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Time’s right for fashion watches
By Karen Engels
Emerald Contributor
Americans are not only ob
sessed with time, but now
with timepieces too
A different watch for every
mood, day or outfit is becom
ing the norm as buyers are
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less interested in the time and
more interested in the look
Fashion watch sales are up
and were popular tor Christ
mas gilts, according to Crys
tal O'Dell, who works in fash
ion watches at Meier and
Frank Because fashion
watches aren't as expensive
as a jeweler's watch, people
are buying several People are
wearing watches more often,
whether or not they want to
know the time, said O'Dell,
who also owns several watch
es.
Watches are like pieces of
jewelry, not just timepieces,
said Frank Hamer, a salesper
son in the fine jewelry depart
ment of Meier and Frank
Watch sales account for 25
percent of the business in
that department, he said Now
a valuable accessory, watches
have taken on more impor
tance as people seek unusual
styles and new looks.
• Shapes: The geometric look
is in with octagons, triangles
and squares. Hearts, half cir
cles and undefinable shapes
appear frequently. A trend
now popular in France and
just beginning here is the
double- or multiple-faced
watch Hamer said he has al
ready had some requests for
those.
• Size: The bigger the better
Woman need not be confined
to dainty watches, with tiny
bands Large faces are in de
mand and the average diam
eter of watch faces has ex
panded for both men and
women.
• Colors: You name it, you
can find it While black, silver
and gold continue to sell well,
display cases are full of
green, red, orange, purple and
multi-colored watches and
bands. "Consumers are
changing their perceptions,"
said Pam Singh, salesperson
at Kaufman's. "They are
changing their watches now
with their clothes and
moods." A different color
watch with every outfit. Gucci
markets a watch with change
able bezel (the pari that encir
cles the face) colors, which
is selling well according to
Hamer and is being copied by
other companies Swatch is
known for bright colored plas
tic and creative bands and
faces, popular not only with
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teenagers, but with adults
too. according to salespeople
Kamillion sells a "mood ring
type watch that changes col
ors
• Modes of wearing: Not only
are watch faces growing, but
timepieces are abandoning
wrists as creative new ways to
tell the time pop up. Watch
pins worn on lapels have an
upside down face so they can
be easily read Pocket watch
es for men and women show
up on necklaces or in pock
ets Wide metal or chain
bracelets with watches are
making appearances as are
jeweled cuff-like watches, and
ankle watches in France may
cross the Atlantic before long
Pop Swatches can be at
tached to clothing, wherever
you like with a detachable
back.
• Busier faces: Moon phases
"practically sold out this
year,” Hamer said, and have
been big sellers. Different
ways of displaying the tradi
tional date and time and more
decoration proliferate this
year. The see-through, watch
the gears-turn look appears
often Jay Jacobs sells a
watch with a raised sundial
that comes with instructions
on how to read it Another
watch there with a flair
of rhinestones circling one
watch face is selling well. Ro
man numerals abound. How
ever, despite all the decora
tion, a glossy black Gucci
watch with only hands and a
plain face with sans numbers
is one of the most popular,
Hamer said.
• Diver's watches: Watches
that are sporty enough to
wear windsurfing or in the of
fice are holding strong this
year. Whether waterproof to
300 meters or a water resis
tant look-alike, they're selling.
Other watches that reflect a
hobby or sport show them
selves in miniature golfers on
watch faces or even Mickey
Mouse, whose 60th anniversa
ry this year increased sales at
Meier and Frank. Rolex and
its imitators are also going
strong.
"People want to make a
statement," says Singh. "Peo
ple wear watches for looks
and for fun - time isn't the
key anymore." Fossil, an inno
vative watch designer, has
several unique watches out
this year. One has a bulky,
wide band made entirely of
safety pins and chains and an
other has a face with blue liq
uid and floating parts. (Both at
Kaufmans, Valley River)
Watches are now fashion, not
function, Singh said.
The prices might be encour
aging increased sales this
year Fashion watches range
in price from $35 to $125 usu
ally, according to O'Dell, and
people are tending to have
several watches instead of
just one.
But despite the expanding
fashion watch business, fine
jeweler's watches continue to
be in demand, said Khristie
Martlnka, salesperson at Har
ry Ritchies. People are always
replacing watches. Martinka
said. A jeweler's watch ranges
from $150 to $300, she said,
and a 14 karat watch with dia
monds can cost from $1,000
to $1,500