Apple Watch 31 million units Swiss Watches 21 million

The Father · Feb 16, 2020

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/14/tech/apple-swiss-watches/index.html

Article explains Apple Watch units exceed the Swiss watch industry in unit sales. Ends up a rather sympathetic story about the mechanical watch compared to the Apple Watch. With iPads, iPhones and other devices ad nauseam, my lowly opinion I can’t see the point of the Apple Watch. Another tether to work and nonstop “stuff”.

Larry S · Feb 16, 2020

iPod classic (3) + IPhone 8+ + IPad + MacBook Pro+ IMac 27” .... nope ... no needy more stuff

vicsdca · Feb 16, 2020

I don't consider the Apple watch to be a watch any more than I consider my iPhone to be a clock.

Nobel Prize · Feb 16, 2020

I don’t have one, I don’t need one, 31 million people do.

that’s just the way it is

The Father · Feb 16, 2020

vicsdca
I don't consider the Apple watch to be a watch any more than I consider my iPhone to be a clock.

Dammit, I wish I would have said that. Apple Watch ain’t a watch, it a chain to the phone that isn’t a clock

shah@123 · Feb 16, 2020

Well the majority or the financial number --- does not necessarily make it the best

DiiQue · Feb 16, 2020

After "test driving" a number of smart watches over the years, I realized I hated having to charge them every single day. Sure they were neat, but I am never without my phone, so the allure wore off.

With that being said, a lot of folks are all about connectivity and activity/exercise tracking nowadays. Maybe if one of the swiss manufacturers could come up with a "step counter" functionality in a new movement, things would be different. LOL!

Anyways, 21 million units is nothing to sneeze at!

cvalue13 · Feb 16, 2020

Have a look at the underlying data, and it maybe tells a somewhat different and encouraging story: “Swiss watch sales” are a mixture of both quartz and mechanical movements, and as mechanicals have increased the quartz have been plummeting; meanwhile, lower end non-Swiss watch brands such as Fossil are headed toward bankruptcy.

So, proper mechanical watches are doing ok or even great; but smart watches are murdering the quartz and low-end.

So if we’re headed toward a world of both quality mechanicals and smart watches, I’m good with that.

watchos · Feb 16, 2020

“He added that the Apple Watch could also be attracting newer audiences who might never have purchased a Swiss watch.”

That’s what happened to me. Got pulled in by the Apple Watch, looked at mechanicals after. I am sure there’s more people out there like that.
If this is in fact happening, it could bring in more people that weren’t weakening anything ion their wrists to change their habit. From there it’s an easier sell. IMO.

Nobel Prize · Feb 16, 2020

cvalue13
Have a look at the underlying data, and it maybe tells a somewhat different and encouraging story: “Swiss watch sales” are a mixture of both quartz and mechanical movements, and as mechanicals have increased the quartz have been plummeting; meanwhile, lower end non-Swiss watch brands such as Fossil are headed toward bankruptcy.

So, proper mechanical watches are doing ok or even great; but smart watches are murdering the quartz and low-end.

So if we’re headed toward a world of both quality mechanicals and smart watches, I’m good with that.

Fossil is American, same parent as Filson... and Shinola.

Walrus · Feb 16, 2020

Apple wearables are really doing well. There are enough Apple products in the world where 1 in every 7 people could have one but that doesn’t take into account many who own more than one apple product. Anyway during a trip to the grocery store the clerks were gathered together comparing activity levels on their apple watches. They have this circle thing they try to line up I can’t explain it well they gave me a brief rundown. One of my friends had one and he had a Rolex dial displayed on his. I guess there are apps that allow you to put an endless amount of dials on display on the watch face. I did think that was kind of cool.

I do think of getting one eventually but one big reason I like watches is to get my eyes off the phone and appreciate “low tech”

Foo2rama · Feb 16, 2020

watchos
“He added that the Apple Watch could also be attracting newer audiences who might never have purchased a Swiss watch.”

That’s what happened to me. Got pulled in by the Apple Watch, looked at mechanicals after. I am sure there’s more people out there like that.
If this is in fact happening, it could bring in more people that weren’t weakening anything ion their wrists to change their habit. From there it’s an easier sell. IMO.

happened a lot more often then most people think. People liked the statement and style of something on their wrist and wanted something that was not alerting them constantly and was unique

Radiozoop · Feb 16, 2020

DiiQue
After "test driving" a number of smart watches over the years, I realized I hated having to charge them every single day. Sure they were neat, but I am never without my phone, so the allure wore off.

