Apple Watch. A Casual Observation

So Apple finally introduces the Apple Watch and everyone is going into frenzy. As I've said it many times before, I'm not the target market for any smart wearables. However, that isn't going to stop anyone else in my household from getting one.

For the first time in a long time, my wife was fixated and I can see she is very interested; especially in the gold red strap one pictured above. She is not a watch wearer despite being married to a watch collector. I've bought her many high-end Swiss watches and she simply doesn't wear them. She isn't into tech gadgets either. She is happily content with her hand-me down electronics from me.

This is were most men have lost sight of what is happening. Everyone is debating how fugly it looks. Everyone is comparing it to the Motorola 360. It isn't about your personal taste. Taste and style is subjective. I've been in watch debates since 1994 on Usenet. Rolex vs Omega, Breguet vs Patek, Zenith vs IWC. So I'm a veteran at this and I've learned from a long, long,long time ago, taste is entirely subjective. Having said that, I think the Apple watch has a strong chance of succeeding in the mall watch category from $300-$1200. The High End Swiss watches ($4,000 and up) I enjoy won't be affected. I strongly believe this but the low-end is ripe for the taking.

Why? Build quality, presentation and marketing.

I am very impressed with the website and overall presentation.

The build quality is impeccable. I am studying the details. The raised and bezeled sapphire glass, the edge chamfer, the grain of the matte SS on the bracelet, the meshed Milanese strap,etc. These are all top notch detailing that no one in this market (Smartwatch) has. Pebble doesn't have it. Nor does Samsung and Motorola. Also, for the first time, I never saw an Apple product that lists material properties until now. This is what the Swiss do. They boldly note the SS is 316L (high grade SS steel found on Omegas, Panerai,etc). For comparison, Samsung, LG uses 304 steel. Motorola is absent in this disclosure. They also note the use of Sapphire; the pre-requisite for a premium timepiece. Note my use of the word premium instead of luxury. These are two distinct markets.

The premium market consist of fashion brands. These are Movado, Michael Kors, Armani, Gucci, Burberry and the likes. These are brands with absolutely zero horological domain expertise. They often use cheap $5-10 quartz movement with cheap B-O-M material cost and sell watches in the $300-1200 market. We call these "mall watches." They're often found at department stores rather than high end watch boutiques. The Apple watch competes with these.  Yes, it competes with Samsung and Motorola but on the grander scope of things, based on the projected price point, the "mall watch" is the target. I strongly believe this because their recent executive hires are people with retail channel distribution in the luxury/premium markets. I am guessing they want to sell this at airport kiosks and high end malls around the world - Frankfurt, Dubai, Tokyo. Why else would they poach a Tag Huer and enlist Burberry's top exec?  They invited fashion bloggers, creative directors of most fashion rags to the Apple watch unveiling during the busiest Fashion week in New York. While the bottom of the pole reporters were in New York, you can see many of the Creative Editors of Vogue, Vogue UK, Marie Claire, InstaStyle in Cupertino.

Back to my wife. She was fixated and her eyes were all on the gold models. Some of you guys out there are still stuck on the round circle and do not think a square watch will work. Well, let me present to you the Cartier Santos. A $5,000 watch. Women love this watch. They have no problem with rectangular time pieces.

Here is the Santos in a sports setting.

Now look at the Apple watch in the marketing promo. On women. I assume these are the 38mm models.

They're not Cartiers. My wife would never spend $5000 on a Cartier (she has no problem with me spending that on my mens' watches). Simply, she doesn't see the value. However, a $1000 gold case and red leather deployant strap is a different thing altogether. The Apple watch looks inoffensive. It is also highly customizable. In short, it hits the target market she is in. The Premium, fashion soccer mom market.

My point is this, this may not be attractive to you (or me), it is attractive to others. Now, I showed her the Motorola 360 to get her opinion. I showed her a picture of something she has context with - 40mm sports watch. Here is a picture I found on the internet that gives a good comparison.  That is a 46mm Motorola 360 next to what appears to be a Rolex Sub (or knockoff) which is 40mm.

Just for context, 40mm Rolex on Charlize Theron. This is a "large's" man's watch. To her, the Moto 360 is comically too big. This is before she even put eyes on the flat tire screen.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. I am starting to think Apple may be on to something. Despite my Luddite attachments to my Rolex and Omegas, I think there is a market here. It may not appeal to me but I can see it appealing to my significant others.

