Apple Watch Verdict: 5 Years Later; Watch Auctions; Casio, Watch Snobbery & Watch Production Costs

Watches Tonight with Tim Mosso tackles Apple Watches, the solid gold Casio G-Shock “Dream Project,” and luxury watch auctions this evening. As Hodinkee begins selling Apple Watches, Tim comments on the impact of the world’s most famous phone surrogate. Watch auctions are in the news, and we have thoughts. And for those who dare to judge others, take heed lest ye be judged!

This evening’s main topic is a discussion of the enthusiast community impact of the Apple Watch since its 2014 announcement and 2015 launch. Hodinkee’s declaration of its newfound Apple Watch dealer status was the catalyst for this topic, but the blog isn’t our focus as Tim unpacks the dire 2014 predictions of watch industry observers. Ironically, the Apple Watch never clashed with the luxury watch market even as it decimated low-priced Swiss watches, other smart watches, and, to a lesser extent, cell phones.

Why didn’t the Apple-Watchapocalypse come to pass?

Several answers are in order. The first is that price points never overlapped, so the perception of luxury never attached itself to the Apple Watch. As a $300-$12,00 purchase, the Apple product was viewed as a disposable article of consumer electronics and not a Rolex-killer. Second, the Apple Watch missed its chance to supplant mass-market mechanical watches by about 46 years. The 1969 Seiko Astron SQ – not the Apple -- was the asteroid aimed at Switzerland; by the time smart watches appeared, mechanical watches were insulated by their price points, niche status, and purely emotional appeal divorced from necessity.

Why hate a $70,000 Casio G-Shock? Tim explores the recent revulsion expressed when he posted a solid gold Casio D-G5000-9JR G-Shock “Dream Project” to his Instagram page. While certain reactions can be attributed to anti-Casio snobbery, many of the responses seemed to fixate on the idea that this watch – unlike a true luxury product – was not “worth” the asking price because it wasn’t “handmade” and thus inherently valuable. But what does it actually cost to build a mechanical watch? The answer proves that Casio may have a legitimate claim to luxury status.

Finally, the watch industry’s first spate of large 2020 auctions is almost over, and frankly, Tim’s glad to be rid of them. The mass of ego, greed, mindless repetition, and group think of the auction circuit is a cancer on the watch hobby. While the recent sale of a platinum Rolex Daytona for $3.27 million and a two-tone F.P. Journe Chronometre a Resonance for over $1 million will draw headlines for values attained, the result is a commercial movement that does nothing but elevate prices and alienate collectors.

Tonight, our show will feature all of the above plus live chat and wrist shots from our global audience of watch buyers, watch collectors, and watch enthusiasts!

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