TGIF: Buy That Fashion Watch If You Want!

Watch experts and collectors all say, "Don't buy a fashion watch!" However, I disagree. When watch enthusiasts of a certain income level tell you not to buy a "fashion watch," they are trying to steer people away from spending hundreds, maybe thousands, of extra dollars on a watch based solely upon the name of the designer when the inside workings of the watch are quite common. This especially holds true for high end quartz watches. The designer name just doesn't justify the extra money. That might not be bad advice for high end watch buyers. But, then again, this Gucci Automatic that I saw at a runway TJ Maxx looks great!

This Gucci Automatic is Swiss Made and Looks Great

At the lower priced end of the watch buying world, fashion brands like Hilfiger, Nautica, Perry Ellis, Kenneth Cole, Fossil, and LaCoste deliver design consistency and good quality to middle class buyers for a fair price. I've been very happy with most of my fashion designer name watches.

My Hilfiger 3H Quartz Watch

When watches cost $50 to $300 or so, a well-known fashion brand name can act as a guarantor of some degree of quality control. My Hilfiger 3-Hand Quartz Watch was designed and manufactured by Movado Group. While the watch is made in China, it has Japanese movement and a very nice build quality. I've found that when prices drop below $50 and the brand name becomes generic, you really have to examine the watch to see if it is a decent buy. You can be subject to all the drawbacks of cheap watches.  

When it comes to fashion brands, you should also be aware that some brands are now aimed at very low price points and don't have the same standards that they had back in their peak popularity periods. Brands that were popularized during the 1980s or 90s and the shopping mall hay day sometimes disappoint today. For example, I have a diver-style Izod watch that has false subdials. It's a good looking watch, but only worth $30 or less. It's ok if a iconic mall name sells $20 or $30 watches today. Izod and LaCoste split because one company wanted to move down market and the other wanted to move up market. Just avoid overpaying and make sure the watch is worth $20 or $30. That said. I love my fashion watches from decent quality brands and I certainly don't feel bad about owning them.

An Izod diver-style watch with fake subdials

Perhaps, the advice becomes more relevant as you move upscale into brands like Versace, Ferragamo, or even quartz Movado watches? The fashion looks offered by the brands are strong, but are their quartz models getting to be more expensive than quartz watches should be? As I look at Amazon, I'm not sure that they are priced inappropriately. In fact, the prices for Swiss Quartz Versace multi-function watches are comparable to similar quartz multifunction watches from Bulova.

A Versace Quartz Watch

Ultimately, it all comes down to the value proposition offered by the brand in question and the watch that caught your eye. Middle class buyers can also flip that question back on the elite watch collectors. It's completely valid to ask when was the last time a watch collector dove down to 300 meters or orbited our planet. My advice: If you really like a watch and you can comfortably afford it, buy it!