EDIT NOTE
TECH BUMP
Covering the world of watches since 1990, first as the founder and Editorial Director / Publisher for International Wristwatch Magazine, now known as iW, and now as Editor of WristWatch, I have been fortunate to be a willing witness to the reincarnation of the spring-driven timepiece right from the early stages of renewal nearly three decades ago. The fact that there was a return at all speaks volumes about the consumers at the base of this renewal and underlines the faith required in these consumers as the industry extracted itself from a death spiral in a quartz-regulated world.
Today’ s buyers are no longer motivated to own a device simply to accurately indicate the time, yet they do continue to buy fine watches at all price points.
In terms of the current consumerism, timekeeping is just an excuse that justifies buying what for some is art, others accoutrement, and for the most indoctrinated of consumers, a work of engineering art with its own heartbeat. This is why the electronic watch, no matter how‘ smart’ it might be, cannot capture the same motivating values that drive the purists. That said, quartz watches have secured a strong following and have even broken through to
luxury status in their best iterations. The numbers don’ t lie: Apple & others are selling millions of units with various data tracking and connectivity options.
I’ ve discussed the rapid growth of the non-secular watch with a variety of industry mavens. Some decry the type as the next quartz onslaught that will definitely hurt traditional types and claim market share, while others point out that these new wearers are potentially new customers, which means many of these sales are not poaching from the base. The reality is that there’ s probably a bit of both in play, and if an increasing percentage of new customers find their way to the world of mechanical watches via tech – I’ m all for it.
Whether on your desk, in your hand, or on your wrist, technology is disposable. Luxury lasts. Keep Watching,
Gary George Girdvainis gary @ isochronmedia. com
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WRISTWATCH | 2017