Wristwatches have been around for more than 500 years. They have survived wars and technology revolutions. While humans may have advanced past the old tech of mechanical wristwatches, but they are far from trading this accessory for any other device.
It does not matter that Samsung, Google, and Apple are all rumored to have patented smartwatches that might theoretically threaten the luxury wristwatch market. Giant brands like Piaget, Rolex replica, Harry Winston, and Hublot watches all continue to excel and are revealing no signs of slowing down despite the competition posed by the tech giants.
Watch lovers, along with famed watch brands understand that consumer demand and strong sales will continue even when new technologies and smartwatches flood the market. Here are some of the reasons the classic wristwatch will isn’t dying any soon.
1. Replace a smartphone, not a watch
One of the main reasons mechanical watches have remained popular even during the digital age is because of their outstanding craftsmanship and excellent quality. Everyone is attached to their phones, iPads, computers, and cameras. According to Stephen Puvient, an associated editor of HODINKEE (an online watch publication), there must be something charming about owning an analogue item. You can replace your iPhone within a few years of use, but a really top quality watch can serve you for decades.
Watch lovers accept the fact that they are parting with tens of thousands of dollars for whatever went to making their classy wrist watches because they expect these watches to last. Indeed, it takes the master watch creators months or even years to design the elaborate interior mechanisms that make these watches so special. For instance, there is a watch that has perpetual calendars (one designed to show the accurate date even in the future) and split-second chronograph (has two-second hands that can time different events).
Because wrist watches are of such top quality, the entire market for vintage watches has stood the test of time. These items come to you with an outstanding story. For instance, you can buy an old diving wrist watch from the late 1970s that was used by a professional diver for more than two decades by the time you get it. In the current society, wrist watches provide a unique chance to be part of an amazingly long life span of a beautiful item.
2. The bond effect
From the time first soldiers were given ‘trench replica watches’ while fighting the WWI, the mechanical watch has evolved over the years into an outstanding luxury market. Giant watch brands are sought out because of the quality of their products and the fact that the brand name has an exceptional history that suggests good taste, cultured past, and affluence.
In addition to brand recognition and history, pop culture is a significant factor in a wrist watch’s status. It is not uncommon for giant brands to secure celebrity endorsements just to attract more customers. Sometimes, people will desire to get a certain watch just because it symbolizes an inspirational lifestyle or simply because a certain celebrity wears it.
Besides, giant watch brands make heavy investments in the process of securing a reliable ‘Brand Ambassador’ and even event sponsorships to attract more buyers. It also helps them ensure a maximum of product visibility and probably aspiration from potential and current consumers who tend to ‘look up’ to celebrities and associate them to the specific wrist watch brand they wear.
3. High-quality watches span generations
You should never underestimate the outstanding power of history and nostalgia. Nearly all watch brands recognize the fact that people not necessarily wear wrist watches just to tell time. Wristwatches can still be a good symbol of something personal. Actually, you can give your watch to your child, and they can give their kid without losing its value. That makes wrist watches something that works in perpetuity as they aren’t something that needs frequent changing.
4. Watches are part of human’s national and social consciousness
For most people, wearing a wristwatch is a habit they have retained from their childhood. For other people, wearing a wristwatch is a memory or maybe a special wedding present or special graduation. Maybe you wear a watch just because your wife’s mum gave it to you as a wedding gift. That means you wear it not just to tell time, but as a way of showing respect to her.
Despite the new technology and amazing digital devices being invented each day, the luxury wristwatch industry still stands strong. And it isn’t going anywhere. There are outstanding technologies like Apple’s smartwatch, and of course, their famous cellphones. But watch lovers will always appreciate these ancient items, buy them, and wear them always.
That is the main reason the classic wristwatch will never die.
