One of my former supervisors had a favorite piece of advice for our clients, finding “new uses” for their products to expand the product lifecycle – and consumer base.  His experience with this was one of the most famous, finding new uses for baking soda, which went from a baking ingredient to a multi-purpose odor eliminator.  I’ve never forgotten it, which was why this article in the New Times Fashion & Style section about the rebirth of the men’s watch as a piece of jewelry and a fashion accessory for younger men – really, everything except an actual timepiece – caught my interest.

 

The truth is, for many people, watches were always a fashion accessory and sometimes a status symbol.  I owned Swatches and, yes, Mickey Mouse watches, before I abandoned them for the clock on my cell phone.  Men who could have worn plain watches bought expensive brands such as Patek Philippe, Cartier, TAG Heuer, etc.  So, what’s happening is that while the category has lost one function for men under a certain age, it’s value as a fashion statement has come back strong among those very buyers.  So, maybe it’s not a new use, but a secondary use that is now the primary function for these men.

 

As a statement of original style, watches in most price points and many different styles are showing strong sales.  People are wearing watches – particularly oversized, retro, colorful, “statement” watches – because it gets them noticed, in a way that the latest, greatest technology may not, because every one of their friends has bought the same technology.  Watches, an “anachronism” give them an area of personal expression.  An old idea, but something that people who thought that watches might be dead five or six years ago never envisioned for the category.

 

 

No-watch option:  For those who still don’t want to wear a watch, but would like a different look, or maybe several different looks, for your iPhone or iPad clock, consider Intelliga’s Alarm Clock App.  It comes with a variety of watch faces – more are being added – which can be changed hourly so you can keep your fashion statement on your phone and change it as often as you like. http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/intelliga-communications-inc./id374002117