The Future of Wearable Tech and Haute Horology

By Ahmed Kofi Edusei

Much has been said recently about the threat that wearable tech poses to the watchmaking industry. The likes of the Apple Watch have been purported to be the game-changers that will deal the final blow to the watchmaking industry and render analog watches completely redundant.

Recent industry reports reveal that although the watchmaking industry is experiencing some difficult times, there is no real correlation between these difficulties and the growth of wearable tech. To be fair, I do believe the evidence may become more apparent going forward, and the industry segment most at risk is the sub-premium segment; where we find the brands that offer “affordable” analog watches.

That being said, although I do believe the haute-horology segment of the industry is somewhat insulated from the threat of wearable tech (ie, no one contemplating buying a Rolex, or Patek will opt for an Apple Watch instead), I also believe that the technology behind wearable tech stands to change the competitive landscape of the haute-horology segment.

I believe the true precursor to this trend is the Frederique Constant Horological Smartwatch, which has successfully bridged the gap between traditional swiss-watchmaking and wearable tech. At a first glance, the Horological Smartwatch is a simple traditional analog watch, however, it holds its own against several mainstream fitness trackers. The Frederique Constant Horological Smartwatch does not require charging (a general limitation of wearable tech) nor does it require manual time setting (a general limitation of analog watches). Looking at the latest version of this timepiece, which was released at this year’s Baselworld, I get the sense that the notion of a complication in a timepiece stands to be redefined.

As the watchmakers of old competed over the number of complications they could build into their designs, so will haute-horology brands distinguish themselves from one another through innovative designs that incorporate traditional techniques with RELEVANT modern technology.

We await the next step into the future.