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Thread: Apple Watch Outsells the Entire Swiss Watch Industry in 2019

  1. #1
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
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    Apple Watch Outsells the Entire Swiss Watch Industry in 2019

    According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, Apple Watch outsold the entire Swiss watch industry by a huge margin in 2019. Apple Watch shipped 31 million units worldwide in 2019, compared with 21 million for all Swiss watch brands combined. Swiss companies, like Swatch, are losing the smartwatch wars.

    Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We estimate Apple Watch shipped 30.7 million units worldwide in 2019, growing a healthy 36 percent from 22.5 million in 2018. A blend of attractive design, user-friendly tech and sticky apps makes the Apple Watch wildly popular in North America, Western Europe and Asia.”

    Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “We estimate the entire Swiss watch industry together shipped 21.1 million units worldwide in 2019, falling 13 percent from 24.2 million in 2018. Analog wristwatches remain popular among older consumers, but younger buyers are tipping toward smartwatches and computerized wristwear.”

    https://news.strategyanalytics.com/p...-industry-2019

  2. #2
    Master
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    It's the Sticky Apps that sold it to me.

  3. #3
    Master TKH's Avatar
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    Amazing statistics.....

    I thought it a generational thing too, but the more I look the more old duffers my age 50 and above are wearing smart watches.

    A friend yesterday asked me what his SD was worth as he’s not worn in last 3 months as just wears Apple Watch loves it as he can see his texts and calls etc without phone which I sort of get

    I cannot live without a mechanical timepiece and could not live with the smart watch worry of it going flat and faffing about charging ...no doubt someone will eventually make them solar charging.

  4. #4
    Master Thom4711's Avatar
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    That's a lot of landfill in a few years time.

    I hardly think the Swiss watch industry is "losing the war" as Apple watches only account for the segment usually occupied by so-called 'cheap' Swiss watches.

  5. #5
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    I guess a lot of these sales will be upgrades when the latest iteration of the Apple watch is released as it is with iPhones.

  6. #6
    It is also comparing sales of a £300-£400 watch to those of watches that cost thousands.


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    Quote Originally Posted by sandman View Post
    It is also comparing sales of a £300-£400 watch to those of watches that cost thousands.


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    And that might be the problem for the Swiss Watch industry, you have a Smartwatch shifting units in the millions and rising, at a fraction of the cost of the Swiss products and with buyers now seeing the smart watches as an essential part of their lifestyle. A few years ago it was felt that the smart watch release was a gimmick and would never take buyers away from mechanical timepieces, the figures are proving it is no gimmick and we are maybe not at the point of the Quartz watch impact of the 80’s were the Swiss just buried there head and believed buyers would still pay out thousands of pounds for their products but a change is coming.

    The buying landscape is changing and the new generation of “Thunberg” kids and there parents, i do not believe are enthralled by luxury goods and the absurd pricing which has become the norm over the last decade.

    Some have said the the rise of the Smartwatch would not impact on watch sales but the two would work happily side by side, a £400 Smartwatch on one wrist and a £40000 Patek on the other, I am no longer convinced on that argument.

  8. #8
    Lovely article about an LVMH exec's attempts to attract Gen Z to luxury watches:

    "Who's Cara Delavigne?"

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj...try-1520867714

  9. #9
    Master smokey99's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Flasher View Post

    The buying landscape is changing and the new generation of “Thunberg” kids and there parents, i do not believe are enthralled by luxury goods and the absurd pricing which has become the norm over the last decade.
    You may be right when it comes to watches but you must aware of the Hypebeast phenomenon?

    There is hugh surge in interest in luxury clothing and accessories which easily surpasses the interest in watches.

    From £900 Canada Goose jackets to £700 Balenciaga trainers to £200 Off-White webbing belts this world has exploded in past 3-5 years. Never mind the sneaker collectors paying £000's for rare drops.

    My kids genuinely look at £80 t-shirts and £250 trainers and think "that's not bad". I just laugh at them......but

    ......then I stop myself when I realise I've just spent £7k on a watch I don't need.....which may or may not hold it value.

    Times are changing.


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  10. #10
    Craftsman
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    That's a sad statistic, but I agree with the poster who said it'll all end up in a land fill in a couple of years. End of the day, Apple watches are just another gadget to get bored with.

