The Rise & Fall of Daniel Wellington Watches
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- Опубліковано 3 вер 2022
- Daniel Wellington will always be controversial in the watch collecting community. I know, we hate DW. But my question is.... WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?@ Where did Daniel Wellington go?! Does anyone still buy these things?! WHAT HAPPENED TO #DanielWellington ?!
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I worked at a university during the peak of the DW hype. They were everywhere. When a student would proudly show me their DW I would reply with a simple "that's nice, enjoy". I love seeing people enjoy a watch, even if it's one I personally wouldn't wear. I have a near neighbor who wears a big ugly Invicta (you know the kind). I was walking my dog and saw him wearing it one day and commented "is that an Invicta?" (you can't miss them) his reply was "Yes, I have 4 of them!" I wouldn't dream of wearing one but he loved them, so I shared in his joy. I love good watches, but I also like for others to enjoy their watches. Maybe one day they will buy a better watch, but for now they like what they have and that's enough. I have a very nice Tudor that I love, it was a gift from my wife, but I usually wear a Seiko and I love my Seiko. The local Rolex AD is a good friend of mine and we talk about watches all the time, he loves his many Rolexes, I love my many Seikos it works for us. DW was crap, we all know it. But as watch enthusiasts we shouldn't put down the people who fell for the hype, we should encourage them to enjoy what they love. Maybe one day they will discover the joy of mechanical watches.
I see so few “watches that tick” out in the wild, that anytime I see someone wearing one, I try to spark a conversation. Half the time, they’re a “watch nerd”, and we talk like old friends for 10 minutes! It doesn’t really matter the brand.
this has got to be one of my favorite comments ive read on youtube. thanks for saying it well and respectfully
Well said. Totally agree and I feel the same not just to watches but people who have passion for something and its truly infectious.
Very well put. Watch people are like car people, you have a passion for a brand that might not appeal to everyone. I drive a 1990 300zx and love it over my wife's BMW Z4. Then she has a citizen quartz that she loves over my Omega Speedmaster.
agree with you good sir though i would still rather talk to those Invicta lovers than to those Denial Wellington's.
I bought a seiko instead of a Daniel Wellington.
Oh great choice my friend!
DW always felt like a fashion brand more than a watch brand and it never really stood a chance against the Apple watch because consumers that picked up a DW don't really care it's a "timepiece". What would be also interesting is exploring how well Seiko is doing post Apple watch because I would believe that their customers have a much a greater appreciation of watches.
Now this is so true! Very well said!
Didn't get into the DW craze but MVMTs "chronograph" got me into watch collecting. I went down the rabbit hole and learned about the history of different brands, designs, etc. Got rid of the MVMT and bought an Orient Bambino 2.
Once the batteries started dying, people threw away their DWs and went on to the next thing.
Yup!!! Yoi got it exactly right!
I also wanted one of these a lot in the 2010's! I liked how classy it looked but it was expensive. My parents bought me one but I was just getting started on my watch hobby so the DW didnt get a lot of wrist time. 😓 I passed it on to my niece.
Honestly never heard of this take before.
I would've thought fashion watch brands like DW, MVMT and Vincero died because consumers got sucked into the watch world and saw those watches for what they were, cheap, mass-produced fashion pieces. I think this because this was what happened to me. I used to watch Alpha M. in an effort to dress better and was introduced to the Urban Gentry, then got his views on fashion watches like DW. The more I learned from watch enthusiasts, the more I was put off by fashion watches. DW was poised for failure. People who bought DW were people that cared about style, and the more they educated themselves on style, the more they would move away from DW.
I don't know what the future holds for apple watches, but I don't think they are comparable to fashion watches. People that buy apple watches are a different demographic from people that buy fashion watches. They are probably apple supporters or people that appreciate the functionality of smart watches(GPS for military personnel). If the sale of apple watches slow, it would be for different reasons(overlapping functionality with phones) that those of fashion watches(learning to dress better).
P.S. That DW totally looks like a Nomos Orion.
Id disagree somewhat. While im sure many people buy the apple watch just for the functionality. for many im sure the functionality is more a bonus and most of the features dont get used. The Apple Watch became the cool fashionable thing to wear.
