Be Afraid, be very afraid: Why smart watches will decimate the Swiss watch industry

Most watch enthusiasts are aware of the quartz crisis, a dark period of the 70's when quartz watches became commonplace and affordable. The Swiss have never truly recovered, with far fewer brands now than during the 1960's. I foresee that a similar cataclysmic event is on the horizon, at least for most brands (I'll just say, below the market placement of Longines)


Fast forward to 2014 and a new threat is emerging: smart watches. I will admit right off the bat that the likes of Rolex and Patek will survive, as they did the 70's, but many, if not most brands will fade into obscurity. The counterarguments against smart watches are the usual: smart watches will never replace the richness of "real" watches, mechanical watches retain value while smart watches only depreciate, smart watches are nerdy and won't appeal to the masses, smart watches aren't status symbols like real watches. And a favorite, sales have gone up since fitness bracelets have gone mainstream. These notions are wrong.

Functionality: standard, status symbol: optional.

It is true that the current breed of smart watches are a bit geeky and clunky, but the development of thinner and better technology will allow them to be integrated into more fashion conscious designs. While Switzerland refuses to help Apple and Samsung on their quest to make the perfect smart watch, fashion brands won't be so hesitant. Tory Burch is already working with Fitbit.

Tory Burch accessory for Fitbit Flex

Smart watches will depreciate, like any electronic device. Fine mechanical watches, on the other hand, tend to appreciate slightly. However we must recognize that the majority of the market is not for fine mechanical watches but rather watches with either quartz (Swiss or otherwise) or ETA/Seiko mechanical movements. These watches are not much better retainers of value than the average apple product.

Fitness bracelets are also invariably different than smart watches, they usually don't show the time and can be worn on the dominant (usually right) wrist without being too obtrusive. However, smart watches, especially if they are to pack more features and fine details, will be larger and more suited to replacing the place of traditional dumb watches. Most of us only have 2 wrists after all, and very few of us wears one watch on each wrist. I'm just not comfortable claiming that smart watches will reignite people's interest about watches. The smart and dumb watch are competitors but very distinct products. 

There can be only one (I'd prefer the moto in this case...)

Of course, I'm not Nostradamus and it is possible that the march of dumb watches will go on, but I'm not too convinced. Mechanical watches will probably always exist, just as cast iron skillets, film Leicas, and vinyl records, but the decimation is neigh.

Beautiful, not dead, irrelevant.

Loupe System - High End Horology Loupe Review

Loupe System is quite an interesting company. Effectively a small startup company who came to BaselWorld in 2013 with a few handmade loupes, the company has grown to serialize production of 4 version of their model 01 loupe. I won't elaborate on details but there are 5 elements in the lens, a 40 mm viewing angle, and 6x magnification. The loupe can act as an iPhone lens for macro photography with their iPhone mount case. As of writing, the price for the cheapest loupe is 525 USD for Rubber, 625 for Carbon fiber, and 800 for Alligator in brown or white, with the iPhone cases being 80 USD.

I opted for the cheapest model as all four are optically the same. My first impressions were overall positive, the loupe came packed in a large cardboard box which contained a pelican-style case (with a manually activated purge valve), cleaning cloth, carrying case, wide view adapter, some papers, and the loupe itself. It also came with a set of formed foam to transform the waterproof case into a case for 4 watches, which was a very nice touch. One complaint I did have was that for the high price, I expected a genuine Pelican case (which cost around 27 dollars on Amazon) with their automatic purge valve.

I'd been using a Belomo 10x triplet loupe for a long time as I love to see the very minute details of the movement. However using the 10x Belomo required lots of light and there was quite a bit of distortion around the edges. The Loupe System is "only" 6x which is pretty standard as a watch loupe. True to their advertising, it lets in plenty of light, has very low distortion, and is very sturdy. On the down side the loupe is positively huge and not pocketable, but neither is a 400 mm f/2.8 lens. Build quality is quite good, with the rubber casing being easily removable (presumably to lower production costs so that the alligator, carbon, and rubber can be interchangeably placed on the same inner metal loupe). The metal housing feels solid but does not have an ultra high end machined feeling, but for the price and presumably low production this isn't surprising.

I think the whether the loupe is "worth it" is a personal question. There's no doubt it costs as much as an overhaul, or high quality alligator strap, but the quality of the loupe is unmatched. I see it as the Patek of loupes, overpriced perhaps, but if you must have the best, it's the only game in town. If the features of letting in a lot of light and almost nonexistent distortion is important for you as a collector to authenticate dials or appreciate your movement with a wide viewing angle, it'll likely be worth it for you.

Loupe System says an attachable LED light is in the works, if properly made with soft lighting this could provide a lot of extra value to the loupe allowing it to be used for high quality viewing and photography in any lighting condition.


Available at: http://www.loupesystem.com

Unapologetically plastic: Swatch Sistem51 Review

The Sistem51 is probably the most interesting watch introduced at Basel 2013, unfortunately it's not until almost SIHH 2014 that we actually saw the watch come on sale in Switzerland.
I've obtained a few and here are my impressions: (disclaimer, I purchased these for resale but will attempt to maintain neutrality in this overview).

