BY NINIAN CARTER
Since Apple launched its first smartwatch in 2015, it has taken just four years for it to sell more timepieces than traditional Swiss watchmakers.
Five years after Apple sold its first “Watch” smartwatch in April 2015, the device’s popularity has soared to threatening levels traditional watchmakers never thought possible.
According to analyst estimates (based on industry reports and Apple’s financials), the U.S. tech titan shipped 30.7 million watches in 2019 – single-handedly outselling the entire Swiss watch industry, which is thought to have shipped 21.1 million watches last year.
Younger buyers are increasingly leaning towards smartwatches which fit their connected lifestyles, whereas analogue watches made by companies like Swatch and Tissot, remain popular with older consumers.
