$900 for an Apple Watch case is absolutely ridiculous
Sometimes I wake up and think the world has gone mad. Case in point: There’s now an $899 Apple Watch case.
While I don’t have UK or Australian prices to hand, I’d imagine you could translate that dollar price into something similarly expensive in other currencies. The case comes in two similarly priced variations: the Crown Sport and the Crown Classic. The Sport has a rubber strap, while the Classic has a metal strap. And there are silver and rose gold options.
These pricey cases are the brainchild of Golden Concept – the sort of name you’d expect for graphics cards from the early 2000s – and are designed to blend modern technology with classic watchmaking.
Yeah, so I say no.
An unholy mix
The case appears to be inspired by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, with a wing shape on the left side, and the Rolex Daytona, via the chronograph-style pushers on the right. For those unaware, these are two so-called “hype watches” that are hard to come by and have skyrocketed in price. There is what appears to be a folding clasp for the strap, but it’s hard to tell from the photos.
Look, I applaud the courage to add something to the Apple Watch, which I think is a brilliant but utterly soulless smartwatch that’s ubiquitous on the wrists of commuters I pass. But I think trying to add a mechanical watch vibe to the Apple Watch, or any smartwatch for that matter, is a miss.
One of the reasons the Apple Watch models consistently top our best smartwatch lists is because they have a design that’s hard to beat: They’re compact, but still have a usable screen and buttons, and they feel nice to hold. Plus, there are plenty of band options, and with a choice between aluminum and titanium materials, you can get an aesthetically pleasing Apple Watch without having to go down the third-party case route.
I’ve worn a few good smartwatches by now and I appreciate how useful they can be with all the data they suck in and spit out. But recently I’ve developed a taste for mechanical watches. And I just don’t think a smartwatch, no matter how old-fashioned the case, can match the feeling of wearing an automatic or hand-wound watch.
There’s just a more tangible, purposeful, stylish feeling that you get with a ‘real’ watch compared to what is essentially a computer that you wear on your wrist. You develop a kind of human-machine relationship with a watch, especially because it’s controlled by you, through your movement or winding.
That’s why I think both traditional and smartwatches have a place in today’s world; I just don’t think the streams should be crossed. And I certainly don’t think it’s a smart approach to pay more than the price of an Apple Watch 10 to get a case that gives it the pseudo-look of two watches that can almost be seen as tacky because of the hype surrounding them.
For around $900 you can buy an Apple Watch and still have some money left over for a great automatic watch. I would recommend something from Seiko or the excellent Baltic HMS 003.
If you already have an Apple Watch and want a little extra comfort on your wrist, I would recommend getting something like the Christopher Ward 63 Dune. I have one in bronze to test and I really like it. It offers a lot for about a thousand dollars worth of British gold.
And for those on a tighter budget, Christopher Ward has the C63 Zeelandera watch that costs £685 in the UK and is suitable for both the boardroom and the beach in terms of design, specs, water resistance and strap options.
For about the combined price of an Apple Watch and the Golden Concept Crown Sport, you can get a new Apple Watch and a C63 Sealander.
Maybe I’m just stuck in my ways and there’s an audience for such blingy Apple Watch cases. But my advice, both professionally and personally, is to opt for a smartwatch and a mechanical watch, rather than trying to mix the two.
