Are you seeing a decline in digital watches?

DSotW · Sat. 1:56am

Where I am (french-speaking region of CH) I am seeing a decline in people wearing Apple watches and other connected watches (unless in the gym or out running / cycling etc).

Walking around town, I am seeing more people across all age groups, but especially teenagers, wearing traditional-looking mechanical or quartz watches (microbrands from Switzerland and abroad).

Has anyone else seen this trend ?

Makesbelieve · Sat. 6:39am

Yes, I’ve noticed it. The design agency I help run is over indexed with young and fashion conscious colleagues and it seems that this trend is being driven mostly by the women, who are starting to dump their chunky smart watches for quite attractive, petite, and relatively inexpensive vintage wristwatches… mostly tanks. I, for one, welcome the change, however short lived it may be.

Larry S · Sat. 7:51am

I think the bloom is off the rose to some extent.

Walrus · Sat. 6:49pm

Not around here I actually got laughed at for wearing a watch with actual hands. I haven’t looked to see if sales have gone down though.

Walrus · Sat. 6:52pm

I found this with a quick
https://rawshot.ai/statistic/watch-industry

DoctorEvil · Sat. 7:11pm

In response to your question, the answer is "no". Most people I see, from ages 30-50 are still wearing smart watches. My observations are from Melbourne, Australia.

noelekal · Sat. 8:02pm

I still am seeing a great many dull, uninspiring, black screens strapped fo wrists of all sorts, young and old here in North Texas.

Felix_La_PuBelle · Sat. 10:47pm

Not a decline necessarily but I do see more people wearing non-smart watches. Especially younger people.

ghce · Sun. 12:37am

Felix_La_PuBelle
Not a decline necessarily but I do see more people wearing non-smart watches. Especially younger people.

Maybe it's a Zeitgeist thing but had made the same observation a few weeks ago.

Togri v. 2.0 · Sun. 3:40am

While I haven’t noticed fewer smartwatches, I have noticed more “normal” watches. The 90s are back in fashion and I see a lot of Casio digital watches and the likes on young people. I don’t see many Moonswatches any more. A couple of years ago I saw them daily.

Vinz Clortho · Sun. 8:23am

Think I read or heard something about one of the newer generations bucking the technology trend and embracing a lot of the old school things. What is old is hip and cool again so can see this have a larger impact over the coming years. This is also the generation who doesn't drink alcohol (another subject for a deep dive as the impact there is huge)

Also read some schools are going back to paper and pencil for notes instead of using computers since attention spans have been drastically affected by kids who have grown up totally plugged in.

They're looking for a somewhat unplugged life in certain areas. Maybe this is one of the factors pushing Cartier and Casio sales. Now haven't done any research if there are influencers (hate that term) or celebrities or great marketing which has pushed this revival. Probably a combo if I had to guess.

Felix_La_PuBelle · Sun. 9:26am

ghce
Maybe it's a Zeitgeist thing but had made the same observation a few weeks ago.

Togri v. 2.0
The 90s are back in fashion and I see a lot of Casio digital watches and the likes on young people.

Vinz Clortho
newer generations bucking the technology trend and embracing a lot of the old school things. What is old is hip and cool again

Yes, I do sense this is a factor particularly what I see twenty-somethings wearing these days.

I also see more watches in younger generations. I was at a birthday party a few weeks ago with a lot of 9-10 year olds and I noticed at least 3-4 kids wearing analog watches. I saw a timex and some other brands I didn’t recognize but all sized appropriately for kids wrists. This could be driven by parents wanting to limit their kids attachment to smart devices but if the secondary effect has some kids develop an interest in watches that’s fine by me.

At the party I was wearing my white dial speedy and an older brother of one of the kids (perhaps 13 or 14) noticed it and had a lot of questions. I could tell someone in his household talked about watches and, given the his age, he’s seen a YouTube video or two about high end watches.

GarethS · Sun. 10:15am

Here in Brighton in the UK no self respecting hipster would be seen with anything other than a retro Casio digital on their wrist, and there are plenty of them here.

