Finally Apple will market a functional product that will be a step on the road to a wearable multifunction device, and with their incredible following and their marketing skills they stand to succeed in capturing the public's imagination where others have failed.
However I don't agree that it will in any way affect the vintage watch wearers' interest in mechanical devices. After all, just as a clock is now ultimately just viewed as furniture, though a functional one, so a watch, and specifically a wristwatch, has always just been a piece of jewellery though in many cases not just functional but multi functional.
The quartz revolution spoiled us really, as we tend to forget that complaints about potentially having to charge up yet another device on a very regular basis is going to be no different to having to remember to wind up a manual mechanical watch.
I love gadgets as much as anyone, and consult my iphone for timekeeping as often as a wristwatch, but they will never replace the joy of wearing a well crafted mechanical wristwatch.
There is always something that endears one to mechanical devices even when unreliable or temperamental, a bond seems to develop between the owner an the device, such as a car or watch, rather more than some perfect electronic device which requires no tinkering or attention.
Smartphones have nearly worked out the solution, upgrades, customization, carrying case, apps and so on, and as with the Nano watch the new generation of smart watches will want perhaps straps for different moods or occasions.
I can see them as a step in the direction of getting rid of the clumsy handset they are supposed to accompany, but for me they will never replace the pleasure of winding up a Smiths watch.
Just as an afterthought really, Having made the pilgrimage into the gym today, at least that's how it felt after a prolonged absence, I noticed that the smartphones had proliferated, not just being used as ipods, but also for calls. I always left mine behind, and subsequently this time missed several business calls. Rather than take the phone in I will make the effort to go earlier and avoid the call period. I always thought it would be thought of as rude to take a phone into a gym, and anyway they are a distraction with so many people constantly monitoring them in unsuitable situations. I am one of what is called the baby boomer generation, and was taught that consulting a timepiece in when company was extremely rude! I expect that the adoption of the iwatch will mean a similar distraction.
I did wear a old watch in the gym, an automatic winding one, which had a better workout than I did, and I did feel good wearing it.