Will smart watches put an end to mechanical watches?

[TudorBeast]

With the recent trend for developing wearable tech (fitness bands, smart watches, etc.) from major tech brands, it got me wondering how are mechanical watches are going to survive this one... I know there will always be a place for high end mechanical watches, that's how it survived the quartz era. Though I am curious to see how mechanical watches will fight for wrist time against smart watches that are capable of doing a million other things. What are your thoughts?



To those unfamiliar with smart watches and its capabilities in the future here's a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xQ3y902DEQ

[Joey_V]

nope

[CWIN]

Absolutely not.

[SeaDweller50]

I think they'll end up boosting sales if they look anything like that.

[Horology.life]

Definately not.

[Bangel]

I don't see any immediate threat, but who knows in generations to come?

Maybe the mechanical watch will go the way of the horse drawn carriage??

[Armyguy03]

To some, yes, to others no. A buddy was interested. I told him "When one wears a mechanical watch, there is no need for other adornments."

Additionally, my GMT and Polar were the original "smart watches."

[jolimont]

you think your kid will want your pentium 486?

[jjnd08]

Negative.

[Degas]

This is the solution - the first mechanical smart watch in the world!

http://www.rwg.bz/board/index.php?showtopic=74920

[springbar]

Originally Posted by Bangel

I don't see any immediate threat, but who knows in generations to come?

Maybe the mechanical watch will go the way of the horse drawn carriage??

Or more probably, it will go the way of the hat.

There are still hats, but they are no longer the compulsory garment they once were. In the span of a single generation they went from ubiquitous to unusual.

It seems like one of the first tasks is to introduce a smart watch that doesn't look terrible. That should be doable.

[travisb]

I could never see myself getting a "smart watch".

[GolfPunk]

No, the smart watch market is aimed at the cheap quartz watch wearers, mechanical timepieces will always be appreciated by the same proportion of the population as is now in my opinion.

[CWL]

Mechanical watches are more than a tool for telling time. They aren't replaceable. Reflecting on the 1970s when Japan was going big on digital watches. There were speculations that mechanical watches would become obsolete. Now fast-forwarding it to today. They are still alive and kicking big time.

[GradyPhilpott]

Here are some interesting articles on this topic.

The wearable fad is quickly wearing out its welcome

Inside Wearables: How the Science of Human Behavior Change Offers the Secret to Long-Term Engagement

Smartwatches: most owners have stopped using them

[Singslinger]

No chance.

[mjclark32]

No way

[DCheeta]

I hope so. I hope they become so popular that the price of a mechanical watch is driven down far enough for regular people to afford them again.

But for now, it's not looking likely. Wearable tech = ass-ugly. Let's wait and see what Apple comes up with.

[Tridor]

Merely a fad. They won't last. Mechanical watches have soul ... smartwatches, like quartz watches, do not.

[beshannon]

No

[Kadhytia]

It would happen in the near future, but it would be similar with the Quartz crisis.

[capote]

I think the more high-tech the world gets the more interesting the age old mechanical marvel on the wrist will get. As a contrast to all Apple BS.

[SearChart]

I hope not... sadly many kids from my age don't wear watches at all, and I'm not sure whether that will change or not.

[stockae92]

Yes, and we will download our mind onto the cloud and live forever ... :)

The problem with smart watch is that the next generation will make the current generation obsolete, it doesn't work quite the same for mechanical watches.

[ELITEVIDEOGAMES]

The mechanical watch will continually hold the interest of the enthusiast and those who appreciate the ingenuity of the past. Also companies like Rolex will always advertise and appeal to those who want to wear something "luxurious" and "uncommon". Smart watches may have a bigger impact on the quartz $100-$500 category as just another accessory to peoples cellular phones but I highly doubt the luxury mechanical market will skip a beat.
The Quartz crisis of the 70's only occurred because it was a totally new technology for the wrist and that was desirable to the wealthy who bought mechanical watches. I see the "smart watch" just as an evolution of Quartz which nowadays is not considered the wave of the future but just an affordable way to keep accurate time as an accessory, and an accessory is all it will ever be.

[sierra11b]

What's a smart watch?

[sierra11b]

Originally Posted by RolexplorerII

I think they'll end up boosting sales if they look anything like that.

[c.capt]

I think we all know the old saying "if I wanted a watch to tell time, I'd buy a $25 Casio". Mechanical watches will always be for those who appreciate history, mechanics, and the art of watchmaking (and of course the occasional pretentious a-hole who buys them just because he can afford them and knows nothing about them!). I don't think smart watches will put an end to that.

I view it the same way as I see music. A lot of younger people these days think all this auto-tuned trash is music and any half-decent guitar player who can post a video to YouTube is considered a "singer/songwriter". Most under 18 don't even know who John Coltrane, Miles Davis, or Arturo Sandoval even are and their idea of a musical legend is Miley Cyrus.

If you're not exposed to things, there's no way to develop an appreciation for them. If the younger generations don't appreciate fine watchmaking, the market might become so niche that the cost/benefit won't be there for most companies to stay open and they'll shut down. That's the only way I could see an end to mechanical watches. Hopefully I won't be alive to see that day lol!

P.S. I'm only 27 - don't want this to sound like the rumblings of an old man, though this does sound like a "kids these days" lecture hahaha!

[vintagewaferthin]

No way.

[archisf]

not a chance!