Kanye West: Bonafide watch collector

June 7, 2020

Guide

From traditional luxury to charting his own path as a collector.

Pew: 21% of Americans use a smartwatch or fitness tracker

January 10, 2020

Business News

According to a new survey conducted by Pew Research Center, 21 percent of adults say they regularly wear a smart watch or fitness tracker.

Daring Fireball: Series 5 is the Apple Watch 'hitting its stride'

September 18, 2019

News & Drops

It seems the media embargo is up, with seemingly dozens of publications publishing their Apple Watch Series 5 review today (The Verge and Hodinkee being perhaps the best). But, I always look to Jonathan Gruber’s Daring Fireball for the best and hottest Apple takes. He’s particularly adept at explaining his experiences with the Apple Watch from the perspective of a self-professed watch lover. He’s talked about his love affair with his Rolex Submariner before, explaining that, even as an Apple fanboy, he prefers analog watches.

Recommended: The Apple Watch Hasn't Killed the Swiss; Not Yet

July 8, 2019

Analysis

“When Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, announced the Apple Watch in September 2014, the Swiss watch industry shuddered,” writes the New York Times in an article surveying the past, present, and future impact of the Apple Watch.

It’s already the self-proclaimed "#1 watch in the world." That's how Tim Cook opened the Apple Watch portion of the September 2018 Apple Keynote, just four years after the Watch’s arrival. A year earlier, Cook explicitly mentioned that Apple was actually the largest watch brand in terms of revenue – not just units sold – surely sending chills down the spines of Rolex and other Swiss watch execs in the old boys club.

But if Apple really is the number one watch manufacturer in the world, it may not feel like it.

Global Smartwatch Grew 48% YoY in Q1 2019

May 2, 2019

News

As we’ve covered before, smartwatch sales are booming. Sales were up 51% in 2018 the U.S., and a global new report shows there are no signs of slowing down. According to Counterpoint, global smartwatch shipments grew a healthy rate of 48% year-on-year (YoY) in Q1 2019 driven by Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, and Huawei. The Apple Watch saw 49% YoY growth, driven by its latest Series 4 release, which doubled-down on health-related features like ECG, fall-detection, and other stuff.

According to Counterpoint, Apple has 35.8% market share worldwide as of Q1 2019, up slightly from 35.5% in 2018. Samsung was the closest competitor, with 11.1% of the market, up from 7.2% in 2018, thanks to 127% YoY growth. Turns out people like the latest Galaxy watch, with its extended battery life, traditional round face, and LTE connection capabilities. Fitbit sits at fourth with 5.5% of the global smartwatch market.

Swiss Court Sides with Swatch Over 'Tick Different' Watch (Imagine That)

April 2, 2019

Business News

In a decision in Swiss court that can’t be surprising, Swatch prevailed over Apple in a long-running dispute over Swatch’s “Tick Different” watches. The watches are no doubt a direct reference to Apple’s Think Different ad campaigns from the 1990s and 2000s. The Swiss Federal Administrative Court said Apple’s slogan was not well enough known in Switzerland to warrant protection.