Watches ...
by Jeremy Lengmead
![Barack Obama checks out his Jorg Gray](https://img1.daumcdn.net/relay/cafe/original/?fname=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.guim.co.uk%2Fsys-images%2FGuardian%2FAbout%2FGeneral%2F2009%2F12%2F11%2F1260555545471%2FBarack-Obama-checks-out-h-001.jpg)
1. Why are men obsessed with watches ?
No one needs one. They tend to be seriously expensive. There's a recession on. And yet magazines today are stuffed with adverts for power watches – and the industry is booming.
Its success has nothing to do with its design, or a huge marketing campaign.
Not because of what it offered as a watch but because of its association. Owning one of these puts you i
n the same club as themost powerful man in the world; and men like being members of clubs like that.
Watches are big business these days. And the last five years have seen extraordinary growth in the sect
or. The Swiss watch industry,has been rendered pretty much obsolete by the invention of the mobile pho
ne and the BlackBerry. So why are we still buying them? Why are the most common items stolen not sp
orts cars but watches? Why are the pages of men's magazines such as Esquire or publications suchas
the Spectator and the New Yorker, with glossy advertisements featuring A-list celebrities wearing watch
es that cost many thousands of pounds each?
The fact that men are still buying and cherishing quality timepieces is of great comfort to an industry that
showcased extreme craftsmanship, represented tradition, incorporated technology and embraced innov
ation.
The idea that technology would deal a fatal blow to the watch, simply hasn't panned out. Men now own m
obile phones as well as, not instead of, their timepieces. Watches are one of the few items that a man c
an wear that he believes display true character, signal that he is a member of a particular club.Watches
are the acceptable face of male jewellery.
"Men's dress codes are quite limited. Our wardrobes consist mainly of suits, shirts, sweaters and jeans,
so a watch is one of the few places that you can express your personality."
Pin also points out that the only other item that men traditionally use to express themselves, or to show o
ff with, is their car. But the flashy car is becoming less popular: not only are cars big, expensive, environ
mentally unsound, dangerous and declasse, but they have another major disadvantage compared to the
watch: they are parked in the garage rather than being displayed where all can see them. A watch is aP
orsche that you can take to meetings – and it doesn't harm the planet either.
But it's also about simple pleasure, of course. And, like it or not, the model you wear says something ab
out you. And it isn't necessarily about the price: as Obama has illustrated, you can be the leader of the fr
ee world. Whether it cost £50 or £5,000, men clock the watch in the same way some women might tak
e note of another's shoes. It's what we do. And the watch industry is very happy about that.
![The high-end version of the Apple Watch, called the Apple Watch Edition, is displayed at Apple's launch event this week.](https://img1.daumcdn.net/relay/cafe/original/?fname=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.smh.com.au%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fimages%2F1%2F0%2Ff%2Fc%2Fx%2Fb%2Fimage.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.10fchn.png%2F1410401880895.jpg)
2.Smart Watches threaten Swiss pride ?
Switzerland, the headquarters of the global watch industry, is starting to get worried. The latest smart watches from Motorola, LG have round faces and look just like ordinary watches. Once more models, including Apple’s iWatch, hit the stores, their relatively low price and attractive looks could pose a real threat to the mid-range Swiss brands. The look and feel of a smart watch and is priced around the same is Swatch.
It certainly faces a new technological challenge from the more efficient and attractive smart watches. The Swiss watch industry that it should brace for the arrival of smart watches. Current estimates say that smart watches will achieve global sales of 7 million this year, once Apple hits the market with the iWatch later this year.
Swatch is heeding the warnings. Industry analysts see brands like Swatch as being more vulnerable to the wave of smart watches than more luxury-focused competitors. They also predict that once the iWatch hits the market, Smart watches could take away as much as 10% of the sales of Swatch’s entry-level watches and 5% of its mid-range brands. Swatch has faced since digital watches upended the market.
Internet-linked watches made by Sony and Samsung have had disappointing sales thus far. Yet, technology is what most of the younger generation wants. The only concerns about smart watches are to do with battery life, comfort and screen size. A significant hurdle facing the smart watch is its design. A watch is ultimately a fashion accessory, which means it is going to be huge challenge for a first-generation smart watch to have mass market appeal.
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1. Also why are men obsessed with cars ?
2. Do you think Apple Watch has competitiveness in mid - priced wearable tech market for especially youngsters ?