  11. #11
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by smokey99 View Post
    You may be right when it comes to watches but you must aware of the Hypebeast phenomenon?

    There is hugh surge in interest in luxury clothing and accessories which easily surpasses the interest in watches.

    From £900 Canada Goose jackets to £700 Balenciaga trainers to £200 Off-White webbing belts this world has exploded in past 3-5 years. Never mind the sneaker collectors paying £000's for rare drops.

    My kids genuinely look at £80 t-shirts and £250 trainers and think "that's not bad". I just laugh at them......but

    ......then I stop myself when I realise I've just spent £7k on a watch I don't need.....which may or may not hold it value.

    Times are changing.


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    Once the brands get an 'influencer' eg Delevigne sales may rise. Omega of course had Cindy Crawford plus these George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Eddie Redmayne, Daniel Craig, Kaia Gerber, Presley Gerber, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Michael Phelps, Chad Le Clos, Liu Shishi, Michelle Wie, Buzz Aldrin and Thomas Stafford.

    But are watches not a thing you come to eventually?

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by JeremyO View Post
    I guess a lot of these sales will be upgrades when the latest iteration of the Apple watch is released as it is with iPhones.
    Not true. In the most recent Apple earnings call, Tim Cook said that 75% of Apple Watch customers are first time buyers.

    https://ww.9to5mac.com/2020/01/28/ap...ales-q1-2020/#

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Happyal View Post
    That's a sad statistic, but I agree with the poster who said it'll all end up in a land fill in a couple of years. End of the day, Apple watches are just another gadget to get bored with.
    That's just your opinion, but the fact is many people have improved their health, achieved fitness goals and enjoyed using their new gadget. There's nothing sad about the statistic, it's certainly no worse than Swiss watch industry having ludicrous profit margins on mass produced watches that have seen little innovation in decades.

    There's definitely room for both smart watches and traditional ones in all of our watch boxes.

    The landfill aspect is a shame and hopefully the quality and price with stop them being binned prematurely. Ultimately smartwatches will replace the £200-£1000 price points currently occupied by GShocks, Hugo Boss, Tissot and the like.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Happyal View Post
    That's a sad statistic, but I agree with the poster who said it'll all end up in a land fill in a couple of years. End of the day, Apple watches are just another gadget to get bored with.

    It was only last year that one of the main Swiss Watch groups destroyed £500million worth of stock just to control the market place and with the sheer volume on the Secondary market, Swiss luxury watches are also just another gadget to get bored with.

    Maybe that is the future, Apple watches and Rolex lying side by side in the landfills of the world😂

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    Grand Master Chris_in_the_UK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sandman View Post
    It is also comparing sales of a £300-£400 watch to those of watches that cost thousands.
    You have missed the point - the sales of Apple are more than the WHOLE Swiss watch industry.
    When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........

  16. #16
    Journeyman
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    The competition is not for price segment. Eccentrics aside, the competition is for each individual's wrist (singular, not plural). If my left wrist is wearing a smartwatch then, as far as the market is concerned, I am saturated already. I am wearing a premium product, it does a hundred and one things, and it costs enough to feel expensive but not so much I would have to give up paying for that kitchen renovation or holiday I was planning for. It doesn't matter if price wise I could have instead bought a Tissot, I may have never been interested in spending more than £1000 on a watch when I've only ever spent about £10 on a Casio. The lifespan of the product is 2 years but so is my phone, my car or my clothes. I think this is an important point of why smartwatches make sense.

  17. #17
    Master pacifichrono's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by adrianwong View Post
    Lovely article about an LVMH exec's attempts to attract Gen Z to luxury watches:

    "Who's Cara Delavigne?"
    Last edited by pacifichrono; 6th February 2020 at 20:59.

  18. #18
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Happyal View Post
    That's a sad statistic, but I agree with the poster who said it'll all end up in a land fill in a couple of years. End of the day, Apple watches are just another gadget to get bored with.
    let's say it's the cheap one (£400) - we will not account for inflation or that most people resell them - even if it lands in refill - you get about twenty years of a constantly updated smartwatch for one mediocre £4000 watch.

