Precision Machinery

WE READ SO much about how smart watches are such a big threat to mechanical timepieces, yet we hardly hear of their impact on quartz watches. That doesn't mean the makers of analog timepieces are ignorant of the new digital gadgets, or not bothered by them.

Rolling out its new Conquest V.H.P quartz watches this year, Longines speaks of the "inconveniences" of connected timepieces and their "disadvantages in terms of waves and recharging batteries". It's not just an acknowledgement of smartwatches' presence, but also their presence as competitors.

And the subliminal marketing message of this Swiss brand is this: both quartz and digital watches are powered by batteries, but you don't have to charge a quartz watch many times a day like you do with a smartwatch. The battery of a quartz watch needs changing only once a year, or even longer.