Smart watches are very common in today’s world. You could even argue that they are the most worn watch, but is it worth getting one? This is a tricky one to answer. Yes they can be. They offer you a lot and are pretty cool, but also this can be short lived, so compared to a more traditional watch, they are maybe not worth it.
Why You Should Get A Smart Watch
The main reason you should buy any watch is because you like the look of it and you can afford. If you meet these two criteria, then you should get it doesn’t matter what anyone else tells you.
Functions
The main reason most people buy a smart watch is for the functions. Honestly they are pretty incredible inventions.
They will come with the usual functions of a digital watch and then depending on what smart watch you buy, it will usually be some sort of fitness tracker, with the ability to track your distance/ step count and heart rate.
Some of the more advanced smart wacthes can link to your phone and offer you a whole new level of functions. They are basically like wearing an extension of your phone on your wrist giving you access to notifications, messages, GPS and even allowing you to make payments as if it were a contactless bank card.
Really the list of what some smart watches can do is endless, they are very impressive and as much as I love traditional watches, I have to accept that smart watches can do a lot more.
Accuracy
Compared to mechanical watch, a smart watch is going to be pretty accurate. It is also going to regulate its self and update the time when it needs to. Unlike a mechanical watch where you will have manually set the time every few days when it either drifts away from the real time or it runs out of power.
With a smart watch you just need to turn it on and it will set itself though the phone you have it linked to.
(You can read more about – What Is An Atomic Watch)
They Can Look Cool
While they are not every ones tastes, some smart watches can look pretty cool. The companies that make them spend a lot of time and effort on the designs and based on their popularity, they clearly know what they are doing.
While some people will see them a status symbol and will want one so they look cool, a lot of people will just think the watch itself looks cool. They are often pretty sleek and the all black displays that you commonly see can make them look like a little futurist device on your wrist. They are very different from a traditional watch and a lot of people like that.
Why You Should NOT A Get Smart Watch
While I don’t mind smart watches and they do have their place in the watch world, I feel there are more reasons to avoid buying one than there is for getting one.
Charging
Although smart watches are digital watches, their batteries are not the same as digital watch. They are more like phones and need to be charged quite regularly. This means you have to plug them into a charger like you would do with a phone. While this is not exactly complicated, it can be annoying.
A digital watch will need its battery replaced every few years and even a mechanical watch can be very quickly wound each day to keep it going. If you have an automatic watch, you might even never wind it if you wear it enough.
Smart Watches Will Become Obsolete
While they may be awesome today, this will not last. Unfortunately these watches are like the phones they are linked to; they are an ever evolving technology. This means the models we use today will soon be replaced by newer more advanced options, making what we own now obsolete.
You can see this throughout the evolution of phones. They are made to be replaced after a few years rather than be repaired. Even if you do keep them working, the companies will often stop updating the software, or make it incompatible with the newer software products.
If I spend a couple of hundred quid on a mechanical watch, I know it’s not going to become obsolete in a few years.
Fashions Change
Smart watches may look cool now, but I strongly believe we will be looking back in 30 years time almost cringing at how awful they look. Just look at the phones from 2000. They are huge and chunky and awful. But can you remember back then, we thought they were the coolest looking things ever!
Watches can suffer from this too; however, you will find that a lot of luxury watch designs are timeless. They are just as stylish and sought after today as they where 50 years ago and I imagine they will be equally as popular in another 50 years time.
Not Unique
There is something quite sad about seeing a group of people all with a little black rectangle on their wrists. There is no individuality, no uniqueness. While I am sure they all have unique display screens or maybe even a different strap, the overall look is just so generic.
The variety in wrist watches is incredible and I love seeing what people are wearing. When it’s constantly just a little black rectangle, it’s just boring it is like everyone is the same. I would much rather wear a traditional watch than try and fit in with the masses.
Smart Watches Won’t Hold Value
Based on the fact that they are not going to remain fashionable, as well as eventually becoming obsolete, they will not hold their value. As the technology is always progressing they can very quickly lose value.
They are also often made form cheap electronic components, so they are not really that valuable and will not really hold value over time.
This also means they will not really make great heirlooms. There is a strong chance that they will not even work by the time you hand them down, let alone be worth any money.
Conclusion
If you want to buy a smart watch as a device full of functions, you should certainly get one. They are pretty cool, but always remember they will be a short lived product and are basically disposable.
If you want it to be long lasting time piece, they are not really made for that and not worth it. You should instead look to buy a traditional watch, while they may not be as fancy, they can be equally as cool and will last you a lifetime.
(You can read more about – Smart Watches vs Mechanical Watches, What One Should You Get?)
Ian is the main writer at Horology Dream and is a lover all things watch related.
He has been a watch collector for over a decade and brings his knowledge and experience to this site to help you on your own watch collecting journey.
You can connect with him on Social media and talk anything watches or read more about him on his Author Page.
