1,000 People Asked About Apple Watch, Results May Surprise You
We surveyed a group of over 1,000 nationally representative consumers on 4/11, the day after the preorder window for Apple Watches opened. Our key insights include: (1) encouraging initial demand, with +11% of iPhone users “very likely” to purchase an Apple Watch this year, (2) regular watch wearers are among the most likely to order an Apple or other smart watch, suggesting high displacement rates for traditional watches from smart watch adoption, (3) young consumers are substantially more likely to buy an Apple Watch than older consumers, and (4) those likely to buy a smart watch most often indicate Fossil, Seiko, Casio, Rolex, Timex, and TAG Heuer are the watch brands they wear today.
Seeing Fossil, Seiko, Casio, and Timex do not surprise me. But seeing Rolex and TAG Heuer on that list is pretty incredible. These aren’t watches that cost a few hundred dollars. Many of them start at a few thousand.
I actually found similar results when I asked a few people at my local Apple Store here in San Diego. One lady was willing to give up her Panerai to wear one and another gentleman was willing to give up his Omega.
If you’re a Swiss watch manufacturer, this has to scare you.