“The secret was well kept. Tuesday evening, in an overheated atmosphere, Apple unveiled its Apple Watch, undoubtedly the most anticipated high-tech product of the year. (…) For this launch with great fanfare, the American neglected nothing, neither the location - with a return to the roots in Cupertino - nor the staging, nor the guests - the brand invited design specialists , in addition to the usual high-tech experts. Four years after the launch of the iPad, which created the tablet market, will the Apple Watch market take off the connected watches and bracelets market? "
, we wrote in Le Figaro on September 10, 2014. Ten years later, we are therefore able to answer that, yes, the Apple smartwatch has indeed made the market take off, especially its own since it now generates today more turnover than all the flagships of “Swiss made” combined.
2014, the first appearance of Apple's “watch faces”.
JUSTIN SULLIVAN / Getty Images via AFP
However, at the time, watchmakers and tech companies had been trying to develop the smart watch that so many screenwriters had fantasized about for more than thirty years.
Since the 1970s, it has been used as a walkie-talkie, calculator or translator of strange languages (extraterrestrial, dog, etc.) in science fiction films, comics and cartoons.
These fictitious accessories most often have a kitsch design.
James Bond is an exception.
In 1977, while Her Majesty's spy had worn circular saw Rolexes and Breitlings customized by Q for the last fifteen years, for The Spy Who Loved Me, he displayed on his wrist a Seiko LCD quartz whose Built-in telex function allows Roger Moore to receive messages from M!
Five years later, it is still the Japanese brand which markets the first smart watch, the Seiko Pulsar NL C01.
In 1985, the Seiko RC-4000 even included… 2 KB of RAM.
A feat for the time.
From then on, the very concept of a smartwatch will accompany step by step the rise of consumer electronics and computers.
An avant-garde Swatch Paparazzi, launched in October 2004 in the presence of Bill Gates.
Getty Images via AFP / PETER KRAMER / AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI
It was not until 1993 that Swatch released its Pager capable of receiving alphanumeric messages sent by radio.
Then, in 1996, the Swiss watchmaker launched the Swatch Access, the integrated chip of which allows you to pass through the ski lift gates - a niche “ski pass” function, of course, except when visiting Swiss resorts.
In 1998, the brand caused a sensation at CeBIT, the high-tech trade fair in Hanover, with its Talk, the first GSM phone watch, which went on sale on July 14, 1999, for around $300.
It thus offers the possibility of communicating via an integrated microphone, speaker, antenna and transmitter.
A prelude to his Paparazzi developed with the American computer giant Microsoft, and presented in October 2004 in the presence of Bill Gates.
Available in four colors, it already allows you to do the essentials: check the weather, sports results, news, stock prices, MSN Messenger messages (wireless internet connection application, then only available in the United States) and even his horoscope!
A genius marketing move
In addition to its revolutionary technology, it benefits from a genius marketing coup with the Swatch Meet A Celebrity package, allowing certain Paparazzi buyers to meet celebrities including Carl Lewis!
If what is then called a Spot Watch (Smart Personal Object Technology) does not have the expected success, it will open the way to a new generation of connected models.
And so, ten years later, to the famous Apple Watch.
“Users around the world love it because it helps them stay connected to those they love, be more active throughout the day and better manage their health
,” summarizes Jeff Williams, director of operations at Apple, about it.
At TAG Heuer as at Garmin, connected watches dedicated to golfers.
Getty Images via AFP / PETER KRAMER / AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI
Today, the smartwatch in general has found its place on the wrist of the general public and not just geeks, without replacing the good old watch that tells the time.
Apple dominates the market with its two models, classic and outdoor, but has not succeeded in converting the product into a luxury item (goodbye to the gold versions of the early days...).
Other smartphone manufacturers try year after year to sell their smartwatch to their connected customers, but it's difficult to call it success.
On the other hand, the American giant Garmin transformed the test.
Its latest Marq Commander in carbon fiber combines watchmaking codes and functionalities linked to sport and (very) advanced form, with a selling price (€2,900) worthy of a “Swiss made” timepiece.
“Garmin originally specialized in GPS navigation systems, particularly for hiking, cycling, golf, scuba diving,”
recalls Frédéric Saint-Étienne, communications manager for France.
Hence the idea of launching a sports watch, thanks to the integrated GPS, which allowed us to meet the needs of athletes, to record new data, which did not exist until then, such as distance, speed, pace.
To this was added the connected dimension, to record, transmit and share this data.
Today our range is very wide.
The connected functions will have been an opportunity to no longer address ourselves only to expert athletes, but also to the general public.
Today, sales volumes are still growing.
We are now entering a renewal market, hence the importance of innovation and loyalty.
»
A limited edition Connected Malbon (€2,300) for TAG Heuer.
TAG Heuer
New, more sophisticated sensors
On the classic watchmaking side, TAG Heuer is continuing its 2015 momentum, with series of young and trendy connected models incorporating the house's codes and dials.
Its very latest limited edition, Malbon (€2,300), dedicated to golfers, integrates the courses of 40,000 greens around the world and allows automatic detection of shots, in order to improve precision in the game. Here, as with the competitors, health and well-being of course remain key areas of development.
New, more sophisticated sensors may soon be able to monitor, in addition to heart rate, parameters such as blood sugar, blood pressure and stress.
We also talk about a flexible screen, in order to improve the display surface.
Another challenge for the future is improving autonomy by extending the life of the battery.
“The connected watch has not finished writing its history
,” summarizes Jérôme Mathieu, director of the division at Tag Heuer.