Despite my line of work I was slow to join the smart phone revolution, and even slower – and still steadily gaining lost ground – to fully utilise one once I had it in my grasp, but I realise I am not the norm.
Smart phones and devices, and the apps that shape them, have become a standard part of modern life. While I might have only just discovered the delight of getting emails diverted to my phone in 2013, for many other, much more up to speed, technology users this is the least of what their devices can offer them. And now, that technological fever is extending its influence to watches.
Be they gadgets or mechanical wonders, watches, and their fans, have enjoyed the technicalities that timekeepers have to offer, so a step into smart watches seems to tie in nicely. In our feature in the March issue of WatchPro we explore this new world, and I have to admit surprise to find that watch retailers were much more open to the idea of this new product than I had expected them to be, with Jura chief executive Matt Warren going so far as to describe wearable technology as “the future”.
While I remain unconvinced that smart watches will infiltrate traditional high street jewellers, the ability of retailers to latch onto a new product area, particularly a technology product, is an admirable attempt to keep in step with consumers and be open to change.
Talking of change, Accurist is a company in a state of flux. With a new chief executive at the helm, the brand is investing in a period of change, as we find out in our interview with Jonathan Crocker, also in the March issue of the magazine. However at Accurist it is not brand new ideas that are driving the revolution but a backwards glance that is helping it to take stock of its heritage and using this as a building block for the future.
So you see, challenging yourself as a business is not just about taking risks; being brave can be as simple as looking back, or as frightening as being the first.
This column originally appeared in the March 2013 issue of WatchPro magazine. To view a digital version of the magazine click here.
