Technology has a habit of always marching forward, and while this can be a good thing, it’s in the past few years that many of us have spent considerable time harking back to the past – not only in terms of our music or movie tastes – but also in the things that we wear. This is largely the ‘hipster’ effect – making vintage cool again – and part of this is to thank for the boom in popularity of analogue watches, though there are a number of reasons why the traditional clock face is still selling by the million.
WHY ANALOGUE IS HOLDING ITS OWN OVER DIGITAL IN THE WATCH MARKET
Analogue watches are – according to many – effortlessly stylish and cool. It is ‘old-world tech’ – the ticking of the clock, the movement of the hands, there’s something so appealing and comforting about the design of an analogue. Most of the most expensive watches around – those in the luxury bracket that fetch thousands to millions at auction – will be analogue. This is because of the intense craftsmanship that goes into each and every design – analogue watches are largely crafted and designed by hand still, and there’s something so much more personal and warm about a traditional watch than there is about its digital cousin.
Digital watches have largely been seen as the more functional option in terms of timepieces – though they are largely falling off the fashion ladder in favour of their ticking predecessors. It simply is a matter of fashion over functionality – while your digital watch may have a million different features and modes, nothing quite beats the look of a good old analogue. Tastes will vary, of course – though it does go some way to explain why traditional timepieces are far more widespread these days, as well as fetching more revenue.