The vast majority of electrons that have been spilled about the Apple Watch have come from tech journalists to are, at best, qualified to write about technology and not a lot else. Certainly not about fashion. But the Apple Watch needs to function as a timepiece and appeal to watch fans and fashionistas, who sensibly seem to have stayed silent until they could get their hands on the thing.
Now that they have, the reviews are pretty good. The best writeup comes from Benjamin Clyman’s Hodinkee site. Clymer comes off as genuinely excited by the Apple Watch, saying that the physical design of the thing is as good or better than any other $350 watch. (The price, by they way, doesn’t begin to appall him.) The details are particularly gratifying.
Where he has reservations is in the emotion of the device. Watch fans take deep appreciation of the fact that good watches last. They enjoy a 1959 Omega as a work of art, not unlike the way car guys love a Lotus or a 1964 Mustang. Clyman asks: will a 2015 Apple Watch still be an object of beauty and history in 10 years, the way a physical watch might be? He answers No, which is probably correct. Tech doesn’t last.
If you’re looking for legacy, you’ll want to stick with your Patek Phillippe. For function and design, Clyman says, the Apple Watch got it right.
