Rolex is a terrible example. On top of their products aiming to last generations (nobody's going to leave Apple Watch to their grandchildren), they're also well known for not reporting any sales figures what so ever.
Nobody can tell you how many Rolexes there are in total, let alone the sales figures of a specific model of a Rolex. That's partially what makes them so valuable. People usually don't change Rolexes every year when the new model is out.
Changing an Apple Watch/Android Wearable even once every 3-5 years must be the 7th circle of hell for someone like Dieter Rams.
It's incredible how normal it has become to switch out $500-$1200 products at such a cycle. Wasteful, next to no functional gain (certified electro-cardiography being exempt in my books), supporting narcissism...
It's consumerism to the max. We should all take a step back and think about what we are doing.
The watch market must be pretty small these days considering everyone has the time on their smartphone...
The only people I see wearing watches are business people who wear suits to work or work outdoors (people in the military). That's only a small percentage of people with a ~$100 product.
I see people of all kinds with Apple Watches all the time, some of them with the higher-end models. Even prompted a few conversations with strangers about the series, bands and faces.
I'd actually bet that phones will be supplanted by a combination of smartwatch + smartglasses in the future.
If you have ever detachedly watched a crowd of people holding out these slabs in their hands and craning their necks over them, you might agree that it looks rather archaic and is begging to be put out of fashion.
I see a lot of watches among 'fitness' people as well these days. I'd estimate that roughly half the people in my office wears a watch of some kind and non of them wears a suit to work.
Hasn't the Apple Watch been outselling Rolex etc.?
https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-outsold-the-entire-swi...