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WHY APPLE WATCHES HAVE BECOME SO POPULAR AND WHY THEY WON’T REPLACE MECHANICAL WATCHES

In 1972 the world almost said goodbye for good to mechanical watches during the quartz crisis. Battery powered watches were far cheaper to make, they were more accurate and you can have features like a calculator on them. However, thankfully not all hope was lost and Gerald Genta revived the desire to have a mechanical watch. That said, Apple watches have significantly risen in popularity over the last 5 years and you see people wearing them not just to the gym but with a suit too. With the latest advancements from Apple in their watchmaking, we thought it would be a great idea to go over their watches to see why they are so popular and why they will not replace mechanical watches.

Apple first announced the Apple Watch on September 9, 2014 and the first one to become available to buy was in early April 2015. From the start, the Apple Watch combined health-/fitness-tracking, notifications, connectivity with the iPhone, and personal style (interchangeable bands, different materials). Key early design features included the digital crown (a rotating wheel-like dial to help navigate the small screen without touching it), the taptic engine (haptic feedback), a Retina display, and sensors for heart rate and motion. It really was an extension of an iPhone focused on more health aspects of life.

Over the years, as you can imagine with Apple, there have of course been a few key innovations that have made their way on to the apple watch. Things like larger screens, thinner bezels, always-on displays, brighter outdoors visibility, tougher glass. The health & safety sensors now include pulse/heart rate, ECG, blood oxygen (SpO₂), temperature sensors, fall detection, crash detection, etc. These have gradually become more advanced and more central to Apple’s watches. Adding GPS so the watch does not need to rely on the iPhone for location and cellular (LTE) options, better integration with Apple’s ecosystem and for emergency calling etc. Something Apple always struggled with is water resistance but they have changed that over the years and included separate models designed specifically for those who would want to wear their Apple watch in water.

It should come as no surprise at all, like the iPhone, the first Apple watch was called the series 1 and they have continued in chronological order all the way up to the series 10 and the Ultra/Ultra 2 released in 2023. Much like with their iPhones released after 2016, the changes to the Apple watch have been incremental. Technology has been improving at an alarmingly fast rate and few companies like Apple have used this to really focus and develop a digital worst watch. However, as with all things, since they typically release a new version of their watch each year not too much will have changed. So, instead of repeating ourselves for each model we will focus on the models that had major updates to them.

The Series 4 had a major redesigned body and display with ECG and fall detection. It marked a real shift toward serious health monitoring. Then came the Series 5 which now had the always-on display. Before this, the display would sleep and require an arm raise or tap to wake the watch up and show you the time or notifications. This made glanceability much better and gave it more of a traditional watch feeling in the sense that when you look down at your wrist you can see the time. The Series 6 was the first model to feature blood oxygen monitoring, and further fitness/health sensors which proved very useful not just for athletes but those with health issues. However, the biggest and most drastic updates that the Apple watch ever saw was the release of the Ultra and Ultra 2. For users needing ruggedness, better durability, longer battery and water resistance this was the model to have, the case was much larger and had a much larger wrist presence.

PRODUCTS FEATURED IN THE ARTICLE

Rubber Strap for Apple Watch with 38mm, 40mm and 41mm cases (22mm wide)

Rubber Strap for Apple Watch with 38mm, 40mm and 41mm cases (20mm wide)

Rubber Strap for Apple Watch with 42mm, 44mm and 45mm cases (22mm wide

Rubber Strap for Apple Watch with 38mm, 40mm and 41mm cases (20mm wide)

The Apple watch Ultra was first announced on 7 September 2022, alongside Series 8, and became available to order shortly thereafter. Design-wise, the Ultra introduced a more rugged, performance-oriented form factor compared to the regular Apple Watch Series. Key elements of its case design included a 49 mm titanium case (Grade 5, aerospace-grade titanium) allowing for a good strength-to-weight ratio. Despite being some 4 mm larger than your regular Apple series watch, thanks to the use of titanium it was actually lighter than a regular Apple watch which helped the Ultra feel more wearable. Unlike the classic models, the Ultra had a flat sapphire crystal front, which is more scratch resistant and tougher in impact than curved glass. The raised edges around the display also helped protect the flat sapphire crystal and helped shield the digital crown and side button. The Ultra also features a prominent, customisable “Action Button” in orange, designed to be used even when wearing gloves.

