Why would an apple watch gain value? It does no more than any other smartwatch right now. By the time it does get released it will have been surpassed several times over.

The top end watches might gain value (I'm talking over many years) because they will be the 1st edition releases, and whether you agree or not Apple has greater collectable appeal.

None of the watches I own do anything special, but most have increased in value.

Very unlikely i would think, mass market production quantities today probably negate this, unlikely to have a £100,00 apple Lisa for example anymore.

However if you were to take a punt on a smartwatch increasing a first edition, boxed apple would be best bet I guess. although battery long be useless by the time it was worth anything I bet

That's ok. I'm not expecting that sort of return.

Nah. I buy stuff to use

Having had a pebble a smart watch isn't going to change you life. I just like gadgets

I have lots of watches - none of them particularly expensive. I just like to swap and change.

Personally I find the apple watches ugly. Like the very early Samsung's but blinged up. But I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some will love it. If you like the square watches then the imminent zenwatch looks to be a much nicer design.

I still suspect that smart watches will never have a model that sells in stupidly high numbers simply because a watch is more of an individual fashion statement than a phone is and most people wouldn't want to be wearing the same as everyone else.

Mimd you a nice gold smart fob-watch on a chain ..... Maybe I should dragons den it

Good idea. Make sure it will pair with a Google monocle

Are you serious about it gaining value? There is no way it will, you are deluding yourself. The only watches that gain in value, are the luxury watches. A piece of electronics simply wont. If no other piece of electronic equipment from apple doesnt gain value, why would a watch?

As I have said in the past, I am not a fan of smart watches. Prefer a 'proper' watch. Mainly because I want a watch to look like a watch. The screen on these smart watches are so small they are pretty much useless, IMO. They say it displays text, but who sends text in this current day and age? Most people I know use whatsapp, imessenger etc.

However having said that, I did look at the LG watch, and it does look pretty neat, nice and chunky and looks like a watch. However the 48 hour charge time is not something that appeals to me. The moto is the other watch that looks ok.

For sometime yet, I think I will stick with a traditional watch.

Yes, I am serious about the possibility of it gaining value. As I userstand it, Apple are going to release a variety of watches at different price points. I will consider buying a top end one and see what it is worth in 20 years.

I'm happy to take the risk.

When have you known anything from apple (or other manufacturers) to still be working in 20 years time?

Variety of watches, at different price points....you mean like their phones, macbooks, ipads, desktops?

Buying an apple watch (or any of these smartwatches), as an investments, is a stupid idea, IMHO. Buying a smartwatch to use as a smartwatch, fair enough. Not my thing, but it appeals to those that have bought one.

I have a zx80, zx81 and a macintosh (and several bbc micros) that are all over 20 years old and all still work.

Thats when things were built to last, which hasnt been the case for the last 15 odd years or so. What do you have that was made this century and still works? Have any of those items appreciated in value? Nah I didnt think so.

Anyway...getting back to the original point, the apple watch wont go up in value. You would be better of investing that money in something that will go up, like Google shares.

They do it all the time. It happened with Samsungs stuff when everyone knew full well they were low in the pecking order.
They send stuff overseas which is one reason they get positive mentions. And they still look last to get stuff in.

The LG G watch was £100 on Amazon the other day though this looks interesting.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29817379
""high definition" LCD colour display and a "standby mode" battery-saving e-ink one."

You have to be kidding I had a zx80, which are now worth a bit of money. The build quality on that was appalling and it had chronic overheating problems which is why they named it the breakfast computer. One the whole electronic stuff from 20-30 years ago was way more unreliable than today's electronics. Being a tv repair man was a viable occupation.

I have a palm pilot from around 2000 which still works fine, except compared to today's stuff it's pretty rubbish in terms of functionality.

Also have a very very old iPod which I just keep in the car to run my car stereo, gets used every day and works fine.

As for a first gen iWatch you would be insane to think it will gain value in 2-3 years, but if it is seen as a breakthrough device in 20-30 years time it may be a collectible item when a mint unused copy will be a rare device.

Now, if the Apple watch had any unique features, or were going to be restricted production I would understand. But it isn't. It is a regular consumable device. The last vaguely collectible Apple device may have been the iPhone, but that wouldn't even begin to be on the level of the Apple 1, the original Mac or a Lisa. Even a Newton could be more collectible.

I'd tend to think that the only collectible Apple devices were ones that originated under the control of Steve Jobs - he was a genuine visionary, there isn't anyone with his imagination in Apple these days.

Of course, I could be wrong, and you're going to have a fun little bit of jewellery that will appreciate. But I doubt it.

Thanks for you advice, but on the basis that I'm quite happy to take the risk, I think I stick to what I am considering.

