Mech watch death thread

[Artdeco]

Exports to the US declined by 12%, Hong Kong 40%

Swiss makers announce layoffs. Not good signs ahead of holiday sales.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-19/swiss-watch-exports-fall-12-in-october-on-hong-kong-slump

 

[stlc8tr]

No way. Perhaps a small decline/slowdown due to economic conditions but there will always be a demand for jewelry.

 

[Carson Dyle]

They'll continue to decline. It's not just economic conditions. I can't remember the last time I saw anyone wearing a watch who wasn't wearing it only as jewelry.

But death is many years away, if ever. I imagine that before long you probably won't see watch counters at Target or Macy's, but you'll be able to buy a piece of Rolex or Breitling or Movado jewelry for quite a long time.

 

[Mopetar]

I wouldn't draw too many conclusions from this as the decline in China is probably due to the stock market rodeo earlier this year. There may be a slight dip due to smartwatches, but there may be plenty of other things that contribute to the result as well.

I'd give it another year to see what the market does over a longer period of time before talking about an industry dying.

 

[DigDog]

they are jewelry, not timepieces. and have been for the past two decades.
(they have always been status symbol objects, but occasionally people would actually need them. not anymore.)

and one of the few items of jewelry that men can wear. watches will never die.

 

[Commodus]

There's talk that smartwatches did hurt the watch market, but primarily the 'entry' market (i.e. the Fossils and Swatches of the world) rather than the Patek Philippes and Omegas. Beyond that, it's more likely to be economic factors at work.

Just remember that we're at the start of a pretty long road for a relatively new industry, assuming smartwatches persist. If you'll recall, the iPhone sold just 1.1 million units in its first full quarter -- it wasn't an immediate fiscal threat to the incumbents. The real danger was over the long term, as Apple took its good critical reception and built up an audience.

There are estimates that Apple will have sold 10 million Watches by the end of 2015. That's not a huge amount, but what happens when there's a second-gen Watch in 2016 and sales amplify? What if Android Wear has its Droid moment (i.e. that moment when it finally captures the public interest) and gets stronger sales as well? They won't seem like niche devices then.

The concern isn't that mechanical watches will quickly be displaced. It's that the smartwatch market will eventually become large and sophisticated enough that it hits the mainstream, changing watch culture in the process. Smartphones used to be reserved purely for businesspeople and geeks, and now just about everyone uses them. What if young adults in 2025 are so accustomed to smartwatches being around that they aspire to owning an Apple Watch or Huawei Watch one day, rather than a Rolex like their parents had? What does Switzerland do if it no longer defines the watch industry?

 

[Carson Dyle]

they are jewelry, not timepieces. and have been for the past two decades.

How were people telling the time of day two decades ago, before everyone carried a cell phone?

Watches will remain jewelry forever, but I think it will be in ever dwindling numbers. I see few young men wearing watches today. Earrings, yes. Noserings, yes. Piercings and probings and weird things sticking out of their eyebrows and lips and cheeks, but not too many watches.

 

[Oyeve]

Who cares. I'm nearly 50 and have around 30 very good watches. If the younger idiots kill off traditional watches, screw it. I'll be dead and I wont care.

Perhaps the rolexes and the Omegas and the other ridiculously expensive watch companies should have made a smartwatch of their own. I don't feel bad for them. Like I didnt feel bad for the record industry. You either go with the times or you go with the dinosaurs.

 

[lopri]

Smartwatches are not anywhere near where I would consider them useful, let alone compelling. I gave a try to Apple watch for a few days before shaking my head. I readily admit that I was skeptical before taking on it but the watch did not even meet that low of an expectation.

I also think that mechanical watches have been declining and that phenomenon has been independent of the arrival of smartwatches. If anything smartwatches brought a renewed attention to mechanical watches, ironic as it might be.

 

[poofyhairguy]

The fact that Tag let's you trade in their smartwatch for a real one in two years really chips at my confidence in a death watch on dumbwatches.

 

[DigDog]

How were people telling the time of day two decades ago, before everyone carried a cell phone?

alarm clocks, wall clocks, radio, tv, pcs, and your everlasting friend, the local church belltower. or one of these non-jewelry watches.

 

[Carson Dyle]

alarm clocks, wall clocks, radio, tv, pcs, and your everlasting friend, the local church belltower. or one of these non-jewelry watches.

Right. Watches. Watches stopped being necessary only with the introduction of cell phones.

 

[Artdeco]

I'm not going to argue the point in this thread, although discussion is great, just planning on posting the numbers over the quarters and years...

 

[gorcorps]

Right. Watches. Watches stopped being necessary only with the introduction of cell phones.

We went full circle back to the pocket watch. Only this pocket watch is really damn fancy.

