[Survey of 1,000 Men and Women Aged 10-50 Nationwide] What is the Ownership Rate of Wristwatches? The Number of People Who Do Not Own a Wristwatch Has Increased by 10% in 10 Years

Marketing research company Asmarq Inc. conducted a 'Survey on Wristwatches' targeting 1,000 men and women aged 10 to 50 nationwide. The results revealed that just under 40% of respondents answered that they 'do not own' a wristwatch, indicating an acceleration in the trend away from watches over the past 10 years since 2014.

※The survey was conducted from Wednesday, October 15, 2025, to Monday, October 20, 2025.

Topics

• Just under 40% answered they 'do not own' a wristwatch; over half of women in their 30s do not own one.

• Analog watches remain mainstream, but smartwatch ownership among those in their 20s is approximately 40%.

• The most important point when choosing a watch is 'design,' while the value of 'features and performance' is increasing due to the spread of smartwatches.

• The reason for not wearing or owning a wristwatch is that 'mobile phones/smartphones are available,' accounting for over half of responses.

• Uses of smartwatches: women use them for 'checking notifications,' while men use them for 'recording exercise and sleep.'

Those Who Do Not Own a Wristwatch Account for Nearly 40% Overall, an Increase of 10 Points Since 2014

■ Wristwatch Ownership Count <Overall Comparison>

Q1. How many wristwatches (including smartwatches) do you own for your personal use? (Select one)

• 1 watch: 35.9%

• 2 watches: 15.4%

• 3 watches: 6.3%

• 4 watches: 2.1%

• 5 watches: 1.5%

• 6-9 watches: 1.3%

• 10 or more watches: 0.6%

• I do not own a wristwatch: 36.9%

■ Those Who Do Not Own a Wristwatch Reach Half Among Women in Their 30s

The Most Common Type of Wristwatch Owned is "Regular Watch (Analog Dial Type)" at 73.1%, Maintaining its Dominance

■ Types of Wristwatches Owned <Overall>

Q2. Please tell us the types of wristwatches you own. (Multiple selections possible)

• Smartwatch: 28.1%

• Smartwatch: 28.1%

• Regular watch (analog dial type): 73.1%

• Regular watch (digital display type): 22.5%

• Other: 1.0%

■ Smartwatch Ownership Rate is Exceptionally High Among Men in Their 20s at 46.7%

The Most Important Factor When Choosing a Wristwatch is "Design" (66.2%)

■ Key Points Emphasized When Choosing a Wristwatch <Overall Comparison>

Q3. Please select all the points you consider important when choosing a wristwatch. Among them, please select the single most important point.

Points considered important (multiple selections possible)

• Price: 64.5%

• Design: 66.2%

• Material: 26.9%

• Features, performance: 55.6%

• Quality: 45.6%

• Luxury feel: 19.8%

• Trendiness/Fashionability: 10.9%

• Other: 2.2%

Most important point (select one)

• Price: 20.4%

• Design: 36.9%

• Material: 2.1%

• Features, performance: 22.2%

• Quality: 10.5%

• Luxury feel: 4.4%

• Trendiness/Fashionability: 1.9%

• Other: 1.6%

■ Wristwatch Wearing Frequency: "Almost Daily" is Most Common at 33.3%, Generally Unchanged Since 2014

Q4. How often do you wear a wristwatch? (Select one)

• Almost daily: 33.3%

• About 4-5 days a week: 13.3%

• About 2-3 days a week: 10.8%

• About 1 day a week: 7.1%

• A few times a month: 6.3%

• About once a month: 3.6%

• Less frequent than once a month: 13.2%

• I never wear a wristwatch at all: 12.4%

■ Tendency for "Almost Daily" Wristwatch Wearers is Significantly Lower Among Women in their 20s and 50s

The Reason for Not Wearing/Owning a Wristwatch is Most Frequently "Because Mobile Phones/Smartphones Are Available" (53.8%)

■ Reasons for Not Wearing/Owning a Wristwatch Often <Overall Comparison>

Q5. Please select the most applicable reason from the following for not wearing a wristwatch frequently, not wearing one at all, or not owning one. (Select one)

• I dislike/am not good with wearing wristwatches (including metal allergies): 13.8%

• Because mobile phones/smartphones are available: 53.8%

• Because I have other watches (excluding mobile phones/smartphones): 11.3%

• Because I don't go out often: 11.1%

• Because I don't care much about the time: 9.9%

■ Those Who Don't Wear Watches Because They "Dislike/Are Not Good With Wearing Wristwatches" Are Twice as Common in Middle-Aged Groups as in Younger Groups

Top Function Used with Smartwatches is "Notification Confirmation" (54.8%)

■ Frequently Used Functions on Smartwatches <Overall>

Q6. Please select the functions you frequently use with your smartwatch, other than checking the time. Among them, please select the single function you use the most.

• Daily activity/health management (steps, heart rate, calories burned, etc.): 49.7%

• Sleep recording/management: 37.3%

• Smartphone notification confirmation (LINE, email, phone calls, etc.): 54.8%

• Cashless payment (contactless payment): 19.8%

• Music playback/control: 20.3%

• Schedule management: 21.5%

• Specialized exercise/workout recording (running, weight training, swimming, etc.): 42.4%

• Map checking/navigation function: 15.8%

• Watch face customization: 20.3%

• Other: 5.6%

■ Gender Differences in Smartwatch Usage: Women Tend to Use for "Notification Confirmation," Men for "Exercise Recording"

Reason for Not Owning a Smartwatch: Top Reason is "Not Particularly Interested" (30.7%)

■ Reasons for Not Owning/Purchasing a Smartwatch <Overall>

Q7. Please select the most applicable reason for not owning or purchasing a smartwatch. (Select one)

• A smartphone is sufficient: 19.8%

• Charging is bothersome: 5.0%

• Design is not to my liking: 3.3%

• I prefer wristwatches other than smartwatches: 5.5%

• Price is high: 21.1%

• I don't know what functions it has well: 3.6%

• I am concerned about security and privacy: 1.1%

• I am not confident I can use it effectively: 7.7%

• Not particularly interested: 30.7%

• Other: 2.2%

■ For Ages 10-20s, "Price is High" is the Most Common Reason for Not Purchasing a Smartwatch

Background of the Survey

According to a survey by NTT Docomo's Mobile Society Research Institute, the smartphone penetration rate in Japan has reached 97.0% in 2024, up from approximately 50% in 2015. In today's era where owning one smartphone per person is commonplace, the watch market is becoming polarized. Data from Yano Economic Research Institute shows that luxury watches as assets and mid-tier brands with high added value are driving the market, with the domestic watch market size expanding for the third consecutive year, growing by 10.2% year-on-year to 1.216 trillion yen in 2024.

Reference: "NTT Docomo Mobile Society Research 2024 General Mobile Trend Survey"

Reference: "Yano Economic Research Institute Domestic Watch Market Survey"

On the other hand, the widespread adoption of smartphones has fundamentally changed the role of wristwatches as 'tools for checking the time.' How is the wristwatch evolving in our lives?

Purpose of This Survey

Therefore, this time, we focused on 'supermarkets,' facilities closely tied to daily life. The purpose of this survey is to clarify the extent to which collaborations between 'oshi-katsu' (fan activities) and commonly used 'supermarkets' influence store visits.

The 'Survey on Wristwatches' conducted in 2014 can be found here >