The Swiss Alp Watch is an unabashed Apple Watch rip-off
At $24,900, it's a pretty expensive joke.
We'll get straight to the point: the new Swiss Alp Watch designed by luxury watchmaker H. Moser & Cie looks exactly like the Apple Watch. The company isn't shying away from its design inspirations though -- actually, that's the whole reason why it exists at all. On its website, the company says the timepiece is a "statement" against the smartwatch trend and proves "traditional mechanical watchmaking has a future, and is, in fact, the future." From the rectangular chassis to the thin lugs and narrow band, it's a clear imitation of the Apple Watch, at least at first glance. According to Hodinkee, the overall size even matches the 38mm model.
Of course, anything more than a fleeting look will reveal that this is, in fact, an analog watch with a regular face and moving parts. H. Moser & Cie is playing up the similarities though and, more humorously, the differences in a video similar to one of Apple's product reveals. There's the white background and Jony Ive-style narration, juxtaposed with comments about "over 200 years of R&D," a "revolutionary power source" and the fact there's only "one application: time." It's all pretty silly, although of course there's no guarantee that Apple's executives will see the funny side.
If you want to buy a Swiss Alp Watch -- it doesn't have apps like a smartwatch, but it should last longer -- the company is selling them for $24,900, which is even higher than the gold Apple Watch Edition. Only 50 are being made though, so you'll need to act fast -- that is, if Apple doesn't shut down the whole operation first. Tim Cook, if you're reading this, you know what they say: 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.'
