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The Apple Watch is a GateWay Drug for Swiss Horology

The Apple Watch is a GateWay Drug for Swiss Horology

April 5, 2015

Robert Hackett, Fortune:

Jean-Claude Biver, watch division president of LVMH and TAG Heuer CEO, says timelessness is essential to the appeal of timekeeping. A collector of watches himself, Biver recently bought his wife a century-old Patek Philippe that ticks like the day it was set, he says. Channeling his inner mystic, he tells Fortune: “A connected watch from Apple or any other brand will not compete with eternity.”

This piece argues that if you buy an Apple Watch you’ll be more inclined to buy an expensive “timeless” Swiss watch. The problem with this ideology is that these people assume that Apple Watch owners will be willing to sacrifice Apple’s “smart” features in favor of something more luxurious aesthetically.

I couldn’t disagree more. In fact, I’m willing to bet that no matter how elegant some watches are, for many people, once they’ve gotten used to some of the technical and smart benefits of the Apple Watch, nothing will make them want to go back.