Where will you buy the Apple Watch?
Even after Monday’s Spring Forward event, the details of where you’ll be able to buy an Apple Watch are a bit sketchy. It is pretty clear that Apple wants to keep tight control over the initial launch of the smartwatch, with very few signs that the wearable device will be available outside of the company’s own outlets. However, a natural outgrowth of the sale of the Apple Watch could definitely be the smartwatch’s inclusion in the products sold by high fashion outlets like Nordstrom.
Other retailers, including Macy’s, Saks 5th Avenue, Barney’s and Bloomingdales, have said they have no immediate plans to carry the Apple Watch. On the other hand, Women’s Wear Daily reports that the Apple Watch will be available for preview at Galaries Lafayette in Paris, Isetan in Tokyo, and Selfridges in London on April 10. After launch? WWD believes that the stores will sell the Watch, assisting customers in discovering and trying on different models while also helping to make sure the smartwatches are fully operational when they leave the shop. Colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London and Tokyo, Maxfield in Los Angeles, and The Corner in Berlin are also expected to sell the Watch when it launches on April 24.
Another source told Reuters that Nordstrom is in talks with Apple. This might mean that the Watch will be available in Nordstrom’s stores in the near future.
Nordstrom is very particular about what products they carry. The retailer is known for high fashion products, and was recognized in 2013 as Women’s Wear Daily’s top fashion retail store. If the Apple Watch is available through Nordstrom’s, that would open the market for the smartwatch to the elite, since they are a major seller of other high fashion timepieces.
Bringing the Apple Watch into Nordstrom would place the smartwatch alongside other luxury timepieces, such as Movado, Burberry, and Versace. With Nordstrom’s high-end clientele, the retailer might be a prime location to sell the Apple Watch Edition, although such a move might make the Watch the most expensive timepiece in Nordstrom’s catalog.
