Apple unveiled the Apple Watch last Sept. 9 in the same event where the company launched its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
The Apple Watch is the company's first entry into the wearable technology market, which Apple is looking to dominate with their version of the smartwatch. Apple is looking to have the same impact with the device in the luxury watch industry as the iPod for the portable music industry and the iPhone for the smartphone industry.
Swiss watchmakers, however, believe that the Apple Watch does not pose as a threat to them.
"It looks a little cold, and lacks, for my taste, a bit of personality," said Swiss watchmaker legend Jean-Claude Biver. "It looks perfect, but perfection sometimes has a lack of sexiness."
"This won't create another crisis for the Swiss watch industry," added Biver, who is currently the president of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton's watch division.
Biver's comments go against the claims previously made by Jonathan Ive, Apple's design chief, where he stated that the traditional watchmakers of Switzerland are in trouble once the Apple Watch is released.
Other Swiss watchmakers and experts echoed Biver's sentiments of downplaying the impact that the Apple Watch will have on their business.
"They are essentially transient products rather than items of enduring value," said an expert on Swiss watches.
"I think the Apple Watch will be successful. But it's not competition for the classic Swiss watch industry," said Franz Tuerler, the owner of a luxury watch store located on Bahnhofstrasse, which is the main shopping boulevard of Zurich.
Teurler adds that the Apple Watch is for a different kind of customer that values technology, compared to Swiss watch customers that value emotional attachments and prestige.
However, while luxury Swiss watchmakers are not concerned of any possible impact by the Apple Watch, analysts think that the launch of the device will still be significant for the watch industry.
"(Apple Watch) is the first convincing smartwatch, and we believe it will impact the entire watch industry, but mainly at the low- to mid-end price level," said Rene Weber, a watch industry analyst for Vontobel.
The Apple Watch will go on sale next year with two sizes and three distinct versions all priced at $349, which is the entry level price for Swiss watches.
Forecasts for the device expect sales of the Apple Watch to reach 30 million on its first year. Aside from telling the time, the iPhone-connected Apple Watch is capable of reading messages, playing music, monitoring the user's health, and many more.