Update: Here is a really good post why Square/Rectangular screens are better for swatch watches. It is a very compelling argument. You basically need a larger circle to cover equal amount of content when compared to an equal size rectangular screen. With the smaller the screen (38mm for women), touch UI will be exponentially harder to work with. This validates the use of a digital crown in the design process.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showpost.php?p=19627830&postcount=21

45th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and Omega Speedmaster Professional

I'm a day late on this. Yesterday, July 20th was the 45th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Yep, on July 20, 1969, man first set foot on the moon.

I'm reminded by this every other day. I own a few Omega Speedmaster Professional "moonwatches." The one pictured above is the 35th Anniversary, limited edition commemorative edition. What makes it unique is the Apollo 11 mission patch and unique white dial. It also has the date inscribed on the dial; marking the famous July 20th, 1969 date. So, I guess you can say, I'll never forget that date despite the fact I wasn't even alive then.

Thus this post is a reflection on the Speedmaster Professional. It isn't specific to any model or limited edition versions. Just the Speedy Pro, in general.

But if you are interested, Omega just released the 45th Anniversary in a rich chocolate finish with an nylon strap. It looks pretty good. Limited to 1,969 pieces.

The Speedmaster Professional is a really great watch. Despite all the furor and talks about smart watches these days, nothing compares to a finely designed and crafted Chronograph. The Speedy, in my opinion, would be in the top ten of the greatest chronographs ever made.

Then there is all this talk about sapphire crystals and who and what will be using it in our new smartphones and watches.

Well, the (original) Omega Speedmaster has neither of those things. No electronic doodads or flashy sapphire jewelry crystal. Sapphire is awesome no doubt but in space, it has no place. It has what you call "hesalite." Basically, a synthetic acrylic crystal. Why? To deal with sub zero atmospheric pressure. If sapphire cracks and breaks in outer space, it has a high probability of puncturing a space suit. It is also anti-magnetic, anti-vibration which comes in handy in those multiple G-Force rocket launches.

The Speedmaster has and is worn on the outside of a spacesuit as you see below. They are rigorously tested and is flight qualified by NASA (and other Space agencies) for EVA; Extra Vehicular activity outside of the space ship.

The movement is incredibly robust. Depending on the vintage, it can either be a Cal 321 or Cal 861 Omega movement. Cal 321 being the original vintage and after 1968, all Speedmaster Pros sports a Cal 861 (or one of it's derivatives).

The watch is a manual wind affair; meaning it doesn't have rotor like many automatic movements. I actually prefer it this way. There is a sensual joy of winding it up every morning and the fact it has no date complication is even better. As I alternative between watches in my collection, I don't have to worry about setting the date if I haven't worn it in a week.

NASA did rigorous testing - heat, cold, and all that in the 1960 and the Speedmaster came out on top. It is very robust for space applications. And the fact that it has hesalite crystal is a big bonus for the aesthetics.

Why is hesalite better in this watch? Because at certain angles, it gives it a nice aura, a soft vintage reflection or as some would say, a glow. However, looking straight on, the dial is matte and not glossy like some sport watches. It is incredibly visible. I guess you would say the non-reflective matte dial is paramount for visibility when an astronaut is doing space walks with the big fat Sun in the background. They obviously don't want any glare.

If the crystal gets scratch, you can usually clean it up with toothpaste or some soft abrasive. I'm not saying you should but that is what I use on my Speedmasters. I have one that is over 20 years old and the crystal is still in working order. Then again, if you are not a purist, Omega does sell a variation with a curved sapphire crystal. It just wouldn't be right calling it a Speedmaster Professional. Thus, some of those models are just part of the regular Speedmaster line.

Yep, the Speedmaster Professional is all that and more. One bad-ass watch that every serious watch collector/tech geek should have in his collection. Below is the 45th Anniversay case back.

I'm going to close with one point. Timeless.
Introduced in 1957. It still looks modern andcontemporary; transcending generations with a rich illustrious history. There is no doubt there is a iconic history to it. A design that is close to 60 years old. What smart watch can compete with that? With all the talk about Android Wear, iWatch, what could they offer that is even comparable in terms of lineage. Being able to run indefinitely without ever being out-dated or replaced. Or have the ability to pass down two, three generations within a family. Many Speedmasters have even appreciated over time. In general, they keep their value and increase. No other electronic gadget can say the same. Thus, I guess what I am saying, as a geek, I am an old school hold-out when it comes to watches.