Hublot and Tag Heuer chief executive: Apple Watch “has no sex appeal, too feminine”

Apple has been working on its new Apple Watch for years, but when it unveiled it two days ago, the reaction was far from enthusiastic by everyone. Some people loved it, others… well, not so much.

And with reports of chief Apple designer Jony Ive bragging about the Apple Watch putting Swiss watch makers in serious trouble, the bar of expectations was set sky-high.

Now, after the announcement is over and we know all about the new Apple Watch, it’s time for the Swiss watch makers to strike back. Jean-Claude Biver, chief executive of French luxury watch maker group LVMH (yes, the company behind Hublot, Tag Heuer, and Zenith) has not passed on the opportunity and pointed out that Apple has made "some fundamental mistakes" when designing the Apple Watch.

"This watch has no sex appeal. It's too feminine and looks too much like the smartwatches already on the market," Biver said in an interview with Germany’s Die Welt. "To be totally honest, it looks like it was designed by a student in their first trimester," Biver added to the insult.

The LVMH head pointed out that it is the definition of luxury that seems to evade this new Apple Watch: "luxury always has something timeless, it's rare and conveys prestige," Biver said.

This watch has no sex appeal. It's too feminine

He’s not the first one to express little concern over the new gadget. Swatch chief executive Nick Hayek also said his company is not at all nervous after the announcement.

We’ve already seen similar reactions to earlier launches by Apple. Quite famously now, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer laughed when he heard about the iPhone at first, but the tide has turned quickly, as the iPhone quickly became the model others emulated. Will Swiss luxury watchmakers words turn back to bite them later on? What do you think?