Is Apple trying to persuade Swiss watchmakers to work on the iWatch?

But perhaps above all, the Swiss are also known for their incomparable high-end watches — Baume & Mercier, Breguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and, of course, Rolex. When it comes to wristwear, Switzerland largely has the industry on lock. Their craftsmanship is consistently second to none. So it should come as no surprise that, in their efforts to build their much-talked-about iWatch, Apple is reportedly trying to poach some top Swiss watchmaking talent.

The watch industry isn’t historically known for politics and brand-to-brand warfare, but things may just be getting interesting. Apple might very well be throwing a monkey wrench into the mix.

Jean-Claude Biver, president of LVMH’s watch and jewellery division, said, “Apple has contacted some of my employees. I saw the emails personally.” Biver also went on to claim that none of his employees have defected. But this courting process may still be ongoing.

These talent acquisition attempts show us just how deadly serious Apple is when it comes to the development of this new-found division. When trying to bait designers into jumping ship, one would assume some simply massive numbers are being thrown around. And what about ridiculously lucrative stock options?

Why is Apple dead set on persuading top Swiss talent specifically, you may ask? Larry Pettinelli, the U.S. president of Patek Philippe, has a theory. The executive speculated, “It’s conceivable that Apple would be interested in developing a type of hybrid with some type of mechanical aspects. The Swiss watch industry is very adept at metallurgy.”

Either way, this is a very interesting time for the watch industry. Will the iWatch be a genuine competitor in the field? Are we close to seeing a day where a connoisseur would conceivably choose a product he can pick up at an Apple store as opposed to a handcrafted Rolex?

If Apple has its way, which it often does, it’s a possibility. That certainly seems to be their endgame. Apple is a multi-billion dollar mega conglomerate. One would assume that what they want, they have a way of getting. The Swiss watch industry may very well be en route to losing some of its top players.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on this story.

source: news.com.au

Tags: Apple, iwatch, Swiss watch mater, technology

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