I have a Watch, I have an Apple, Urgh... Apple Watch.

My son and I went out to shop for Mummy's birthday gift today. The end result was as per the below picture; and with the aforementioned title, it would be no surprise what was underneath the wrappings and all. But the real story was how we arrived at the Apple Watch.

Our household were big Apple fans. We have the iMac, MacBook Pro, Apple TV, iPhones, etc. The only missing Apple product in the household was an Apple Watch. I have always been more of a mechanical watch fan, in a traditional sense. I could tolerate quartz watches, and I even loved some of those in my collection to bits e.g. Rangeman (with its A-B-C features) and Stop2Go (with its only-one-in-the-world 58+2 second caliber). 

I have not been a fan of the smartwatch genre, seeing these as more of a fashion fad. But since the Apple Watch's release in April 2015, it has been going from strength to strength in attracting wearers and I have also seen a few important figures ditching their Swiss watches in favour of the Apple Watch. To say that I was not curious, would not be an honest statement. I have been saving some monies on the side to get her a nice gift and with Series 2 lined for launch later the year, I was itching to gauge how a smartwatch like Apple Watch, would transform the watch-wearing experience.

And since my wife was a gym junkie, and there were many exercise and health apps for the Apple Watch, I put 2 and 2 together and decided to go get an Apple Watch for her. I could then observe from the side to see if she would put her Swiss watches into the background. 

Going into an Apple store, I was informed that there were 3 main types of Apple Watch as per below :

I liked the Watch Edition with the rose gold and modern (magnetic) buckle, but I was then informed that it was going to be a special order. How special? Well, special in a way with a RM80k price tag like this :

It was all I could do to refrain from fainting. Another RM18k and I could have gotten a real classic in the form of Patek Phillipe Nautilus 5711, and that was a mechanical watch that would stand the test of time. I still think that the smartwatch would be the replaceable and disposable technological piece that we have seen with smartphones, HDTVs, and the likes.

No Sirree, I would not be spending those type of amount on a disposable smartwatch. So my choice was limited to either the Watch Sport or Watch. The Watch Sport was good enough for the gym junkie as the apps were the same, but the quality was a lower notch with aluminium case, and mineral glass. Watch would upgrade to stainless steel case, ceramic caseback, and sapphire glass. So I delved into the Watch options and found that the one closes to the Watch Edition were as per the following :

The one that I chose for my wife was the 38mm Stainless Steel case with Soft Pink Modern Buckle, with a price tag of RM3,499. Searching online, I found that it was cheaper to buy it locally as overseas prices were in USD, and after conversion was even higher than the local pricing.

Talking about straps, that would be one costly strap to replace in the future as it retails for RM1,199. Since I intended for her to use as a gym tool, I added in a rubber strap retailing at RM199. The salesperson recommended 3 colours that most people purchased : Black, White, or Product Red. My son chose Walnut, and I went with his choice. I just hope that his mum would be just as pleased with the colour selection, as the salesperson mentioned that it was a new colour and that no other customers had chosen that colour before. (If you scroll back to the earlier picture, you would see the 42mm Stainless Steel case with Walnut leather strap.)

The other options in the Watch selection were as per the following, ranging in price tags from RM2,499 to RM4,799 :

I planned to surprise her with the early Birthday gift after church tomorrow, so here's hoping that she would like the gift. In any case, the plan was in motion so we would just go with the flow now. Wish me luck, will you?