With that being said, a lot of folks are all about connectivity and activity/exercise tracking nowadays. Maybe if one of the swiss manufacturers could come up with a "step counter" functionality in a new movement, things would be different. LOL!

Anyways, 21 million units is nothing to sneeze at!

There are a couple mechanical watches out there that integrate step counters / activity trackers. Check this out:

https://us.frederiqueconstant.com/collections/mens/products/fc-750v4h6

rustyduck · Feb 16, 2020

I have several watches but only one apple "watch". it is a connectivity device and is more of a wearable to allow me to answer the phone when my phone is not close, to listen to my music while working out, to keep track of my heart rate while working out and to review and respond to text messages when I cannot pull up my phone. than anything else. It must be recharged ever 24 hours. it is a tech wearable. it is not a watch. It will show me the time. It is not a real watch. it will be obsolete in a few years.

rustyduck · Feb 16, 2020

and while I do use it, it has no soul.

cvalue13 · Feb 16, 2020

Nobel Prize
Fossil is American, same parent as Filson... and Shinola.

Yes. My point was that the Apple Watch is clearly hurting certain segments of the market, but mid/high range Swiss mechanical does not appear to be one.

Just 5 years ago Fossil was trading at ~$125.00 and had a >$3BB market cap; today it’s at <$7.00 and a $~325MM market cap. I’m not an expert, but industry folks I’ve read have attributed that 5yr plummet primarily to competition with smart watches. I’ve heard the same wrt global quartz sales.

Meanwhile, Swiss mechanicals sold more this year than they have in the past 6 years, despite the smart watch pressure.

I think (just my view) that all goes to show that Apple Watches are watches, but they aren’t (yet) emotional purchases.

EDIT: maybe you miss-read this from my post: “lower end non-Swiss watch brands”?

Evitzee · Feb 16, 2020

Meh, go tell Rolex they have a potential Apple watch problem brewing. I'm sure they are sweating it.

cvalue13 · Feb 16, 2020

Evitzee
Meh, go tell Rolex they have a potential Apple watch problem brewing. I'm sure they are sweating it.

Foo2rama · Feb 16, 2020

cvalue13
Yes. My point was that the Apple Watch is clearly hurting certain segments of the market, but mid/high range Swiss mechanical does not appear to be one.

Just 5 years ago Fossil was trading at ~$125.00 and had a >$3BB market cap; today it’s at <$7.00 and a $~325MM market cap. I’m not an expert, but industry folks I’ve read have attributed that 5yr plummet primarily to competition with smart watches. I’ve heard the same wrt global quartz sales.

Meanwhile, Swiss mechanicals sold more this year than they have in the past 6 years, despite the smart watch pressure.

I think (just my view) that all goes to show that Apple Watches are watches, but they aren’t (yet) emotional purchases.

EDIT: maybe you miss-read this from my post: “lower end non-Swiss watch brands”?

I don’t think they are cannibalizing mechanical watches. I don’t know a single person that had a mechanical watch and switched to an Apple Watch. I know many many people that started with Apple watches and moved to mechanical watches.

I’ve said it before, Apple Watch owners swap to mechanical watches at a higher rate then the other way.

Nobel Prize · Feb 16, 2020

cvalue13
Yes. My point was that the Apple Watch is clearly hurting certain segments of the market, but mid/high range Swiss mechanical does not appear to be one.

Just 5 years ago Fossil was trading at ~$125.00 and had a >$3BB market cap; today it’s at <$7.00 and a $~325MM market cap. I’m not an expert, but industry folks I’ve read have attributed that 5yr plummet primarily to competition with smart watches. I’ve heard the same wrt global quartz sales.

Meanwhile, Swiss mechanicals sold more this year than they have in the past 6 years, despite the smart watch pressure.

I think (just my view) that all goes to show that Apple Watches are watches, but they aren’t (yet) emotional purchases.

EDIT: maybe you miss-read this from my post: “lower end non-Swiss watch brands”?

I did mis-read it. Thank you for the correction.

I think most of the people that by a smart watch don’t really give a damn or have a damn about watches to begin with. Those that do often wear two watches, a smart one on the right and a dum one on the left.

Smart watches are functional gadgets that obviously have a place in the market. They do happen to tell the time but then again ( as other mentioned) there are a lot of people that just rely on their phones for the time.