 

[Carson Dyle]

We went full circle back to the pocket watch. Only this pocket watch is really damn fancy.

Very true.

 

[KentState]

So a couple million smart watches killed the industry? There are probably more mechanical watches sold every day of the holiday season than total smartphones to date.

 

[Anubis]

Right. Watches. Watches stopped being necessary only with the introduction of cell phones.

actually those are called clocks

clocks still exist everywhere

 

[Carson Dyle]

actually those are called clocks

clocks still exist everywhere

I have no real idea what point you're trying to make. This thread is about watches - portable timepieces. There's a reason why they were created, why they became so incredibly popular, and why they're much less popular today.

 

[Oyeve]

Traditional watches are probably phasing out because todays hipster dbags are always staring at their phones and always know what time it is.

 

[destrekor]

We went full circle back to the pocket watch. Only this pocket watch is really damn fancy.

Very true.

Not everyone wants to grab the pocket watch cell phone from their pocket just to see the time. A quick glance at the wrist and bam, there's the time.

That's why the smartwatch concept is gaining momentum.


I still want a good real watch for "evening wear" but day to day I do want a good smartwatch that has that nice watch quality to it. Some are sooo close but not nailing it just yet IMHO.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Not everyone wants to grab the pocket watch cell phone from their pocket just to see the time. A quick glance at the wrist and bam, there's the time.

That's why the smartwatch concept is gaining momentum.

I don't think the watch feature is the big draw to a smartwatch, because dumbwatches do that too. The momentum around smartwatches are due to:

1. Fitness tracking. Fitbit is selling millions of those smartwatches that are just a dumbwatch plus fitness tracking. For people who are into fitness they are a step above old clunky pedometers and heart rate monitors.

2. Notification triaging. This is the real benefit to more advanced smartwatches like the Pebble, the Apple Watch or Android Wear. Not only do you not miss a message, but I can say from experience that it allows you to respond to messages in a discrete way during situations where pulling out a phone might offend others.

3. Style and fashion. The boom of smartwatch faces proves that people want to have more modern and stylish watchfaces in general, with actions that make the experience of checking the time more personalized or enjoyable.

 

[Red Storm]

Smartwatches actually pushed me to getting a regular nice watch. I don't think any smartwatch is quite there yet in terms of what I want/expect, but I am now accustomed to having the time on my wrist. The convenience of that alone is worth having one.

 

[destrekor]

I don't think the watch feature is the big draw to a smartwatch, because dumbwatches do that too. The momentum around smartwatches are due to:

1. Fitness tracking. Fitbit is selling millions of those smartwatches that are just a dumbwatch plus fitness tracking. For people who are into fitness they are a step above old clunky pedometers and heart rate monitors.

2. Notification triaging. This is the real benefit to more advanced smartwatches like the Pebble, the Apple Watch or Android Wear. Not only do you not miss a message, but I can say from experience that it allows you to respond to messages in a discrete way during situations where pulling out a phone might offend others.

3. Style and fashion. The boom of smartwatch faces proves that people want to have more modern and stylish watchfaces in general, with actions that make the experience of checking the time more personalized or enjoyable.

I forgot to add that yes, having the smartphone notifications on their was a big draw, which is why some are going the smartwatch route. And a little bit for style, but, IMHO, the style leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to style/jewelry on your wrist.

But yes it's not all about having the time on your wrist. But nowadays, the smartwatch is essentially the same thing to the smartphone as the watch was to the pocket watch. You are still getting time, but now you are also getting everything (mostly) that was in your pocket now delivered on your watch.

It's just that, now, there are more things to put on your watch... and some like the customization, absolutely.
But I for one, while I want a great smartwatch, will always appreciate a solid automatic timepiece.

 

[destrekor]

Smartwatches actually pushed me to getting a regular nice watch. I don't think any smartwatch is quite there yet in terms of what I want/expect, but I am now accustomed to having the time on my wrist. The convenience of that alone is worth having one.

Yup. I want one, oh boy do I want one, but I want it to really feel like a solid watch first and foremost. And what makes it difficult is that watch style is still a very personal thing. Watch face is one thing, but the whole kit is really what makes up the style. You can have a nice watch face but a terrible design otherwise.

Some have come close, but none are ones I would buy if it were a regular watch. I want a watch in a very particular style, and nobody has made it how I want it. And that makes me sad. They have come close, but not hit it.

 

[openwheel]

LOL, what is your obsession against mechanical watches? From being completely ignorant about watches, to buying an Apple Watch, to hating on mechanical watches. What's wrong with the 8 other "death to mechanical watch" threads you started? Do we need a new one for every article you find? If you are waiting for the Swiss mechanical watch industry to crumble, I got news for you, your grand kids will likely die first before that happens.