  19. #19

    Apple Watch Outsells the Entire Swiss Watch Industry in 2019

    I’ve tried many times to switch to a smart watch, I’ve decided they just aren’t for me but the numbers don’t lie...

    Some people want to have the latest texts straight to their wrists, me I’m trying to use smart tech less instead of constantly checking pointless emails...


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  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Lee View Post
    Not true. In the most recent Apple earnings call, Tim Cook said that 75% of Apple Watch customers are first time buyers.

    https://ww.9to5mac.com/2020/01/28/ap...ales-q1-2020/#
    I think it is also significant that Apple only have 15% of the smartphone market - so either a very large proportion of their users have smart watches or actual smart watch sales are far more significant than the headline suggests. Especially as WearOS watches work (to an extent) with iPhones.

  21. #21
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by Martylaa View Post
    I’ve tried many times to switch to a smart watch, I’ve decided they just aren’t for me but the numbers don’t lie...

    Some people want to have the latest texts straight to their wrists, me I’m trying to use smart tech less instead of constantly checking pointless emails...
    I’ve gone to a smart watch (Garmin Forerunner) but switched off all notifications from the phone. It gets used for activity tracking only as the HRM is very useful. Whenever possible, I put a regular watch back on, although I have noticed I use my regular sports beater much less as the Garmin is on for those occasions instead.

  22. #22
    Master earlofsodbury's Avatar
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    Apples and Oranges: smartwatches are utilitarian connectivity devices for the masses; Swiss wristwatches are aspirational jewellery for the discerning few.

    If the latter segment is of no interest to an individual, well, it was of no interest 20 years ago either when everyone started to just look at their 'phones to see what time it was. That displacement has long since happened.

    Meanwhile wealthy people desire ways to display their wealth. Men in particular have limited options for pricey wearables (if they have any taste), so the market for quality wristwatches won't go away.

  23. #23
    Just look at it in a positive light- Apple and other smart watches are encouraging a huge segment of potential market to wear a watch who otherwise may not wear one. Once they get used to wearing a watch, as they grow more mature may gravitate to mechanical watches. Not all but some. So at the end of the day may paradoxically end up enlarging the market base for mechanical watches.

  24. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by earlofsodbury View Post

    Meanwhile wealthy people desire ways to display their wealth. Men in particular have limited options for pricey wearables (if they have any taste), so the market for quality wristwatches won't go away.
    I expect Apple will move in to this market also with collaborations from brands, like they already do it with Hermes. Younger generations are displaying their wealth with Moncler jackets and Yeezy trainers.

  25. #25
    Master PreacherCain's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sandman View Post
    It is also comparing sales of a £300-£400 watch to those of watches that cost thousands
    Based on my experience, I’m not sure that’s relevant. A fair few of my colleagues and friends have converted to the Apple Watch, and I suspect at least some of them, despite owning multiple Swiss watches, won’t buy any more.

    Case study: successful banker mate, has a vintage Navitimer, a vintage Rolex sub and a Cellini. Hasn’t worn either in months, since he got an Apple Watch gen 4.

  26. #26
    Master
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    I won't buy an Apple watch because it's gash. It's not a watch, it's an electronic thing. It has no character or soul, it has no place in my life. Were I to address it, I would talk to it about sex & travel.

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by PreacherCain View Post
    Based on my experience, I’m not sure that’s relevant. A fair few of my colleagues and friends have converted to the Apple Watch, and I suspect at least some of them, despite owning multiple Swiss watches, won’t buy any more.

    Case study: successful banker mate, has a vintage Navitimer, a vintage Rolex sub and a Cellini. Hasn’t worn either in months, since he got an Apple Watch gen 4.
    Opposite case study: I bought the Apple Watch Gen 1, wore it for a while, then got sick of the fact it tapped me all the time, had to charge it every night, wore the same as everyone else, and it was just....boring. Sold it years ago, and have since bought (too many...!) good old-fashioned watches, and enjoying the hell out of them.

    It's the early stages of new adoption / disadoption cycle. Look at the rise and rise of te mindfulness movement, as people realised that being switched on all the time, constantly available, getting notified of everything immediately, oh, might not be good for them. At first it seems cool, we all rush in, then with experience many drift back out again.

    The health features are good, but I now wear an Oura ring for that - no notifications, charge lasts a week, and I can wear my watch(es!).

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