I'm with you, the urban gentry channel exterminated the fashion watch.
@@ryanpeck3377 I'd agree. Apple owners get sucked into only buying Apple products. One of our kids went that way Several apple watches, ipads for everyone macbooks to work on, mostly nice kit but for little kids a £30 amazon fire is good enough, it is going to get broken. Rant over.
Vincero is still in business, though it seemingly branched out into other markets aside from the watch industry. They are on the verge of launching a backpack.
@@ryanpeck3377people buy apple for the brand, consumers are mindless zombies
This video was super well done and interesting! It’s fascinating learning about the rise and fall of brands. I remember how huge DW was back in the day. Maybe this could be a reoccurring video topic? Also and Apple Watch video would be super interesting. Best watch channel on the internets as always!
You know! I thought about making this a reoccurring theme too! I was looking at Fossil and Diesel watches as well! 😱 it’s a boring story though lol. Apple Watch killed those too 😜😂
This is easily the best video you have made. Interesting, slightly left field subject, but within the watch sphere. Everyone is doing a Pelagos 39 review (including yourself), but no one else is doing this. Do more. :)
Oh BLESS! I am so glad you enjoyed! And you know... That is exactly why I made this! Last week, by the end of the week, I remember thinking "If I see another Pelagos video I am going to stab my eyes out" hahaha.
This was a great video - thanks for making it! Honestly had this same question recently, so was excited that you'd made a video to try and address this question. I agree with your thesis here - again, great video!
I'm just jealous, imagine starting DW and now living in a mansion with a bunch of Rolexes and Pateks, oh the sweet sweet irony
Loved the numbers Britt; puts the impact of the Apple Watch in context. I’m one of those weirdos who wears two watches - an Apple Watch and something out of my watch boxes, in rotation. The emergency comms in the Apple has literally saved my life and the health monitoring keeps me honest. The better the health tracking gets, the more people will use them. I love my traditional watches though and will always wear them.
Just a thought: The "functionality" (FUNtionality?) of an Apple Watch is part of its appeal as a fashion accessory, and the Apple Watch is every bit as much a fashion item as dial watches. It's sort of like back in the day when people bought "Scientific" Calculators with advanced functions that most people never used nor even knew how to use. ("It makes me LOOK smart at my job.") The big advantage of the Apple Watch is you can link it to your iPhone and make video calls through it like Dick Tracy. Cute. I don't have an Apple Watch. As usual Britt, you don't disappoint. (That is not a sarcasm. I mean that sincerely. This video is on topic and insightful.)
Historians note that Roman Consul Marius in the 2nd Century BC "reformed" the military by removing the property requirement for service and thus making armies loyal to their Generals who paid them, rather than to Rome. This is seen as the beginning of Rome's downfall. Likewise, the role of the "Influencer" in modern society will be seen as the beginning of the end for Western Civilization. Can there even BE anything more absurd than aspiring to be an "Influencer?" If everyone is an "Influencer," who is actually being "influenced?" Do people just sit around in front of their PCs or on their phones "influencing" each other?! Any economic model that relies on "Influencer" marketing is doomed to failure. The seeds of DW's downfall were in its rise in the first place.
Disagree. The Apple Watch is the ultimate tool watch. I keep it in rotation daily with my Tudor, Sinn, and Hamilton mechanicals.
@@thetruthhurts7500 Unless there’s a mechanical out there that can track my daily workouts, a hike, gps, etc then I’ll retire it. Until then, it’ll share wrist time.
Excellent video. I'm not sure Apple Watch had such an affect as it has been around for 7 years now. Btw the next huge selling smartwatch is the Samsung Galaxy Watch, around since 2013. I think the reason DW fell was different. There was an explosion of fashion watches from brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Armani, Nike, Diesel, Hugo Boss, Vincero, MVMT, Filipo Loreti, basically all of them cheap Chinese made crap. The market was just so big and everyone wanted a slice of a pie that wasn't getting any bigger. Simultaneously, people began to realize that these things were crap because they may have seen Instagram ads from Ali Express with exactly the same watches with different brand names for $10....that they just paid $200 for. I find it hard to believe that sudden gigantic drop in sales, I reckon the 2018 figure and previous were inflated, maybe some financial shenanigans going on there.
