Here to stay, or a flash in the pan?

Analysts IDC conducted the research into smart watch sales, which showed a year-on-year decline of 51.6%. With just over a million units shipped from July to September this year, market leader, the Apple Watch, has shown a 2.9 million drop in sales from the same period in 2015.

These results have led IDC to suggest that public appetite for these types of device could be waning. Indeed, of the five leading smart watch brands (Apple, Garmin, Samsung, Lenovo and Pebble) only Garmin has shown growth - albeit low.

“The sharp decline in smart watch shipment volumes reflects the way platforms and vendors are realigning,” noted Ramon Llamas, Research Manager for IDC's Wearables team.

"It has also become evident that at present smart watches are not for everyone," said Jitesh Ubrani Senior Research Analyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers. “Having a clear purpose and use case is paramount, hence many vendors are focusing on fitness due to its simplicity. However, moving forward, differentiating the experience of a smart watch from the smartphone will be key and we’re starting to see early signs of this as cellular integration is rising and as the commercial audience begins to pilot these devices.”

While it’s true that few new devices were made available in the third quarter of 2016, leading manufacturers to concentrate on shifting older models, such a significant sales decline is unusual and indicates a slowing market.