However, by way of a straw poll: I have three kids who wear watches but do so in their own different styles:
Eldest daughter, 24 is a Scientist, fitness bunny, keen runner & cyclist and wears a Garmin her boyfriend gifted her. On special occasions she will wear the 90s Tudor LadySub I got her for her 18th birthday
Middle daughter, 20 Art student and too cool for words. Wears either retro ladies Casio or the ‘69 ladies c case Connie I gave her again for her 18th
Youngest son, 16 nerdy gamer (rp & pc) wears his G-Shock GW M5610 night and day.

And yes, I have been planning his 18th watch gift, I’ve even bought a couple in preparation but they seem to have ended up in my collection. Was originally seeking a midi Tudor sub but they seem to have sky rocketed. Might just have to be a metal G-Shock.

ScDevon · Sun. 10:58am

Walrus
Not around here I actually got laughed at for wearing a watch with actual hands.

You'd be amazed how many Gen Zs can't tell time with hands and dials these days. They call it "circle time". It's like a foreign language to them. Laughing at the curiosity of it all, probably.

I do see that Omega has released a new Aqua Terra line of mechanicals in 30mm for ladies. I don't expect ladies mechanical watches in 30mm to fly off of the shelves, though.

Felix_La_PuBelle · Sun. 11:04am

GarethS
And yes, I have been planning his 18th watch gift, I’ve even bought a couple in preparation but they seem to have ended up in my collection. Was originally seeking a midi Tudor sub but they seem to have sky rocketed. Might just have to be a metal G-Shock.

Given his description I wonder if he would like the Casio GMW-B5000cs-1. They can still be found NOS in some instances.

GarethS · Sun. 11:27am

Sweet. He’d like the Tron vibes!

Vinz Clortho · Sun. 11:54am

This is also the generation who cannot make change to save their lives. Still use cash every chance I get to watch their brains short circuit like a 50s movie robot "does not compute, does not compute" and don't even try to give them the change after they've punched the amount it into the register.

hen · Sun. 12:14pm

Vinz Clortho
Think I read or heard something about one of the newer generations bucking the technology trend and embracing a lot of the old school things. What is old is hip and cool again so can see this have a larger impact over the coming years. This is also the generation who doesn't drink alcohol (another subject for a deep dive as the impact there is huge)

Also read some schools are going back to paper and pencil for notes instead of using computers since attention spans have been drastically affected by kids who have grown up totally plugged in.

They're looking for a somewhat unplugged life in certain areas. Maybe this is one of the factors pushing Cartier and Casio sales. Now haven't done any research if there are influencers (hate that term) or celebrities or great marketing which has pushed this revival. Probably a combo if I had to guess.

So true, I work with youth and see T-shirts with band names from my teenage days on them. I had a conversation with a 16 year old the other day about Pink Floyd.

About half of the youngsters wear watches (I tally them up after easter) there are Seikos, Fossil and Casinos. Not that many Apple watches they might be to expensive.

Fallout Boy · Sun. 12:19pm

Seiko reinvented:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/seiko-astronaut-a829-anyone-have-one.63636/

Thread 'Seiko Astronaut A829-Anyone Have One?' ·

Hard to find 1983 Seiko Astronaut A829-6029-the type worn into space by Sally Ride and others in the 1980's
Cool watch and goes nicely into a Speedmaster collection
Anyone else have an Astronaut...

agee · Sep 14, 2017

I am glad to own the original one

My only digital watch, except a small old garmin (not spy-connected to big-data)

Togri v. 2.0 · Sun. 3:34pm

hen
So true, I work with youth and see T-shirts with band names from my teenage days on them. I had a conversation with a 16 year old the other day about Pink Floyd.

About half of the youngsters wear watches (I tally them up after easter) there are Seikos, Fossil and Casinos. Not that many Apple watches they might be to expensive.

Nice! If you see someone with a Blink 182 or The Offspring t-shirt give them a high-five from me 😃