Really interesting video. I have tried the Apple Watch multiple times and yes it does have loads of functions etc but I found I felt too connected and it got me down. I also missed the beauty of a traditional watch. In terms of the future I can see them becoming even more popular due to their functions and peoples want to be more connected all the time. I also found the Apple Watch gave me weird pains in my wrist when wearing this happened on several different apple watches over a period of 12 months. Now I can back into mechanical watches I feel much happier. My phone does everything needed really.
First time i learn the DW story. Thanks for the uplifting and entertaining telling, Brittany. 🙂But my first encounter with DW, was a friends DW that needed a new battery, and a indicie that nedded glue.
As a hobby'ist watch maker, i wantet to help her out.
It was a nightmare...
Before i was finished, (it was not the battery that was run flat) i had all hands fallen off, in my attempt to get the indicie back on.
It has to get the crystal blown out, to get anything done to it...
I ended up with a replacement movement and a new battery, before i was done.
I just hate them, by the lack of acces, and a very cheap construction.
And i learned, that a new DW is put together for under $10/£9...
Cheap Chineese no name watch, stamped with a name...
Just like the newer Danish "watch brand" (right...!) named DISING.
Christ, why do people pay for those things?
How do we support you? Where can I find the link?
Second…..oh crap hehe, excelent video Britt, I left my comments on Patreon…..have a Blessed Sunday you and James 🙏🏻 on the side note….I was also obsessed on getting a DW when they were in their prime 😅
Fernaaaando!
The interesting question is, did Filip Tysander, who was undeniably a very clever businessman, see the impact that smart watches were going to have on his market share and actively pull out his investment or did he make the mistake of doubling down and continue trying (and obviously failing) to hold back the tide.
Ouuu now THIS is an interesting thought! 😱 and you nailed it. Tysander is obviously very clever! I wouldn’t put this past him
Yeah, another great video, Brittany, thanks.🙂👍 Makes me wonder how the others are doing: MVMT, Vincero... Also makes me wonder if watch fam have influencers, whether they are paid or not. Wonder if I've been influenced into thinking highly of a watch, or more likely just better informed.
I love your enthusiasm (: your videos are like a breath of fresh air and the quality is getting impressive. Maybe try some moderate compression on your vocal track. You have a great voice, cheers !
Oh this actually made my day! And it’s exactly what I needed to hear! Thank you so much. 💕 that is my next journey: figuring out audio!! 🙈 It’s time to look up UA-cam videos about this stuff
Just curious where you found the shots of the red/purple Apple Watch...because I'm fairly certain that one with a flat display and sides has never been released (until maybe next week).
That’s exactly where I found it! People speculating about the next drop! 😜 I can’t remember exactly who posted those renders! But I can jump on my computer tomorrow and pass it along! 💕
@@BrittPearceWatches ahhh makes sense, well suppose we’ll find out Tuesday
some people mistake the nomos orion for a daniel wellington and it makes me sad 😂
OH GAAAAWSH. That's one of the problems with Nomos sadly! They are actually properly making amazing watches, so dang Bauhaus! But sadly a lot of people who don't really know watches get confused lol
Great video. Just as I was wondering where all those pictures of DW stores came from you named the source.👍The wife has a smart watch that it seems she's always charging and a Seiko solar. The Seiko died last winter because it wasn't getting enough light. I was able to revive it by setting it outside in direct sunlight.
Think this is the 4th time I’ve gone on to this show and it’s another different thumbnail!!!!;) this was really interesting! I had no idea they went kapooooot! Great gap in the market he took advantage of!!!!
I remember these, almost like 50% of students in my grade wore them around 2015-2016. I still stuck to my G shock though! I remember another very popular brand at that time was MVMT. Have you got one?
What a great exposé on DW! You definitely nailed it. The Apple Watch has seriously taken over much of the
I guess the folks using DW for target practise ran out of bullets?😆
Bahaha!
