Apple's watch hasn't impressed the fashion world

PARIS / NEW YORK — Apple Inc. has made every effort to convince the fashion world that the Apple Watch is the next chic accessory.

Supermodel Christy Turlington Burns became the timepiece's highest-profile advocate from the fashion world when she joined CEO Tim Cook onstage in San Francisco on Monday. And the company has made a big publicity push in Paris, giving style heavyweights Karl Lagerfeld, Anna Wintour and model Karlie Kloss an advance preview ahead of a display last fall at the Paris boutique Colette.

But has it convinced the fashionistas that the Apple Watch belongs on their wrists? Not so far.

For all of the glitz surrounding the watch's introduction, the multi-tasking timepiece was met in the fashion world Monday with a yawn.

Members of the style establishment, in Paris for shows from the glittering likes of Chanel, Givenchy and Hermes mostly said they saw the watch as a gadget, not this season's must-have accessory.

Up-and-coming model Julia Van Os dismissed the new device in an interview with Reuters after working the Stella McCartney show inside the ornate Opera house.

'I haven't heard anyone talking about it,' said the Dutch model. 'It's a different world, it's more technology rather than fashion. People don't wear that kind of watch in fashion.'

A salesman at the famed department store Printemps agreed, saying his store won't carry the watch, which will range in price from $350 to more than $10,000 for the high-end Apple Watch Edition in 18-karat gold.

'You have to understand. We are luxury brands, and [the Apple Watch is] more technology,' said the salesman at Printemps, which carries such brands as Rolex, Montblanc and Longines.

Apple's new timepiece, which will go on sale in April, links to a wearer's iPhone, and can display messages, alerts and appointments, among other things. An array of apps can track fitness, arrange a car with Uber, and even open a garage door remotely. The rectangular watch face display can be changed by the user to feature a range of styles, from Mickey Mouse pointing his hands at the time to a simple digital clock.

French newspapers put coverage of Monday's Apple watch unveiling on their business pages, reserving their popular glossy fashion pages for the winter runway shows and ads for luxurious items such as watches by Bulgari and Boucheron.

Luxury consultant Robert Burke, who is based in New York but is currently in Paris for the shows, said the Apple watch simply 'hasn't resonated strongly' in the fashion world.

'Apple has notably been targeting the fashion world leading up to its launch, but the watch still has an inherently tech focused sensibility,' Burke said.

'The tech world and the watch world are very different,' he added. 'While there's certainly a novelty and attraction to the [Apple Watch], so far it has appealed more so to the early tech adopters.'

Nevertheless, he added, the company's push could pay off.

'Their message to the fashion world has definitely become more focused over the past few weeks,' he said. 'It's evident that they've been fine tuning their strategy.'

Among other things, the company ran a 12-page advertisement in the March issue of Vogue, which Burke said people noticed. 'The buzz is starting to build again,' He said.

Though Turlington noted that she was wearing her 'chic' version of the watch at Apple's Monday event, she praised it primarily as a fitness tracker, noting that it had helped her in training for a half-marathon in Tanzania and would, she hoped, help her crack the four-hour mark in her next full marathon.

But her endorsement may not hold much sway with people who primarily want an attractive watch. Fashion trend-spotter Roseanne Morrison of the Tobe Report said the watch's need for a nightly charge and an accompanying iPhone were considerable drawbacks.

'It is not attractive from a woman's point of view. Right now, it is not sexy,' she said, and lacks 'a femme spin.'

Nicole Phelps, executive editor at Style.com, who attended the Apple unveiling at Colette, said Apple has one big advantage with the fashion crowd that could help as it launches its new watch.

'The fashion industry is 100 percent in love with iPhone,' she said. 'The Apple Watch looks like an Apple product, it looks good and sleek, and you have the market behind it.'

But in the end, she said, it will come down to one crucial question: 'Do people want those tools around their wrist?'

Apple launches watch for April 24, models cost up to $17,000Reuters

Apple Inc launched its long-awaited watch on Monday, including yellow or rose gold models with sapphire faces costing up to $17,000, but investors questioned whether Chief Executive Tim Cook's first product would be a breakaway hit.

Apple's first new device since Cook became CEO will be available for order on April 10 and in stores on April 24, including chic boutiques in Paris, London and Tokyo.

In a nod to both fashion and technology, Cook shared the stage with model Christy Turlington Burns, who used it to train for a marathon, and Apple engineers who showed off apps, including how to call an Uber car with the watch.

Apple shares barely budged, however. Investors and analysts agreed that Apple would sell millions to fans but questioned whether it had a 'killer app' that would engage a broader audience. Apple in September gave a sneak peek of the watch which included many features shown on Monday.

'I think there's a niche market for these kind of Apple tech people who love Apple and will buy anything they come out with. But I just don't know if it's going to be the power product that everyone's looking for,' said Daniel Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust Company in Atlanta, Georgia, who described Wall Street as 'scratching its head'.

Members of the style establishment, in Paris for shows from the glittering likes of Chanel, Givenchy and Hermes mostly said they saw the watch as a gadget, not this season's must-have accessory.

The Apple Watch sport will start at $349 for the smaller, 38-mm model. The standard version of the watch will start at $549 and the high-end 'Edition' watch will be priced from $10,000, said Cook, who loved the Dick Tracy ability to hold phone calls by watch.

'I have been wanting to do this since I was five years old,' said Cook.

The different models reflect different materials. A $17,000 Edition in the smaller, 38-mm size, has a case made from a customized version of 18-karat rose gold, which is especially hard, along with a sapphire display. It comes with a magnetic charging case.

A $349 Sport model the same size has an aluminum case, a 'sport band' and a magnetic charging cable, and no case.

All the watches share digital faces that can look like traditional time pieces, show the heart beat of a friend, and display photos and interfaces for apps.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage in Paris, Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles and Ellen Wulfhorst in New York, Writing by Ellen Wulfhorst, Editing by Sue Horton)