TGIF: Watches ARE an Accessory

This Friday rumination is to remind people that watches are fashion accessories. Sometimes I think that many watch enthusiasts think of watches as THE thing. If they can just attain that elite watch, that will automatically convey upon them--wealth, status, and class. But, the watch doesn't provide any of those things. The watch is a byproduct of those things.

A Rolex Datejust

If you have wealth, your watch is a byproduct of that wealth. If you have status, your watch might reflect it. For example, a company owner might have a better watch than the company's rank and file employees. If you have class, you might wear a watch that reflects taste and an appreciation for the finer points of horological  heritage. 

An Orient Bambino

A luxury watch by itself is a bit of an anomaly. As I've explored on this blog before, there are many appealing aspects of a luxury watch. However, a watch alone is not a path to instant respect. Respect is earned through achievements. Achievements in the military, business, entrepreneurship, education, family, the arts, athletics, charity and religion accumulate over time. Achievements, personal conduct, and ethics help form your reputation and, to be a bit too trendy, your personal brand. 

Rolex Sea Dweller

To symbolize class or rank or wealth, a luxury watch also needs to be accompanied by a suitable wardrobe, car, home, and boat. In other words, a luxury watch is just one of the coolest trappings of wealth. Alternatively, an adventurous watch is the perfect complement to the way veterans and military members dress and carry themselves. Experience in far away place with nowhere to spend a paycheck can lead to some nice watches. 

Your watch can reflect your personality, taste, and values. But, you have to do you. If you want the respect, become that elite SCUBA diver and have some adventures. If you want status, climb that corporate ladder.  If you want wealth, start that business and succeed. The watches can follow.

The Intangible Qualities that Make Luxury Watches Special

Any common timepiece can keep accurate time, but there is something magical about luxury watches. In addition to mechanical genius, stellar design, and high quality materials, there are a number of intangible qualities that simply make luxury watches special.

Rolex 5100 By Derk Marko Reckel - DMR (own picture taken of own watch) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Brand Identity. A brand is many things. On the surface, a brand is simply all of the logos, designs, slogans, and names applied by a company to a product, product line, or the company itself. But, a brand also encompasses all the perceptions that customers have about the company and products marketed under the brand. Most companies have marketing gurus, MBAs, and customer service specialist who try to shape that customer perception. They try to put together products, advertising, and service to shape and nurture positive perceptions that are fundamental to a powerful brand. But, in the luxury watch market, the watch makers have something more that often pre-dates MBA degrees and the marketeers. They have quality and passion that has been nurtured for decades and in some cases even centuries on fundamentals like craftmanship, ingenuity, and value.

Achievement Symbolism. Some brands embody all that a person aspires to become, but high end watch brands announce that a person has arrived. Whether a luxury watch is a flashy Rolex or an unattainable Ulysse-Nardin, it is a powerful symbol of wealth, personal taste, and social status. While it is easy to scoff at a status symbol, it isn't so easy to scoff at an achievement symbol. When a high achiever glances at their wrist, they may see more than the time of day on a luxury watch. They may see the results of diligent study, hard work, faith, perseverence, risk, and long hours.

Heritage. Luxury watches almost always have a story. That story conveys a sense of connectedness to long traditions of watchmaking art and engineering. When you buy a watch from Vacheron Constantin, you are buying from a company that has been refining the art of watchmaking since 1755. Today, it's refreshing to hear a story that doesn't begin with "some entrepreneurs in a tropical city found a watch factory in Asia." When G. Gagnebin & Cie make a watch, they are putting their good family name and reputation on the line. When each watch represents four generations of watch makers, you can bet they are making a watch that will make them proud.

Relevance. Luxury watch brands stay relevant to the passions and pursuits of their market. When watchmakers sponsor auto racing, yacht racing, golf, and tennis, they are staying relevant in the eyes of watchbuyers. Every week, Rolex sponsors a television show called "Rolex Spirit of Yachting." They are an integral part of the active lifestyle of wealthy yachtsmen.

Authenticity. Luxury watch buyers want their watches to be part of a broad and authentic traditions. For many years professional mountain climbers and undersea explorers were sponsored and prominently featured in Rolex advertisements on the back covers of National Geographic magazine. It was Rolex that Sir Edmund Hillary wore when he conquered Mount Everest. The idea that real adventurers wear Rolex watches is deeply planted in the western psyche. When the British luxury watch maker, Bremont, used actual metal from a classic P-51 fighter plane in their limited edition P-51 chronograph chronometer, they were creating connection to history.

It is indeed the intangible things about luxury watches that add to their mystique and make them a magical addition to any collection. When making a luxury watch purchase, any prestige watch buyer would do well to use their spirit as a guide.

Why Do People Buy Luxury Watch Brands?

Years ago, I used to scoff at people who bought luxury watches.  My brother-in-law would wear a Tag Heuer and make fun of my humble Rumours quartz watch.  I'd ask him what time it was, he'd tell me, and I'd look at my watch and say, "Same here!"

A Rumours-brand Quartz Watch

It was fun at the time.  But, as I have gotten more and more into watch collecting, I can appreciate fine luxury watches.  Especially when they are worn by someone who appreciates them not just as a display of wealth but for their art, materials, design, and history.  For example, when you look at a Constantin Vacheron watch you see art and a heritage that goes back to 1755.  Check out this triple complication pocket watch from Vacheron Constantin. It dates back to 1901 and it is a piece of art.

By shakko (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

When a company has been building a reputation for quality, design, and craftsmanship for many decades or even centuries, they take on a quality that transcends marketing departments and MBAs.  They have an essence that is important and yet intangible.  I've tried to put a finger on those intangibles here -

The Intangible Qualities that Make Luxury Watches Special

So, while I can't afford a Rolex or an Audemars Piguet, I can appreciate them and I can dream.  That's why I'll write about them from time to time.