Thanks for making a really interesting video. Super content and presentation style. Love it. Horology would be so boring without your fun comments 💞
Excellent video!! Any brand, like as DW, can come and go at any time, and I understand the Apple Watch could follow suit, but not the Smartwatches category. We had mechanical watches, then Quartz watches, and now Smartwatches. The introduction of new technologies will always cause market disruption, but they can coexist.
Not to harsh but an indictment of how shallow society truly is. I love true craftsmanship regardless of of the medium
DW and MVMT brands are valuable in that it filters watch snobs & douches from genuine watch enthusiasts.
LOLLLL! Oh I genuinely feel bad for anyone who bought a MVMT. What a piece of garbage! But you know, not everyone is going to be an enthusiast
@@BrittPearceWatches I wasn't referring to MVMT owners as watch enthusiasts, but to the reaction a watch snob might have towards a person wearing a MVMT or DW watch. I can see that wasn't very clear on my post.
Influenceers could convince the masses to buy darn near anything. I started typing this 2 seconds into your video. We both hit the nail on the head.
BAHAHA! Two peas in a pod!
Apple Watch is a different category in my opinion, it's more a fitness oriented product. I think that as it's in the fashion business.....fashion just becomes unfashionable after a time. The watches themselves are awful rubbish, and people probably began to realize it. That drop from 2 million sales in 2018 to 160k in 2019 is a bit hard to believe. You can still find them in some markets. Saw some on a trip to Turkey selling for about $100 equivalent. Probably excess stock they couldn't get rid of. Btw, the Apple Watch sales figures are not official. Apple does not release separate data for its products so the sales figures are guessed at to some extent. You may be right about the future of the Apple Watch too. Their market share declined by over 1% while the Samsung smartwatch market share increased by 2%. I noticed that the Samsung watches with a dress watch look or a dive watch look seems more like a traditional real watch than the Apple square shaped one.
wtv DW did, it motivated people to keep wearing something on their wrist so that some would either upgrade to fancier mechanicals or heck smart watches.
Technology has a way to bypass the enthusiast groups and reach mass market appeal faster than enthusiasts may expect.
If you look at their marketing, Tudor seemed to like DW's strategy enough to inspire the new Pelagos (Daniel Wellagos?) as a unisex fashion watch rather than a tool watch (albeit a tool maybe a fraction of a % would actually use for its intended purpose).
Now this is a thought!
Why do you think that? Are Tudor paying digital influencers to advertise their products? Or are you saying that purely based on the product webpage and videos of different people wearing it?
Giving people the products they want is business 101. I don't see Tudor copying DW's crap product/marketing scam business model at all.
@@jpdemer5 I agree. People are going crazy because Tudor are advertising it showing images and videos of people wearing around the pool and on day to day activities and not on a damn diver doing "tool watch things". Comparing that to DW is just non sense.
Come on guys, 99% of people buying these aren't using it for diving. The everyday use is much more convincing for the general population.
You’re really reaching there. Marketing the Pelagos 39 as a watch that can go on a dive or to a party is just good sense. Don’t see how that relates to DW’s influencer based marketing and trashy watches sold at high margins.
I see a Britt Pearce AKA Watch Greenga video show up on my feed - I like the video first and then watch the content 😂😂 - awesome as usual. Along with Teddy B, ID Guy, Watchfinder and Adrian , this channel rounds out my favorite UA-cam watch content creators
OH BLESS! 😭💕 this has officially made my night! And to see my name in the ranks of Teddy, ID Guy, Watchfinder and Adrian is truly the greatest honour
I tried to message you but it failed to send - might be because I am in the US?
Love getting an education on top of the entertainment. I think the "disposable" aspect took a toll as people looked for items that lasted and would not just end up in the trash. Or maybe I am projecting my own feelings about "stuff" everywhere that is made to be thrown away, and not last. My journey into watches started when I inherited a pocket watch, that was purchased by a great-great uncle in the 1920's and has been passed down. I recently had it serviced for the first time in decades, and for a $250 tune up (the cost of a DW) I have a watch that will outlast me. (OK, I am done pontificating, see what I did there Gringa?) Trends of something new and shiny will always popup in the world (Moonswatch anyone), but I do not know if the influencer aspect will continue. Anyway, Keep up the great content. Long Live the Cult.
