Apple Watch: The world is watching, but will the rich be impressed?

The first pre-ordered deliveries of the smartwatch should arrive on Friday

Apple CEO Tim Cook announces the Apple Watch during an Apple special even (Getty Images)

I’ve voiced my concerns over “wearable” technology before: my issue with the majority of pieces is that I’d never want to wear them. However, it seems that I am in the minority when it comes to the Apple Watch – the first pre-ordered deliveries should be with consumers on Friday.

If you just fancy one now, you’ll need to wait until June: sales are already such that analysts have estimated it will shift more than two million units by the end of May, making it the most popular smartwatch in the world (current leader Samsung shifted approximately 1.2 million in 2014, accounting for almost 20 per cent of the market).

I will admit that the Apple Watch is a pretty piece of kit. The main question for me is: exactly who are they marketing it to? I wonder what proportion of sales are geared towards Apple’s “Sport” models, retailing around the £300 mark, rather than their “Edition” range, the priciest of which costs £13,500.

The Apple Watch went on display in Apple stores earlier this month (Getty) (Getty Images)

The inbuilt heart-rate monitors, personal-activity goals and “fitness milestones” suggest a big chunk of their prospective sales will be to fitness fanatics, biting into the activity wristband market that is, currently, probably the most successful slice of wearable tech. Curious consumers will possibly also shell out for those, even if they end up languishing unloved in a drawer next to a dusty Tamagotchi. But for all its gold and polished leather, is an Apple watch seductive enough to prise a luxury customer away from a flashy timepiece?

It reminds me of fashion’s foray into mobile phones. LG has produced them with Jil Sander and Prada, while Vertu has collaborated with Zegna, none with a huge degree of success and all eclipsed by Apple. Why? Because although Apple’s phones are aesthetically attractive, they are primarily functional devices.

Some people may be entranced by the functions that Apple’s watch has built in – although, personally, I can’t think of anything worse than a watch tapping me on the wrist like a teacher, telling me to answer my emails; or talking into my wrist like Captain Kirk. (Apple Watches will be ubiquitous at sci-fi conventions.) But then – cover your eyes, Apple guys – I don’t think luxury watches are really about ever-increasing gadgetry.

It’s great if your watch can plunge below the water or withstand both sub-zero and Sahara-like temperatures. But it’s just something to boast about, Patrick Bateman-style, while flashing your business cards. That’s why vintage, mechanical Rolexes still do a swift resale trade. They don’t have the up-to-date techy stuff, but they still have the aesthetic (and financial) impact.

I don’t think that the design – or the luxury – is enough to wrench a raft of Daddy Warbuckses away from their Rolexes. Apple will sell plenty of the Sporty Spice. Just not much Posh.