Gadget Phones - Are Mechanical Watches Under Threat?

Although the global economic downturn affects the Swiss watch industry, just like everyone else, the general impression that trust.

Despite layoffs and reductions in hours almost the whole board, was the closure of the few Villemont Geneve, unfortunately, to fill this niche.

Comparisons were made in connection with the crisis of quartz from major industry figures such as Nicolas Hayek (CEO of Swatch Group), mainly provide alarms - is a general consensus that the 1960-'70 was the worst moment for the Swiss watch industry, this same period have only a temporary decline, without any near-term impact of the disaster earlier for mechanical watches.

Recently, however, a growing trend of miniaturization of computers and mobile phones, to the extent that computers are installed in mobile phones, and now LG has released the phone size and shape of a clock, full of belts. Much has been said about this phone, not least its price, and inaccessible to £ 1000 - for the trend-Driven gadget, which is quite high, especially given the list of features considerably smaller than the iPhone Apple, it is cheaper.

We made a track in opposite directions with the manufacturers of luxury watches to mobile phones - I think, Tag Heuer Meridiist, President of Ulysse Nardin and phone number in a limited edition, powered by a customized clock.

But for the moment at least, these little nods to each other seems to come as close as two industries to competition.

Meridiist phone and the president is the High-End products, and market ordinary consumers will not buy many of them, certainly not enough time for industry to take more than a cursory glance the idea. Also, watch for LG 'Watch Phone' to have a healthy dose of cunning.

As many fans of gadgets, putting a small internet browser on my phone, which has the disadvantage that makes it almost impossible to see - to add the function of music seems plausible, but the headphones, will entail a further complication.

SMS and dial numbers on the object is so small, it would be too cumbersome tasks, which makes the idea of the phone on the wrist, a better result.

While technophiles can rejoice at the thought of an all-in-one clock, telephone and computer, in fact, very far.

Although the technology at least, of course, possible - as LG have shown - the price is a drawback, as well as the unavailability of any other gadget is impressive. In fact, seeing before the phone starts to gain popularity, the technology behind them, serious work.

There is no doubt that if the clock of a hybrid phone that I could be around these difficulties, was killed by the watch industry.

Another innovation in terms of what people expect to watch is always a challenge, and the digital nature of the trends we can calculate that the mechanical clock will be difficult to repeat. Local industry has learned from the past, though.

No one buys a Rolex, because they want to just tell the time.

Who to buy Rolex, because they want the luxury, quality and reliability that make Rolex.

If there is a threat on the horizon, there is no doubt that this time the watch industry will grow to meet him.