DON IN THE HOUSE! You know, I always so look forward to your comments!
@@BrittPearceWatches Gringa Lives!! And I always look forward to your next video. Each one has me wondering where the mind of "Editing Gringa" will take us next. Long Live the Cult!
I think it was paying $200+ for disposable trash that got people down on DW.
What is truly amazing about luxury watches is that they survive through centuries of innovation. The beeper, CD players, MP3 players, VCR, and many more died out when new innovation came out. Luxury watches survived the afford quartz watches and now doing very well against the super computer on people wrist. Luxury is still holding strong. I understand the appeal. Having that nice and to wear it every day is very enjoyable.
When they first arrived on the scene I was buying them from China with blank faces and a coloured NATO strap for......£1.99!!
Was it the Apple Watch? Or was it my boys Ben's Watch Club and Teddy Baldassarre exposing such fashion brands for being overpriced garbage haha
I kid, but for real, this was an interesting topic I didn't even realize was relevant. MVMT, DW and others seem to have really dropped off over the past couple years - or at least, their influencer marketing isn't as aggressive as it once was.
To give these kinds of brands some credit, I likely wouldn't be as into watches as I am now if they didn't saturate the market with cheaply made products. I bought a MVMT watch at the height of their popularity and felt like I had been ripped off. Then I looked to the differences between quartz and mechanical watches, and fell down the horological rabbit hole. The main thing I have learned is that luxury isn't affordable lol.
Thanks for this info Britt! I have been wondering what happened to DW.
I actually still have 2 DWs which I still use to this day, but I am saving for a good quality brand now :-)
The kid’s aren’t buying watches at all because they spend half of their life’s looking at a phone. The time is in the corner so why would they buy a watch 🤔 Daniel Wellington was about selling a £20 watch for £200 through heavy marketing. You can only pull that trick until people see through the BS 🤦🏻♂️
Gosh, valuing their watches at £20 sounds generous to me! Absolute pieces of poooooop! But it was a great payday for Filip Tysander while it lasted!
The Pelagos 39 is simply gorgeous, it represents a step back for real divers but a step forward for desk divers, and how many of those exists, well I am one of those.
Another issue was with a more savvier crowd, that realized that DW watches were basically equal to the random, drop-shippable watches from AliX for a fraction of the cost.
for the many problems with DW, i do wish more serious watch companies would play near the $200 USD price point. its an excellent entry point, but i do realize competing with apple sucks.
Great insights. I do think you are right about the reasons of the demise of DW and fashion watches in general.
Gringa and DW watches!? Must have misread the thumbnail 😅 or just a little break from breathtaking Journe expedition. ("40k for a starter" 😅) Anyway, always gives me a smile to see your face, TY and have a lovely evening.
When I started getting into watches last year I went to buy my first automatic watch with a gift card I had. The first brand I looked at was DW because I’d heard of them (the classic Cambridge strap caught my eye)
Thankfully I purchased a seiko (the presage cocktail seiko watch “margarita”)
Dodged a massive bullet
Right?! I so relate to this. The first watch I ever noticed and thought “ouuu! That looks cool!” Was… a Daniel Wellington! 🙈 my tastes have definitely evolved since then! But they had a moment
@@BrittPearceWatches I actually bought a q timex with that type of nato strap as an almost ode to that moment 😅 glad I did go the seiko route as I don’t think I’d be as in to watches if I ended up with a fashion piece that wouldn’t last very long
That was so brutal(!), yet nicely done Brittany! 😜😃👍🏻 As a fellow watch enthusiast, I totally get how snobbish people can be, about trashing or despising ‘economy’ brands, but the truth is that there are some fantastic budget watches which just kill it (Casio, Seiko, Citizen, etc). But DW was trying to pull off something different. Whether you attribute it to Apple Watch or customers realising the truth, DW may have learnt a lesson or two. Hope they’re able to do something genuine and revive themselves coz I’m sure there are people who genuinely like the looks of DW! 😃
And the people that appreciate the look, could have put the money toward a Junghans who have perfected that look.
