Are all watches a form of art ?

Good question. I'd argue that a watch can't be made strictly to make a profit since some thought has to go into its design, which pushes it towards being art. I'm not sure how I feel. Watches that aren't high end (watches that are hand finished, highly complicated, etc.) are more like well designed products to me than art, similar to a lot of Apple products, a nice pocket knife, etc. I wouldn't call those "art" but they do have a certain quality to them...

Michelangelo only painted the Sistine chapel because he was paid to do it. Most of the great historic works of art were for churches and the royalty. Why? Because they had the money. 

Artists are not philanthropic (no matter how much  they virtue signal). The exhibit the work so people will buy it, otherwise why do it? 

The very best marketing is art itself. 

Michaelangelo got paid to paint the Sistine Chapel, does that make his work not art? If he wasn't paid, he wouldn't have done it, therefore it was strictly for profit. 

I make and sell art for a living, and would define art as communication, you're trying to share an idea or a feeling with your audience in a manner that only the medium you're using can, and no other. Even when you're paid, and the primary motivation is money you're still putting some of those ideas out there in your pieces, your watch designs are art, then the selling part, the company, is completely separate.

I don't know if a watch can be made strictly for profit without thinking of the design, and even then I feel like someone going "I'm going to make a watch just for money and nothing else" is itself conceptual art. Not even the apple watch is devoid of art, because I think humans are inherently artistic creatures.

All that said, there's easier and better ways of making money than starting a watch company, so if money was the goal there's better ways to do it.

Yes, whether made for passion, profit, or both, it is art. Now, to answer the OG question, are ALL watches art? I answer with a question; is the $29.99 replica Van Gogh one buys at Target art? Depending on one’s POV, that will guide their perspective on “all” watches being art. 

No, not all watches are art, in fact I don't think any are. To me art is done for art's sake and has no other function than to evoke emotions in the observer. Watches are not art because they have a function. If I wore my watch without winding it or setting the time I would call it jewelry rather than art. If I framed it and stuck it on the wall or left it on display in a case I'm still not sure I would call it art... just as I don't call my son's framed football shirts he has on his wall, or a vintage car on display in a museum 'art'.

Watches can be things of wonderful mechanical beauty and they can have art stamped onto them (pictures on the dial) but they are not art in themselves in my mind.

I see your point but not sure if an artist wouldnt argue if i was rich i would do art for arts sake . So an artist would have his or hers own reason to do art not necuessarily for money .  

Well that is true in that particular case but im sure  there are cases where an artist will do something for other reasons than money dont you think.

There are cases of that I'm sure, but it's not the norm. Most art is made to make money, because even starving artists need to eat on occasion. 

Remove the necessity for money, and your art will suffer. It's no coincidence that the greatest works come from people under intense pressure or personal challenge. Even rock bands, where after their big break, they never produce anything as good as their pieces "before they were famous". 

Once you remove the need to sell, you become self-indulgent and your relevance and cutting-edge suffers.

Interesting perspective & lots I agree with. AW often wore a watch that wasn't set. He didn't care. I believe he saw watches as jewelry.  A lot of sports watches (Dive, Pilot and anything NASA related come to mind) are Toolry to me Tools that have become jewelry. I believe they are mechanical art. I believe a Ferrari is rolling art . Ferrari races and pushes engineering to make a better product. McLaren,  Mercedes etc do the same & have benefitted from Ferraris' pursuits. Rolex marketing & shortages has made the competition much better. All this passion seems artsie 

I gather you dont believe in the self motivated artist . Isee your point but dont know if i fully buy it . For sure in this society where money and greed drive most people its hard to argue that . 

So i gather you espouse that money and greed drive the artist ..interesting ..

Nothing is just one thing. The artistry that goes into an object with another main purpose will not be appreciated the same way by any two potential users. Watches, cars, clothes, all express some level of artistry that can be appreciated by some and overlooked by others. 
I’m a former professional musician. But I still play for my own enjoyment. Why do I bother?

Further to this statement, we are seeing a mass corruption of the standards of art, beauty and aesthetics by political types with a communist bias.

Movies are being undermined by political messages. Our cultural icons are being "problematised" and replaced by "political heroes".

Classical music is not being taught in universities, because its "too white"

Shakespeare has been problematised as being "not accessible" to ethnic minorities.

This year, Miss America was basically won by a fat man.  

Music, art, culture, movies, TV, are being perverted by ideology and the politics of envy. We are in the last days of appreciation of real beauty, and its being undermined by fevered egos who see it all as "capitalist", "privilege", "exclusive" and "decadent". 

Found the communist

I like watches.

I have for over 50 years.

I never wondered why.

I like to keep it simple.

Are you from the future?

There are watches that deliberately have no artistry in their design. We call them Bauhaus watches.

I knew you might say that you greedy capitalist ..lol  

I agree with many of your points but i also say times are a changing ..all life evolves ...some will like it and some wont . Everything that goes around comes around have you ever heard that..well this is what is happening and people are getting offended . But this is a watch forum so i would hope we can stick with watch talk with all due respect .   

I so agree though maybe not so much if they are replicas and homages ..similar to avoiding cheap replica art ..lol

Sure.  Like Potter Stewart said - “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it..."

Art has no other purpose than itself. But watches are pretty bad at telling time, so what is left?

Art is a form of communication using a medium. Some communications (art) are not well received by the audience or are found to be vulgar or confusing. Sometimes we communicate for money and sometimes because we want to be heard or seen. To discount any art for such frivolous reasons is foolish and to believe that all art is inspired by some higher value is equally foolish. 
 

Watches communicate. Watches are art. No art delivers a message to everyone.  

the strictest definition of art I remember reading was: "Art has no purpose other than itself"
I remember reading this in response to a similar question about some cars such as the db5, E type etc.
So I would say no, but that's not to say that they aren't beautiful.