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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 why general public are careless about the watch people who look down upon cheaper watches and folks wearing them. Money does not equal taste. There is nothing wrong For a young and poor person who enjoys a cheap watch that gives him.her joy wearing.
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.
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 RU-vid videos about this stuff
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!!!!
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.
@@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.
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!
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?
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 RU-vid watch content creators
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.
I thought they looked cool at the time but then I checked the specs. I’m Swedish so I would personally like to apologize. I saw some at an AD today so they’re definitely alive and well even if the hype is gone.
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
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.
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 🤦🏻♂️
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.
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.
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).
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?
@@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.
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.
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 😅
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.
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.
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
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?
@@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.
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
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
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.
@@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!
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.
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
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
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.
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.
I'm old, I don't do social media, I'm not influenced by anybody but my wife, I wanted a black faced, rose gold, black leather strap watch. So I got one, end of story.
DW made a terrible mistake. MVMT of "Movement" got it right. The owners sold the company at its peak to Movado. That is what DW 's owner should have done. Cash out and run.
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.
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 !
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! 😃
Have to give the guy props, he saw a trend, rode the wave and got filthy rich. He knew he wasn't selling watches, he was selling the influencer lifestyle and that sh*t worked. I might not respect the watches but I do respect the ambition.
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.
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! 💕
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.
Echoing an entirely correct post about Ali Express*, below, I’d add mainstream brands like Seiko and Swatch are also killing DW. Then you have brands like CW, Baltic, Lorier and so on who focus on making a good watch. I’d also add that Apple watches and fitness trackers will always have their place. On the other wrist. * China is a thing and is turning out some impressive watches.
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.
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.
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)
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
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.
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).
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 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!
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.
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 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
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.
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..
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 :-)
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.
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…
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...
IT ISSSS TGV! You've got a great ear for voices! :O And you know... Daniel Wellington was the first watch I ever looked at and thought "ouuu that looks cool!" haha. Even tho... they aren't really good watches! It truly was the first time I liked a watch!
@@BrittPearceWatches the quality was poor but the designs were appealing. Even if now I know better, I still think the dapper date 34mm with roman numerals and blue hands is a very good looking watch.
Well spotted.. hadn't paid attention to to the fact that they weren't in your face anymore! To your point about the future for Apple Watch, when people find out just how much Apple uses your info...and what they know about you...that could be their demise. Also just a speculative outlook ;)
Ugh it’s soooo true about Apple using your info! Also, I’m surprised Gen Z isn’t outraged about the rare earth elements and the slavery employed to acquire them! (She says smugly typing from her iPhone)
My daughter has one, she broke the crystal and to replace it was a nightmare, the movement and dial will only come out of the front so I had to break up the crystal, remove everything from the front, clean everything and fit a new crystal, shocked to see how cheap everything was, the moon swatch would knock spots of it. Can’t remember the last time she had it on, always see the Rolex or the watch I made her on her wrist these days That’s the trouble with fashion it soon becomes yesterday’s news, even Swiss watches go out of fashion that’s why they keep moving with fashion and trends to keep ahead of the game. Only if you keep something 25 years it will become fashionable again The Apple Watch will be replaced by an implanted chip