From Slate: Why you don't need a watch anymore.

[jkerouac]

I was going to tack this article onto the "stealing" thread, but decided that it deserved the visibility of its own thread. There isn't much here that we haven't heard before, but the statistics the reporter quotes are interesting.

Let me highlight one graph in particular:

At the high end, watchmaking remains a thriving business, as the global wealthy spend consistently for lavish watches. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry 2005 report notes that Swiss manufacturers have suffered a long-term decline in unit volume: Exports fell from 28.2 million units in 2002 to 24.3 million units in 2005. But while they're selling fewer units, Swiss watchmakers seem to be selling more high-end watches. Sales data from January 2007 (a month when Wall Street hotshots were spending their massive bonuses) indicate that while the volume of U.S. purchases was down marginally from January 2005, the dollar value in francs was up nearly 14 percent. That can't all be chalked up to a weaker dollar.

moneybox

Takes a Licking and Stops Ticking

Why you don't need a watch anymore.

By Daniel Gross

Updated Friday, March 9, 2007, at 7:33 AM ET

The 1969 Chicago song "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" couldn't be written today. Everyone knows what time it is, even the people who aren't wearing watches.

These days, the correct time is everywhere: in the corner of the computer screen, on the television in elevators, on cable news channels, in train stations, as well as on car radios, microwaves, ovens, and in all sorts of public places. And, perhaps most significantly, on cell phones, BlackBerries, and iPods. Most people these days carry a highly accurate and durable time piece, but it isn't a watch.

All of this is bad news for the watch industry

[rolli]

The 1969 Chicago song "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" couldn't be written today

______________________________________________________________________________

hi,

you are a chicago fan ??

i have the whole vinyl collection - chicago transit authority.

chicago is one of my favorite bands.

a really good taste.

cheers

rolli

[archibald]

The passing of time is probably a trick of the human memory anyway, but what does that or the article have to do w/ the fact that watches are so friggin cool?

[Corgi]

I was at my local The Bay the other day (this is basically an enormous store we have in Canada that caters to either hillbillies or senior citizens looking for clothing or jewelry) and I went up to the rack of timepieces. They were selling a Seiko quartz with day-date functions for about $400. It didn't have a shred of actual gold on it, and the calendar was in French. Want the full gold seiko quartz chrono? $500. Sure, you can head to the cheaper brands made from even crappier quartz movements.... like these 'Fossil' and 'Nautica' watches I saw, but they are so painfully hideous, I can see why nobody buys them.

I think that if these watch manufacturers put more thought into their designs they would sell a lot more timepieces... there is no other excuse. Not to mention the mark-up is baffling on any watch you pick.