Regarding water resistance, the Ultra was engineered to handle more extreme water conditions than standard Series watches. The Ultra has a water resistance of 100 meters under ISO standard and they have also included dust resistance which, for an electronic device, is incredibly important. However, even more than that the Ultra is certified to EN13319, an international standard for diving accessories (depth gauges, etc.) meaning you can actually use the watch as a tool watch! Whilst it is only specifically designed for recreational scuba diving down to 40 meters, a few years ago no normal electric watch could do this so it marks an impressive innovation from Apple. The Ultra is built to take on much more demanding environments, cold, heat, water, dust, physical shocks than regular watches.

The Ultra 2 came a year and a half later in 2023 with many of the case design features inherited from the first Ultra, but there are some refinements and additions. What is improved in Ultra 2 over Ultra beyond just water resistance matching is a brighter display which now offers up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, which is higher than the original Ultra’s ~2,000 nits peak. The new chip, S9 SiP, which brings performance improvements, features like a “double tap” gesture, on-device Siri, etc. Lastly, the Ultra 2 has an expanded altitude range which has been tested for operation from −500m to 9,000m altitude, which is useful for mountain-use. The Ultra 2 refines several hardware features (display brightness, chip, environmental specs) while keeping the rugged design and water/dust resistance of the original.

Over its first decade, the Apple watch has evolved from a smartwatch experiment into one of the most mature and feature-rich wearables. What started as a device tied closely to the iPhone and focused on notifications and simple health tracking has become a platform with serious sensors for health & safety, greater independence (cellular, GPS), more ruggedness, more attention to display usability, and a variety of models to suit different users. Apple set out to design the perfect watch that you can literally do everything with and use it for anything. Seeing their watches in 2025 it is hard to see why so many people wear them as they are simply brilliant devices and especially if you already have an iPhone, it really completes the whole experience.

Everyone has different needs from their Apple watch and some prepare a more sporty or comfier wearing experience. ZEALANDE may specialise in luxury rubber straps for brands like Tudor, Omega and Rolex, however they have also designed ones for Apple. ZEALANDE has still used all the same details for their other straps however they have redesigned the ends of the strap so that it can attach perfectly to your Apple watch giving you 6 different colours to choose from. The great thing with ZEALANDE is you can then choose the type of buckle colour and finishing as well which helps you match the strap to your Apple watch case colour and finishing.

Rubber Strap for Apple Watch with 38mm, 40mm and 41mm cases (22mm wide) ZEALANDE

Whilst Apple watches are great, even the ultimate watch in a way as they can show you far more than just the time, but they will never be able to replace the traditional mechanical watch. Brands like Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, these names aren’t just brands, they’re legacies. For centuries, fine watchmaking has represented craftsmanship, precision, and artistry. Every gear and spring in a mechanical watch reflects hundreds of years of horological evolution and a smartwatch like the Apple watch is a product of the present, fast, iterative, and designed for obsolescence within a few years. A mechanical watch, on the other hand, is a bridge to the past. It can be serviced, handed down through generations, and admired decades after its creation.

A Rolex Submariner made in 1970 still ticks beautifully today, however an Apple Watch from 2015 is, for most people, a paperweight and likely not working as it should. Technology has a built-in expiration date. Software updates stop, batteries degrade, and hardware becomes outdated. Even the most advanced Apple Watch will be replaced by a better version in a few years, just like your iPhone. A mechanical watch is fundamentally different, its value isn’t tied to processor speed or display brightness, it is timeless in both function and form. A well-made mechanical watch can be repaired and serviced indefinitely. Collectors and enthusiasts don’t buy a vintage Omega because it tracks their sleep, they buy it because it’s a tangible piece of history that still works.

Watches are personal objects and many people wear a mechanical timepiece not because they need to tell the time (their phone can do that) but because it carries meaning. A graduation gift, a wedding present, an heirloom passed down from a parent, these emotional connections can’t be replaced by a device that buzzes with notifications. The Apple Watch is functional whilst a mechanical watch is personal. And personal value doesn’t depreciate with each software update. Apple watches excel in functionality for things like fitness tracking, navigation, health alerts, and seamless integration with the digital ecosystem. Mechanical watches serve a different purpose altogether, and it is this difference that many of us wear both. You might put on their Apple watch for a workout or workday, and their mechanical watch for dinner, an event, or a moment that matters.

The Apple watch has transformed the wristwatch industry no question and you could argue it brought a younger audience back to wearing something on their wrist. But replacing mechanical watches entirely? Unlikely. The two categories serve different emotional and functional needs. One speaks to the future, the other carries the weight of history. And in a world that constantly races forward, many of us still find comfort in something that simply ticks. Regardless of which you prefer or if you enjoy both, ZEALANDE has rubber straps designed for all your wrist watches, even digital ones! Make sure you take the time to have a look through their catalogue to find the perfect luxury rubber watch strap to pair with your watch so you can enjoy it in the most comfortable way possible.

James Talbot