It sounds like a rhetorical question, but the answer isn’t as simple as “because the industry hates them!” Why has the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève never awarded a prize to a smartwatch? After all, smartwatches have officially been eligible for prizes since 2017, over a dozen models have been entered, and the group added a Smartwatch category in 2020. So why was that prize unclaimed? Is it that smartwatches are undeserving of recognition or is there a more prosaic explanation?
Apple Watch: It’s Not a Watch
Today’s “Watch A Day” isn’t a watch at all, though I wear it on my wrist. The Apple Watch is a useful extension of my phone, a wrist-mounted notification platform that also tells the time, and a bit of a status symbol to some people. But it’s not a watch.
How Good Is the Mondaine Helvetica Smart Watch?
Overall, the Mondaine Helvetica Smart watch falls short of the high bar set by Swiss competitors and Apple alike. In my review, I was surprised by the high-quality materials and finish evident in my steel Apple Watch. The reverse is true with the Mondaine; it’s just “good enough”. Combined with lackluster “smart watch” functionality, I’d call this a “do not buy”.
A Watch Guy’s Review of the Apple Watch
Is the Apple Watch a personal communication revolution like the iPhone, a well-executed gadget like the Apple TV, or a total miss? Does it mark the end of the the world as we know it for watches? And what’s it like to use one? I’m a watch guy and a gadget guy, so perhaps my perspective will be of some value.
The Case Against the $10,000 Gold Apple Watch Edition
My post laying out why the gold Apple Watch Edition must cost $10,000 caused quite a stir, but I’ll be the first to admit that I could have it all wrong. It’s entirely possible for them to put together a gold-cased Apple Watch for a much-lower price point, but I’m much more interested in the reasons why: Apple’s manufacturing and retail empire would be seriously disrupted by a $10,000 lump of gold!
Why the Gold Apple Watch Edition Must Cost $10,000
Get ready for the tech press to flip out when Apple announces the retail price for the gold Apple Watch Edition model. Apple critics have always roasted the company for selling products that are more expensive than they should be, and they frequently use this as a wedge topic to criticize buyers. But the “18-karat gold” Apple Watch Edition will set a whole new bar with a sales price of $10,000. The funny thing in this case is that Apple is perfectly right to be charging that much!