How many people still wear a watch? I know I don't, or at least, I only wear them very infrequently. Ever since I got myself a fitness band, I've completely stopped using my faithful, if somewhat battered Casio watch. Why would I still use a timepiece when I've got a device that tells the time, the date, and my current amounts of steps, heart rate, and calories burned? To say nothing of Smart Watches, which likely do all of the above things and more. Or you can forgo the wrist accessory and just check your phone. It's pretty much an all in one device these days. So short of high priced luxury wristwatches to match an equally elegant wardrobe, it just seems more convenient to replace the watch with some kind of fancy high tech gadget right?

The End of Watches

One study seems to indicate that is is increasingly popular thinking. Is Time Running Out For the Watch? a report by research group Euromonitor International, predicts that a growing number of young people, having replaced their need for traditional watches with phones, fitness bands, and smart devices, will lead to a serious decline in the sales of wristwatches. It predicts that in Britain, sales of watches will decline steadily over the next few years, while sales of smart watches and fitness bands will increase by 30% annually.

Needless to say, a sharp decline in the sale and use of traditional wristwatches, aside from the negative effects on watch sellers and manufacturers, is likely to also cause a decline in the traditional watch repair shops. Yes, those humble little shops that you'd visit once upon a time to replace a dead watch battery or to change your fraying leather wrist strap might go the way of the dinosaur.

It raises interesting questions though about what watchmakers will do to stay relevant. Will we see Casio brand smart watches? Fancy Rolexes with bluetooth built into them? Or will James Bond in a film ten years down the track sport a simple black silicon fitness tracker band along with his dapper tuxedo?

Originally seen on: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/03/fitness-trackers-call-time-watches