According to Apple Watch sales estimates from industry researcher Canalys, as well as shipment statistics from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, Apple sold 8 million Apple Watches in the last quarter of 2017, outselling Rolex, Swatch, and the rest of the Swiss watch industry combined, Business Insider reports.
In some ways, the comparison with the entire Swiss watch industry is a testament to Apple’s scale. Some Swiss watches are meant to be luxury pieces, like Rolex watches, which cost tens of thousands of dollars. But other Swiss watchmakers are mass market, like Swatch, with watches that are priced in the same range as the least expensive Apple Watch — about $180.
But other tech companies have similar scale, like Samsung and other Google partners — and their smartwatch sales aren’t even close.
“It was our best quarter ever for the Apple Watch with over 50% growth in revenue,” Apple CEO Tim Cook announced earlier this month. He highlighted how wearables, including the Apple Watch, AirPods and Beats headphones, were the second largest contributor to revenue growth after iPhone.
For the first time, #Apple shipped more Apple Watches in 4Q2017, than the entire Swiss Watch Industry shipped watches! Apple is the biggest watch maker in the world #AppleWatch pic.twitter.com/G6M6TJ7uO2
— Francisco Jeronimo (@fjeronimo)
The iPhone maker, which has now become one of the biggest watchmakers in the world, has been making watches for just over four years, while Switzerland has been making timepieces for centuries.
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Yet, it’s irrelevant. Toyota sells the most cars, yet there is demand for luxury ones like Porsche and ultra expensive ones like Bugatti etc. Scarcity makes these luxury goods hold value over time + those brands hold status symbol, something an Apple Watch won’t.
So re-read the article. It says Apple outsold the entire Swiss watch industry including budget watch makers like Swatch. So per your analogy, Toyota is outselling the entire European car industry – which is indeed something.
And Android sold more phones than the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X combined. But it doesn’t matter because both the comparisons are irrelevant.
what is that mean? xiaomi sells more than apple? what about casio? great headline but not really a number. lets measure to Japanese watch makers.
the cheapest rolex is about $6000. the cheapest apple watch is about $400. this is apples and oranges. of course rolex will sell less. what was the total revenue of apple watches to rolex watches….. even then, rolex is a luxury watch, apple is not.