The watch, like the iPhone 5C, can be said to be "unapologetically plastic" both inside and out. The watch is almost ironic because of how it satisfies many haute horologerie requirements. There is no dust whatsoever inside the watch, it's immaculate. The escapement is held by a full bridge and is even "free sprung" (but not variable inertia). Adjustment is quite good with amplitude around 270 degrees and a promised 5 second accuracy, presumably on the wrist. I found it was +10 vertical and spot on flat.

The watch features 90 hours of power reserve, this is partly due to the 21.6k vph frequency, precision lubrication and assembly by machine only, and plastic escapement that is likely both light and self lubricating.

A few unusual review notes: 
The rotor is undirectional (clockwise winding) and seems to rely on a very high gear ratio since the oscillating weight is plastic.
Hand winding is possible, but it requires turning the crown an unusual counterclockwise.
There is an ETA stamp on both the watch itself as well as the movement.
The movement does not hack
Date change occurs between 11:30 and 1:00 am
Different colours come on different straps. The white version comes on a plain silicon strap, while the black comes on a apparently leather strap, and the red one comes on a stitched silicon strap.
Straps are much more comfortable than I expected.
The rotor sounds a bit loose when shaken, but all 6 I have here have the same sound.
The rotor gives a kind of lightweight but noticeable "Valjoux wobble" when rotating counterclockwise.
Escapement is louder than most watches, probably due to the plastic casing.

Enjoy the photos below!

*My wrist is 6.25" and quite flat

The Most Important Sub-$1000 watch of 2013: Tissot Powermatic 80 Review

The PowerMatic 80 represents that ultimate democratization of a practical mechanical watch. Coming in at around 600 USD for the steel, non-COSC version, it seems like the steal of the horological century. 

The watch is 41mm in diameter and 9.75mm thick, but wears slightly larger due to its restrained appearance. The case is a mix of brushed, polished, and patterned surfaces which give it a subtle, modern appeal. The front crystal is sapphire and appears to be anti-glare coated, while the rear is a display back which shows the C07.111 movement, a modified ETA 2824 with a reduced frequency of 21,600 vph, new synthetic escapement, and improved hairspring which all contribute to the new 80 hour power reserve.

The 80 hour reserve is the most important, and arguably only, feature of the watch. The 72+ hour power reserve has always been largely in the realm of watches priced above $5000 featuring in-house movements such as the Grand Seikos or the Rolex 4130 movement in the Daytona.

Overall quality

The solid end link bracelet is quite nice, with a brushed finish and a polished line down the middle. The extra links are attached with pressure pins and the clasp is a double deployant. The finish of the case is better than can usually be expected at this price range, but shows some irregularities where the polished and brushed surfaces meet. The dial is a matte black (or matte white) and appeared to be very clean. 

Design

With a modern appearance that's very understated, I really feel this watch is a winner in terms of design. The polished details gives it a subtle flash. The lack of literature on the dial is also a huge plus. The watch wears very well and due to its relative thinness, is quite comfortable. The bracelet doesn't have any noticeable sharp edges either.

The bad

I think the watch is, at all levels, perfectly appropriate for its price class. However, with a largely plain dial and relatively small movement, I'd preferred to see Tissot make a 38mm or 40mm version of this watch. This would temper the large expanse of matte black in the center of the dial and make the watch a more serious dress watch option. The choice of a display back, while understandable for marketing, is also dubious. With a crudely finished movement, I'd rather see a nice plain or engraved steel back.

The Powermatic 80 is undoubtedly a huge step forward. While it may never make its way into watches of other brands due to the reduced supply of ETA movements, I hope that more affordable watches can have such a useful features like the long power reserve.

*My wrist is 6.25" in circumference but relatively flat so tends to handle <42mm watches okay.

Attempted Scammer Alert!!

I believe that most people are good, but in buying and selling watches one can never be too careful. An individual imitating someone I'd dealt with before sent me this email:

Hope all is well. Thanks again for the watch. Quick question for you. I was wondering if you would be interested in a white dial daytona 116520 SS V series in MINT condition w/box and complete papers. A good friend of mine gave it to me to sell for him, he only wants $7,600 for it. Guess he ran into some money issues and needs to sell. I just don't need any more Daytonas right now. Let me know.

Best Regards,

-------

His bank information is:

Bank:  Wells Fargo Bank

Full name:   Jeremy Honor

Account#:  325-266-0844

Routing#:  121-000-248

Banks address:  1302 W International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

Banks telephone#:  386-254-1830

--------

Fortunately, I never wired the money due to the highly suspcious nature of the emails but this is a warning to anyone looking to buy watches online. The scammer used an email that was similar to the actual individuals and used the same gmail "name".

Another watchnet member had also almost been scammed and his post is here: http://forums.watchnet.com/index.php?t=tree&th=560108&mid=645769&rid=74939&rev=&reveal=