connected to the same Apple ID, and with the same apps (if available) and notification settings.
Therefore I notice(d) that notifications never happen at the same time, nor in the same order.
It does not really bother me. The delay on certain devices is sometimes a few seconds, and sometimes a minute, maybe longer. Sometimes a notification comes first on the AW, sometimes on the Mac, etc. You can never tell.
I once spoke with Apple support about that, just because of interest. Not even they knew when and how and in which intervals or under which circumstances the OSs on the different Apple devices poll for new messages or other noteworthy events, and when they push a notification. They say it's 'undisclosed internal algorithms'.

So why do I not bother:

1. many, if not most notifications arrive instantly, and I never noticed a notification to not arrive at all.
2. like I said, when surrounded by all my devices, I will hear a notification instantly, even when delayed on some of the devices.
3. when I'm OO(H)O, I don't notice a delay, which may have occurred e.g. on my AW, as no other devices tell me that it actually arrived a little earlier.

Other people of course may have other requirements for absolutely instant notifications, at the same time, on all devices.

 

[0339327]

when I'm at home (or in office), I have a Mac, an iPad, an iPhone and the AW on and online. All connected to the same Apple ID, and with the same apps (if available) and notification settings.
Therefore I notice(d) that notifications never happen at the same time, nor in the same order.
It does not really bother me. The delay on certain devices is sometimes a few seconds, and sometimes a minute, maybe longer. Sometimes a notification comes first on the AW, sometimes on the Mac, etc. You can never tell.
I once spoke with Apple support about that, just because of interest. Not even they knew when and how and in which intervals or under which circumstances the OSs on the different Apple devices poll for new messages or other noteworthy events, and when they push a notification. They say it's 'undisclosed internal algorithms'.

So why do I not bother:

1. many, if not most notifications arrive instantly, and I never noticed a notification to not arrive at all.
2. like I said, when surrounded by all my devices, I will hear a notification instantly, even when delayed on some of the devices.
3. when I'm OO(H)O, I don't notice a delay, which may have occurred e.g. on my AW, as no other devices tell me that it actually arrived a little earlier.

Other people of course may have other requirements for absolutely instant notifications, at the same time, on all devices.

The Pebble would get instant notifications regularly. Apple Watch would typically start out that way too and the delays will get worse over time until I unpaired and then re-paired the watch to the phone.

The dealbreaker for me was the watch ringing incessantly despite my answering it on the phone.

 

[Abazigal]

I have friends who have gone back to mechanical watches because they kept forgetting to charge their apple watches, or simply didn’t want another computer on their body. I think there are just people who simply don’t want, or don’t care for the added functionality it affords. Not to mention that you have to replace your Apple Watch every 4 years on average, while a cheap Casio wristwatch can still be working 20 years from today. It adds up to quite a bit of money over time as well.

 

[kevinof]

That's one of the reasons I went with a Garmin - it's got all the smart watch stuff I want but a single charge can go for 10+ days. Just takes the pain out of having yet another device to hook up every night.

The AW is no different from the Galaxy watch - both are severely limited by their batteries. The Ultra does have a bigger battery and helps but nowhere good enough IMO.

I have friends who have gone back to mechanical watches because they kept forgetting to charge their apple watches, or simply didn’t want another computer on their body. I think there are just people who simply don’t want, or don’t care for the added functionality it affords. Not to mention that you have to replace your Apple Watch every 4 years on average, while a cheap Casio wristwatch can still be working 20 years from today. It adds up to quite a bit of money over time as well.

 

[Abazigal]

That's one of the reasons I went with a Garmin - it's got all the smart watch stuff I want but a single charge can go for 10+ days. Just takes the pain out of having yet another device to hook up every night.

The AW is no different from the Galaxy watch - both are severely limited by their batteries. The Ultra does have a bigger battery and helps but nowhere good enough IMO.

I don’t foresee the Apple Watch getting significantly better battery life in this regard. Nightly charging is just one of those inconveniences we have to put up with, and yeah, I have had nights where I put the watch on the charger and then forget to turn the power on.