He is well trained in watchmaking and jewelry design, not simply industrial design. He has designed cars, the complete interior of an Airbus A380, bicycles, and of course, furniture. He is also doing a limited edition of the Riva Aquarama. I'm not mentioning these to shill him--he certainly doesn't need it--but more so as a statement about his approach as a designer. He's as much entwined with the mechanical aspects of a piece as he is the design aesthetic. They do appeal, as you say, primarily to the art or design connoisseur. At Design Basel this year, I must have seen 20+ Ikepod watches being worn, many by those with display booths.
I happen to like the Ikepod watches a lot, and Alexandre David has done an extraordinary job, along with Adam Lindemann, to raise their stature in the marketplace. (I have no stake in Ikepod, by the way)