Anyone does that look better. Give me microsoft paint i can make the watch.
4:40
Don't be sorry, Gringa. It's KINDA funny 😂😂😂
I agree with you, btw. I think Apple watches specifically will be more of a fashion fad than a lasting timeless design. They're simply way too disposable.
I think I will run out and try to find a couple of Daniel Wellington watches before they are harder to find than rocking horse poop!
This is a good take. I always figured there was this growing interest in the tangible and not disposable with the world changing so much. Back when these came out there just wasn’t the online watch community there is now unless you wanted to wade though forums about the supremacy of the SKX. With the rise of watch UA-camrs and people finally learning that you could get a stunning Seiko 5 or a Orient Bambino with a good mechanical movement for similar or lower price opened some eyes. A decent Timex with a quartz is miles above and with heritage, I think it was the Urban Gentry that was talking exactly that point.
Also I felt like there was a growing urge to feel more sophisticated. Maybe just in my generation having grown up where covering oneself in plaid and scraggly long hair was the thing. Now I only seem to fit in like that at Walmart.
It was 2016's version of the moonswatch.
LOL!! This is too accurate
Excellent analysis and perspective here, Britt!
Oh thank you sooo much! 💕💕💕
They were in a market segment called ‘fashion’ watches. ‘Fashion’ anything comes and goes, hence the name. If you can name a fashion item which hasn’t done this, then it’s probably not a ‘fashion’ item. What happened to Gucci/Fossil watches from the 90’s or Storm watches from the early 2000’s. There’ll be a new one soon enough because fashion is cyclical
Now these are some awesome thoughts! You’re sooo right!
Maybe it's just me but the Gucci watches seem to be making a small comeback. Because they have a well respected luxury brand name in them, they might be more resistant to the same fate as other fashion watches.
@@jessem_i31 They’ve always been around - never stopped making watches since they started. Just like the Daniel Wellington boutiques are still around. Sometimes they’re in vogue, sometimes not - just the nature of fashion, really. The luxury Swiss watch industry also has trends too - ‘big’ watches, salmon dials, sports watches in stainless steel are just a few in recent years but not to the extent of the companies themselves
Cracking Vid Britt - DW made a lot of people happy aboutt watches, if only for a short space of time, so that's deserving of some love yes? Also, the astonishing success of influencer marketing there means you'll be hearing about DW forever, at business schools across the land 😀however, fashion watches....I'm old enough to rememebr the hype around the early gucci ladies watches with the interchangeable bezels - my goodness, they sold a lot of those in the 80's/90s.....so maybe not a new phenomenon..
I know this is an old vid, but anyway - fantastic. Really enjoyed it. Thanks!
I was looking for a watch a good few years ago and I usually research stuff a LOT, luckily I stumbled across TGV/Teddy and was saved, but of course my wallet was not as I’m now 30+ watches down the journey and eyeing up my next two purchases…
Really enjoyed the video as you took us through a moment in history that has affected much of the world… can’t say I’d heard of Daniel Wellington as I was a GShock and Timex child of the 70’s/80’s… which also means I missed the life of a millennial, and apparently influencer marketing.
Brittany… your humour and witty commentary is your signature branding… it’s an infectious trade craft; looking forward to the next review.
Cheers!
Ive heard of Daniel Wellington but never seen one. In my mind quartz watches are cheap disposable goods, to wear when sailing, it goes over the side £17 in the drink. A smartwatch has no charm, I bought one, for a particular purpose, it served it and now its in a drawer somewhere I couldn't be bothered charging it. An automatic just works I dont have to do anything and a vintage hand winder demands 10 to 15 seconds of winding a day which I can easily manage.
In Toronto, apart from Apple Watches, Im seeing Casio as the most worn brand. This is an amazing win imo
A Daniel Wellington at least won't spy on me and report back to big corporation owner to sell information on who I am, what I like, where I've been, and what I've been doing. They will just have to use my phone like normal companies.
I think most DW's audience who want an analogue watch have moved onto the cheap Vivian Westwood watches (which are truly absymal quality, $2 aliexpress jobs).
