https://marco.org/2016/02/05/watch
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/why-jack-forsters-cant-take-off-the-apple-watch
Fashion
The mechanical watch goes beyond just fashion by also combining a utilitarian work of art with old school craftsmanship. In other words, its beauty is beyond skin deep.
For my taste, as far as fashion is concerned, mechanical watches are classic and less trendy than Apple Watches. That is not to say that the Apple Watch isn't fashionable, however, I think of it as being more about current style rather than something that has timeless beauty that will age like fine wine.
Function
I wrote about several apps in my "first impressions" article, but the features are numerous. Are they perfect? No, but they are all better than not having them on the wrist. I can look down at the Apple Watch and see the current temperature outside, or I can change the watch face, or get notifications from selected apps, set reminders, add stuff to the grocery list, check my calendar, or even answer a phone call, even though my iPhone is docked in another room. The list of things it does goes on and on.
Does every app run as well on the Apple Watch as it does on the iPhone? No, but I have not had to delete any apps because their performance was unacceptable. In fact, I use numerous apps on a daily basis. Wunderlist, email, Apple Music, "Now Playing", Twitter, Fantastical, Carrot Weather and others get daily use. Oh, and Siri is phenomenal. I can tell it to play an artist, turn on iDevice lights, set a reminder, ask it when my team plays again, etc. Apple Music on the Apple Watch also adds Airplay control which means, for example, I can be in my bedroom without my phone and send audio from my phone to my bedside Airport Express without fetching my phone.
One major upside to the mechanical watch is that you can see the time without moving your wrist. If Apple could figure out how to always have the time on the watch face in a power saving mode, it would do most everything from a functional standpoint as most mechanical watches. The other thing missing is that a few mechanical watches are made for going underwater. The Apple Watch comes up short in this area. I have seen some YouTube videos showing how the Apple Watch can be used for swimming, however, I hesitate to even try it. I should mention that I don't take my Speedmaster to the pool, either, to be fair.
Price
One knock against the Apple Watch is that it will be outdated in a year or two, while a mechanical watch will be able to be worn for decades to come. Of course, from a comparative functional standpoint, the mechanical is already outdated, so that would be one argument against this statement. However, a more convincing argument is that most mechanical watches need to be serviced every 4 or 5 years and most of them cost more to service than the price of a new Apple Watch Sport. For example, an Omega costs $500 or more to service.
Convenience
To be quite honest, if you simply want convenience, then a cheap Timex or Casio will run continuously off their batteries for at least a year and will continue to run whether they are on or off the wrist. For a lot less money, you can just replace the battery when it runs down or throw it in the trash and pick up a new one when you run by your local Wal Mart.
Bands/Bracelets
Read the Hodinkee article above to see just how amazing some of the Apple bands are made. However, I want to comment on just how easy they are to switch out. Omega, my mechanical watch of choice, requires tools and very good eyesight to change the band. I have a kit and found it to be too much of a pain to ever get my stainless steel band off the watch. The Apple Watch, on the other hand, is easy to dismantle. You hold down a button and slide one side of the band off and do the same to the other side and you are done. The new band simply slides onto the watch and locks in.
While this gives you more fashion options because you can change out bands so easily, in my experience, it makes the watch much more functional. For example, I type a lot at work and don't like to wear a heavy band with a clasp because it bugs me. The Apple Watch has numerous bands with magnetic fasteners that I don't even notice. Also, if you want to go more casual, you can wear one of the rubbery bands or get a third party band in just about any color under the sun.
Death of the Mechanical Watch?
I remember one guy comparing the mechanical watch to the 8 track tape and indicating that obsolescence is just around the corner. I actually think it will be more like the vinyl album. Its engineering will continue to be appreciated by many and the romance and nostalgia will keep it around forever. In fact, if companies scale back the production of these watches, they will only grow in value and prestige. That isn't to say that the smart watch won't hurt the year over year sales numbers of popular mechanical watch brands. I think it will have an affect, just like CDs affected the vinyl market. However, there will still be some demand for the luxury of mechanical watches.