The market research company NPD says watch sales in the United States in June dropped 11 percent from the year before, to $375 million. Fred Levin, head of NPD's luxury practice, told Bloomberg that watches that cost between $50 and $1000 suffered across-the-board declines, with a 24 percent decline in the $100 to $199 range. Although Levin said that Apple "is going to gain … [Read more...]
The End is Nigh, Says Swatch Co-Founder
The Swiss watch industry had a near-death experience when the Japanese started making electronic watches en masse. Now one of the saviors of the Swiss says that Apple, too, presents an existential threat. Elmar Mock, one of the founders of Swatch, told Bloomberg that he thinks Apple will soon sell as many watches as all of Switzerland, and that "[a]nything in the price range … [Read more...]
How Silicon Valley Is Helping the Swiss in the Smartwatch Fight
As recently as a year ago, the Swiss watch industry was hoping that the smartwatch business would just dry up and go away. But just as Swatch led the fight against the Japanese onslaught of quartz movements, the Swiss watch industry is now embracing smartwatches, using a common platform from California and its own excellent design sense. It may not surprise you to learn that … [Read more...]