I must have been living under a rock or something. I never noticed them even remotely.
I could watch you throw shade at companies all damn day. That was fabulous.
😂😂👏🏻 I’d LOVE TO SHADE COMPANIES ALL DAY! I’ll have to do more videos like this!
good video... again! Informative, funny and full of food for thoughts...thank you
Yo Britt, tennis player Barbora Krejcikova was wearing a DW during the US Open earlier this month. Do we let her know DW is over or nah? 😂😂😂
Good spot 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽😂
I agree that the Apple watch will probably phase out. The Apple watch is not about being a watch, its about presenting the information that is on your phone, and its just that the watch form factor is a convenient and established way to do this. People are used to checking their wrist for information, and so its a sensible place to put that information, but the Apple watch isn't really about telling the time, any more than the modern phone is about talking to people remotely. And as technology and cultural trends move on, other form factors will open up. Google Glasses famously failed but was maybe a bit ahead of its time and we could see a return to that style, or maybe even contact lenses with that information displayed. This would end the trend of smart watches, and free up wrists internationally.... and maybe some of those people will be so used to wearing some kind of watch that they will pick up a traditional one after all.
It's just amazing how big a percentage of people totally lack the ability to recognize JUNK and get blinded by some pathetic influencers. The World wants to be deceived. Well, until the game is up.
Almost fell for the pull of DW. Their original nato strap looked beautiful at the time. Ended up getting a Timex Weekender - love it to this day.
Great video! One of your best 👍 as for the fate of smartwatches…unlike fashion watches, they’re genuinely useful. In my civilian life, when I’m not at work. I wear a mechanical watch or G-Shock on one wrist and an Apple Watch on the other. They complement each other IMO. That’s not to say some future technology won’t replace the smartwatch in the end, maybe AR glasses that Apple and other tech companies are working on, that look like and are no more bulky than regular spectacles or sunglasses. They could be a strong candidate 🤔
I reckon people finally realised that the D on the logo was backwards.
I grew up in age where it was expected you would own a watch.
ALL Watches, both inexpensive and expensive are ultimately fashion pieces. They come and go with the times.
Great video Britt! The success of DW is an excellent example of the power of marketing! You can sell garbage to the masses if you make the garbage look and sound great! Dare I say Moonswatch!
Right?! You know, watch collectors love hating on “hype”. But some of these other brands just need better marketing teams! 😂🙈
I agree with everything you said, i also believe if DW would half priced themselves at 25.00 prices point they may have stayed in trend longer as someones first watch a a teen
Your assessment is bang on IMO. The biggest factor that killed DW was the now established distrust for influencer marketing.
Success built on Untrustworthy influencers wearing cheap tat is never going to be long term success.
Just wish I’d predicted it and shorted DW stock!…
(Santos looking 🔥 🔥 btw)
The issue for any product or service which is "fashionable" is that it must transcend this standing to become something more enduring. Mechanical, and even good quartz watches, have achieved this. They stand beyond the vagaries of time and fashion so, as an example, I have several Junghans Max Bills watches. They employ the same Bauhaus-inspired design ethos that DW so cheaply aped but, in the case of Junghans, they are the real deal rather than an a cheaply produced interloper that merely seeks to ape the style and rely on crowd buss to imprint it upon the public consciousness. While no one outside of a watch geek will appreciate what I am wearing, I just don't care because I know what I am wearing.
The thing about a smart watch is that you come to depend on it - if you swap it out for something different, depending on what you're doing or how you're dressing, you lose all that functionality. It's not quite as bad as leaving your phone at home, but it's a loss that you notice. Once you go over to an Apple Watch, with its integration with your iPhone and Mac, you pretty much walk away from the whole concept of a watch collection (unless you have the money to collect Apple watches), and the "fashion watch" just doesn't have a place in your life any more.
The fact that DW watches were $15 movements dressed up in marginal-quality cases didn't help - people eventually wised up to the marketing scam, and realized that you could get equivalent (or better) watches for $30 on Alibaba. When your customer base goes from feeling stylish to feeling like fools, your business is toast.
