Threat Or Treat

It has been about three years. Are smartwatches doing what people said they would? 

- Ruckdee Chotjinda

The current smart watch trend descended like the wolf on the fold, to quote Lord Byron, in late 2014, with the introduction of the Apple Watch; this was about the same time that WOW Thailand published its first issue. It sparked heated discussions within watch collecting communities, as well as between professional commentators and the collectors. Many sworn collectors dismissed smart watches as toys with zero effect on their preferred sorts of timepieces.

On the other hand, some sensationalistic, non-watch media were quick to compare the emergence of the new devices with the quartz revolution of the 1970s, which brought the world of Swiss mechanical watchmaking to its knees. It seemed everyone was compelled to say something.

Our stance then and now remains the same: Smart watches are nice tools worthy of consideration, but not a replacement for mechanical watches. In our view, smart watches can be a treat, not a threat. You can buy one and enjoy its practical benefits without having to turn your back on your mechanical pieces.

In fact, many watch brands you are familiar with offer smart watch products to suit existing customers as well as to capture new ones. TAG Heuer comes first to mind. The Swiss firm introduced its second generation of smart watch this year, calling it the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45. Using technology from Silicon Valley but built in Switzerland, the watch proudly carries the Swiss Made designation on the case.