Posted on 08/08/2015 3:47:11 PM PDT by Swordmaker
The Apple Watch Edition is Apple's 18k gold version of the Apple Watch, and I had an interesting opportunity to wear one for review, think a whole lot about it, and then take it to the heart of Swiss watchmaking country to see what the locals felt about it.
I’ve written a lot about the Apple Watch because, frankly, I think there is a lot to say. This product is a mixture of luxury watch universe elements and wearable technology concepts. Together, this makes for a unique item that also happens to have a unique wearing experience. My goal is to muse on the conversations I've had about this product and what it represents to both the luxury watch and consumer electronics worlds. While smartwatches are still new, my sincere belief is that they will be a huge category in the not-so-distant future. I also feel that smartwatches will exist respectfully along side the world of traditional watches (without destroying it).
One of the most important things in this article is an illustration of where the idea for a gold "smartwatch" came from. This isn't at all a new concept, and it is my belief that Apple was probably inspired by a series of innovative watches in gold that I would personally consider Apple Watch ancestors. Being aware of the history of companies producing gold versions of innovative electronic watches really does help put the Apple Watch Edition into a more grounded perspective.
(Excerpt) Read more at ablogtowatch.com ...
I assume the technology can be upgraded with new ‘guts’?
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We don't know that yet. The batteries are replaceable, so it can be opened . . . that implies it's not impossible.
I have a small Timex Ironman that is approx. 20 years old that is still running after numerous battery and band replacements........
I can buy a classic gold watch 70-100 years old that can keep near perfect time. If the technology is not upgradable on the Iwatch, you have a chuck of gold that is only fit to be smelted
Yeah, I’ve got a Timex Expedition I paid something like $30 for years ago. Still tells the time just fine... :-)
BTTT .... Gonna stick with my 1967 made Rolex Submariner #5513 Model ....
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Looking at it I can’t tell what time it is? Is this just me?
Paying $500 or more for a ‘smartwatch’ that isn’t smart at all, if beyond stupid.
Paying $10,000 or more for a gold version of the ‘not so smart’ watch, is beyond idiotic.
No matter what price one pays for the Apple watch, the technology becomes obsolete as soon as it’s put in stores or online for sale. So, why would anybody spend even $10 on something that is outdated right upon purchase?
My Armitron watch that I bought 7 years ago, is still functioning perfectly and with the original battery still going strong. I paid ‘just’ $42 for it back then. And, it hasn’t gone obsolete after those ‘many’ years. I see the same thing still being sold in stores, for approximately the same price I paid 7 years ago.
With the Apple watch, the old saying is most appropriate: “A fool and his money are soon parted”.
The photos shown on FR right now are in the idle mode. Tilt the watch toward your eyes and the screen comes on quite brightly and the watch face shows.
Does anybody really know what time it is?
That's a possibility. I think there's a possibility that Apple might offer free upgrades to Watch Edition buyers. They're rich enough to offer that option. Only time will tell.
Can these things even tell time if there’s not an iPhone nearby?
10k to you an me might very well be a lot of money. To some people, it really is not. We might think its insane to spend 100k on a watch, but prople do. If you watch Top gear, you will know that yhere is obviouly a market for 500k or even million dollar cars. The folk who will spend that kind of money on a car would think nothing about spending $10 grand on a watch. I would actually imagine that if I were one of those people, for whom a Rolex is a cheap swiss watch, and I wanted a iwatch, I’d probably want one in gold because stainless would probaby clash with my wardrome. I figure for Apple, the decision to attempt to enter that market wss probably a no-brainer.
The margins on those is certainly high enough to make the enfineering for it worth their while.
One thingnthat wouldnhave been interesting, would have been to put some kind of automatic movement in it to self-charge the watch from your movements. That would have probably have required the watch to be a bit thicker than whay they were aiming for. I suspect strongly that Apple is still looking at it.
Of course they can.
Gold watches and Rolex watches, and luxury cars, are easy to understand.
On the other hand, a gold Apple watch makes no sense whatsoever. A Rolex or any watch that is made of gold and that will last a few decades with no need upgrade and that will NEVER go obsolete, is something that people might feel proud about. A luxury car is a status symbol, and gold watches are the same.
A gold Apple watch that is obsolete the moment that it is bought, is a very stupid purchase. The Apple watch won’t last as long as a Rolex nor as long as a luxury car, or any car, for that matter. Plus, the Apple watch won’t get updates for Apple after a few years, which will make it just a worthless piece of technology, with the gold still holding some value after smelting. The Apple watch is useless without an iPhone on the person wearing it. The ‘internals’ of the gold watch are basically the same as the $500 version, while the internals of a Rolex or other luxury watches are of much better craftsmanship than a regular watch.
I can’t see any way that a gold Apple watch is justified at all. Other than holding on to it for its value as an antique 30 or more years into the future, it’s totally asinine to pay for a gold Apple watch.
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