My thoughts precisely. So this year I'm not going to order any Hermes bands. I will just enjoy the three I already own.
I feel that Apple/ Hermes might end their collaboration any time and what will I do with all these Hermes bands.
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Hermès Edition Owners Thread
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I feel that Apple/ Hermes might end their collaboration any time and what will I do with all these Hermes bands.
…keep using them?
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To the contrary I think the fact we got an entirely new face means the collaboration isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
All this boils down to "who owns these watch faces". You're guessing Hermès, which might be true, but we don't really know the contracts. It's not like Apple is the "junior partner" in this collaboration, though … And yes, the Nike deal is ongoing in some form obviously as we still got new bands. Same could – theoretically! – happen with Hermès.
Me neither.
I don't think the Apple/Hermes partnership will end. It's mutually beneficial. Both are making money off of the deal.
That's not the question. The question here is: is it enough money for Apple to continue the partnership? Also: is Hermès doing something that Apple can't do?
(I'd say yes to both: especially the band quality is exceptional and looking back at Apple's attempts with leather I don't see them competing anytime soon...and why would they?! Having Hermès on board is not only wise in terms of quality but also in terms of branding/marketing)
It’s been an almost 8 year partnership (new Airtag leather colors too) and there are no signs it’s ending. To be honest, I’m not sure why this is even a question?
Now do some combos for the silver ss watches and a black iPhone 14 pro please😇
It is/was a question because a) the equally long-standing Apple/Nike partnership half-ended this year and b) some analysts thought that with the Ultra becoming the new top dog, there wouldn‘t be any space in the line-up left for Edition and Hermès models; they were only half-right, though.
Edit: there was c) some turmoil because the „Hermès“ colour was re-named to „Orange“ in some parts of WatchOS 9.
Why wouldn't you keep using them with your non-Hermes aW? You could also do what people with multiple watches do, wear your Hemes on nicer occasions when you don't need whatever features your current aW has.
I'm going out on a limb and say that the contract specifies that Hermes faces can only ever be used on Hermes editions, even if the collaboration ends.
Maybe so. But why didn‘t Nike have the same clause in its contract? Does Nike have less weight to throw around in negotiations than Hermès? Or does Nike care less about its brand?
I don't know why. Might be as simple as Nike caring less about exclusivity than a luxury brand like Hermes. Maybe Nike feels they will sell more watchbands if people can get matching faces. Maybe Nike is still getting revenue from Apple for use of their faces?
Exactly. You don‘t know and no-one else outside Apple and Hermès knows, either. Let‘s just say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ until the day the Apple/Hermès collaboration actually ends.
So basically speculation because of Nike and more speculation because a color name was changed. Hmm sounds like shoddy reporting to me because Hermes is still here for the Series 8.
Like I said this part of the discussion needs to end!
I think it's fair to speculate a bit until all the shiny new watches arrive and we have better things to do (pics plz!). It's Apple after all.. ;-)
PS: The Hermès website also removed any mention of the partnership in the days leading up to the event.
PS: The Hermès website also removed any mention of the partnership in the days leading up to the event.
Yeah i don’t think a single person should make executive decisions on threads. As a general rule
Sweeeeet the new (usable) Low Power Mode is available on S7! Website left it unclear.
My Series 8 Hermes and extra Hermes band are both preparing to ship!!
Preparing to ship as of 30 minutes ago!
My Bleu de France band is also preparing 🤟
☔️Anemone (first generation) on GSS7
I’m guessing it depends on the face. Some faces mimic existing designs that Hermes uses in mechanical watches. Those likely are fully owned by Hermes and licensed to Apple solely for the Apple Watch Hermes. Some faces mimic other Apple Watch faces but have Hermes customizations (colors, use of Hermes fonts, etc.). Apple likely retains the full rights to the underlying design but not the customizations. Designs such as the Lucky Horse would most likely be under some form of ”joint” ownership in which the consent of both parties is required (i.e. Hermes could not incorporate the image into another non-Apple product without Apple’s consent and vice versa). Hermes goes to great lengths to associate itself with equestrian activities.
Another difference between Nike and Hermes is that there is a price differential between the Apple Watch Hermes and the standard watch plus the band ($211). The Nike versions had the same price as buying the regular aluminum watch plus a Nike band. Only a fraction of that is justified by the extra year of warranty (since Apple Care for the stainless steel is $79 and includes accidental damage protection). The rest of it is the exclusivity, which includes the orange box and the exclusive faces.