Im a newbie in the watch community. I loved DW design and almost bought them... Thankfully I found your video XD What clock with the classic design like DW should I purchase??? I especially liked their rectangular watches
I would never buy a DW now but my first watch that made me love watches and made me wear a watch everyday was a DW
Totally agree Brittany; I think people will look to watches that last a lifetime after their 3rd or 4th replacement smartwatch. And when they're finally sick of their electronic 2D lives interrupting their 3D ones.
I doubt whether I could see the dial of an Apple watch let alone switch the mother on. Similarly a multi complication sports chronometer would be wasted on me - I'd never set the dials or the date window or push-the-pushers.
And THEN! People found out they were actually junk and the super Beautiful apple watch hit the market. High tech disponible junk... People love trends. I wonder what's next...
Now you said it here: PEOPLE LOVE TRENDS! that's exactly it!
I thought it was because of Ben’s video. You can get the same watch that didn’t say DW from Chiba for less than $50
All fashion watches go out of fashion eventually. I would say that the apple watch has rendered traditional wristwatches redundant for the demographic who wore them purely for timekeeping purposes
Everyone realized they are over paying a cheap watch. Never understand why it was popular and feel like a cheap swatch. They should have brought some old time house and build their brand up with own movement or sold their brand to Chinese. Miss the boat !
Agree. Smart watches are like evolved/upgraded fashion watches. It'll become outdated and disposable someday.
I bought my kids a couple of Daniel Wellingtons to wear to some occasion.
They were worn once and placed back in the box.
Let me know where you want me to send them Brit and they are yours.
You can wear one on each wrist, hold a glass of wine in each hand and pretend you are back in college being fashionable. 🤣
In India daniel wellington was not as expensive as other international brands and that's why I picked up mine. I also like the simplicity of the design. I didn't find any issues in the watch use.
Luckily we still have MVMT.
In Europe rich people still use mechanical watches, but in the US you see the richest of them all wearing Apple watches. And smart watches going away would be like people stop using iPhones and returned to Nokias
07:53 Dad expected to get hit for gifting an apple watch, instead of a mechanical one 😅
😂😂💕
Most of the decline in Swiss watches are the result of self-inflicted wounds... The Swiss industry need to reform and stare away from the scarcity "waiting lists" and silly "limited editions" B.S and join the 21 century (if Rolex can mass produce DayJusts, they surely can mass produce stainless steel Sport watches that run pretty on same movements of the DayJusts)
they have traded the volume for artificial scarcity in order to maintain the large profit margin from loss of sales after quartz crisis.
@@khairulhelmihashim2510 true, and they are losing new potential customers by playing these games, compare the boring game Rolex are playing with what the Swatch Group did with the "MoonSwatch" "!!! Swatch/Omega have effectively tapped in a Blue Ocean of New potential customers who otherwise would never buy a Swiss watch or even know Omega... That's breliance, and that's the way to go...
Informative video. Man, am I out of it. I only heard about DW last year. The thing that I heard the most was the sheer hate in the watch enthusiasts community. But besides being cheap, I still didn't understand the vitriol. They remind me of Swatch watches of the 80s. I had one when I was a kid and loved them. They were cheap and made of plastic...looked so cool. Anyway, as an old guy, I am slow to learn of the latest trends. My guess is that DW was destined to burn out quickly, given how brightly it shown. But hey, if people liked them, then DW was doing something right...for a while.
Whenever i visit a luxurious mall in my country, mall with high rental fees for the stores due to the location, im still surprise and shock to see that there is still daniel wellington stores beside big brands like patek, ap, vc. i thought they should have died out a few years ago, apparently they are still going strong.
there are millions of potential customers out there who can't tell a difference between a quartz and automatics, luxury or affordable, yet eager to acquire a seemingly nice, classy watch from a nice looking watch boutique.
It is amazing isn’t it?! It’s crazy how many physical stores they have! But they still have a huge following
This is hans wilsdorf levels of thinking
Love your reviews!!!! Go Gringa Go
Those DW buyers now already grown up, earning better income, thus looking for a refined watch (mechanical, quartz, or smart) from reputable companies. The younger demographics are into smartwatches or g-shocks.