I have two zx80. One in mint condition and one where the corner has snapped from the shift key being used (you will know exactly what i mean).

Someone claiming that consumer electronics from 20+ years ago was better clearly is just making it up.

Is there any store where I can try on a smartwatch before buying?

Despite being a man I have relatively thin wrists and so have to be careful about what watches I buy, otherwise they look too large and silly. I've heard the 360 is quite big, and the G Watch R looks even bigger?

The difference is that these days consumer electronics tend to have a very finite lifespan. It isn't in the interests of Apple, Samsung, Sony, etc. to have devices work effectively for more than a few years.

Devices from 20+ years back weren't quite as "disposable" as those marketed today.

But electronics wise they were a lot less reliable. The zx81 I built myself, I cannot imagine my soldering being as good as the automated systems of today.

I have no doubt that the iPods i own will work just as well in 15 years time. I accept the argument about speculating on whether something will increase in value, but I have no doubt the device will still watch.

I just had a quick check on ebay, original 1984 macs in good nick are surprisingly expensive now.

The key is the first gen of a device that has seen to have been the start of an important innovation.

I think you will find in 20 years time for example a mint condition iPhone mark 1 will probably be very collectible.

Maybe that will be true of the Apple watch, but Apple are quite capable of making duds like the Apple Newton.

Yes but if you took the amount of money you spent on a ZX80, and adjusted by inflation you would probably end up at what they are worth now. Although with buyers its probably more to do with nostalgia than anything else.

Strange I find things of yesteryears to have been more reliable. One of the reasons for that is probably, people change their electronic goods more often...hence dont need to be as reliable.

If a smartwatch was to be considered a breakthough device, it would be the pebble and the likes, that would be worth money (although I still wouldnt have thought it would be a good investment). There were quite a few smartwatches on the market before the iwatch came along. Unlike your other examples, like the ZX80, which were the first devices on the market for the mass market. The iwatch will never be a good investment.

Edit - I can see the point you and other posters are making, but you have to think in the past when some broke you got it fixed. Now when something breaks, we just buy a new one. Especially if the item is several years old. Granted build techniques have got better, but the quality of items has dropped off. My parents used to have a old washing machine, they had it for nearly 20 odd years....nowadays no washing machine would last 20 years. Cars were sold, you could have a minor low speed bump, and there would be no damage...now the car crumples up.

That's more to do with the rapid change, especially in software we've had in the last few years and better technology.

In actual fact the last few years we've seen this slow down so people are holding onto their desktop computers longer, even iPads are now declining as an iPad 2 is still comparable to the latest device.

My palm pilot still works exactly the same way as it did when I got it ( about $400 I think ) but it seems a joke now to a modern smart phone. Likewise I have a working 1 megapixel digital camera from around 14 years ago. Still works exactly as it did when I got it but its rubbish compared to any modern device.

I was into electronics in the 80s as a kid and it's delusional to think consumer grade products made then were built to last. A great example is an 'Amstrad Hi Fi'

Much of what you are saying I fully agree with. However, I would argue that modern cars crumple because they are designed to for safety reasons, rather than because they are built poorly. Granted, it's not the best news when someone prangs you at 5mph, but at higher speeds the crumpling can make the difference between life and death.

I would probably also suggest that, taking into account inflation etc., you could buy four new washing machines that last 5 years each for the price that that one washing machine your parents owned for 20 years cost. It's all relative.


Most watches receive notifications from any app, including Whatsapp, BBM, Hangouts, or whatever messaging service you use, so you can read any text from whatever service you use. Many of them, including Hangouts and Whatsapp again, also allow you to respond via voice, although I still find it easier to pull out my phone to respond.

The technology that makes stuff has also improved dramatically so they can make higher quality devices to better tolerances for cheaper. I'm sorry but a modern electronic device is just much less likely to go wrong than something made 20-30 years ago.

There is no helping some people


The price of consumer electronics, is the problem I believe. You can buy things cheap, so when it breaks, its easier to replace it. Also when some new tech comes out, then you can just replace your old tech. Thus things dont get a chance to fail. 20 odd years ago, you bought something, and it was cheaper to fix it. It was too expensive to buy a new one. So people kept items for a long period of time, fixing it several times. Today, we either replace it in 2 years (mobiles), or a bit longer with other electronics. How many people have a tv that is 10+ years old? Mine is around 5 years, and I am looking at getting a new one...dont tell the misses though!!

Say if someone sent you a picture or a video, you would still have to take out your phone. Although I can see the benefit of the watch for short messages...even then its limited - what do you do if you want to reply? You have to use your phone I take it. In which case, you might as well read the message on the phone.

I like gadgets, but smartwatches arent something that appeal to me, yet. Much prefer my watch to a smartwatch.