1 Rebel At Heart quartz movement watch in stainless steel case with black dial and black alligator-printed leather strap, $398, from Thomas Sabo; 2 Quartz movement watch in 316L stainless steel case with sapphire crystal glass and leather strap by Cyma, $730, from City Chain; 3 Quartz movement watch in stainless steel case with leather strap by Hugo Boss, $350, from Level 3 Tangs Orchard; 4 Quartz movement watch in stainless steel case and leather strap by Titus, $235, from City Chain; 5 Classic watch with quartz movement in stainless steel case with amber dial and brown embossed croco leather strap by Emporio Armani, $355, from Level 1 Takashimaya Department Store; 6 Poljot 313 manual winding chronograph in stainless steel case with sapphire crystal glass and leather strap by Sturmanskie Strela, $1,403, from Red Army Watches; 7 The New 1815 mechanical watch in pink gold case and crocodile leather strap by A. Lange & Sohne, $28,200, from Sincere Fine Watches; 8 Champion quartz movement watch in rose gold case and leather strap, $268, from 25 Hours; 9 Sentry quartz movement watch in stainless steel case with textured polyurethane band by Nixon, $219, from Level 3 Tangs Orchard The next time you ask a man for the time, watch his wrist and look for a sign of the times.
The trend for flashy wrist candy has gone the way of the It bag. Think discreet luxury instead.
On-trend guys are now wearing classic-looking timepieces with leather straps and buckles, a pared-down look favoured by the dandies of the 1960s.
Do not be deceived though. That simple timepiece may have a $20,000 price tag and bear the name A. Lange & Sohne.
This top-tier German watchmaker grabbed the Watch of the Year honours at last month's Baselworld, the renowned watch and jewellery trade show that takes place every year in the Swiss city of Basel.
These haute looks, whose brand names include Ebel and Jaeger-LeCoultre, cost from $5,000. This does not necessarily mean they are cheaper than the bling watches of the good times. After all, such classic styles do boast complicated workmanship and precious metal cases which can cost more than the latter.
Expect vintage elements like Roman numerals on the dials and warm hues of rose gold or yellow gold cases to replace ornate gem faces at high-end watch boutiques such as Sincere Fine Watches and The Hour Glass.
SUBTLE LUXURY
Toned down luxury is in keeping with the tough times.
March figures from Singapore's Department of Statistics show that sales of watches and jewellery fell 12.3 per cent from February.
However, high-end retailers are upbeat.
Interest in luxury watches will not dip as 'watch lovers and collectors will never lose interest in the art of luxury watches', insists Gunawan Suparman, director of Singapore-based Bezel The Watch Collectors' Guild, a private members' club for watch enthusiasts.
Instead, collectors will resist the urge to splurge, going for pieces priced below five figures.
Patrick Tan, the principal adviser of the two-year-old horological education and appreciation centre, Sincere Watch Academy, agrees. 'Customers (are still) spending on watches, albeit more carefully with an eye on value.'
Francis Kan, editor of luxury monthly magazine The Peak and its annual edition of The Peak Selections Timepieces, says: 'The brands are consolidating their strengths to focus on time-tested models.'
BUCKING THE TREND
While some brands stick to the understated, there are those which buck the trend.
American vintage-inspired fashion brand, Fossil, for example, is still going big and bold, says Fossil Singapore marketing manager Janet Soh.
In fact, the sales of its trendy watches, along with others it is licensed to carry, such as DKNY and Diesel - priced from $100 to $500 - rose in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. She credits the increase to the fact that the watches 'make edgy and fashion-forward' gifts.
The same goes for Red Army Watches, the Russian specialty timepiece boutique known for its whopper Soviet-inspired designs. Prices range from $400 to $2,000.
Its marketing director, Mabel Ng, notes: 'Perhaps (it is only) in Wall Street where ostentatious jewellery and big-name watches are not too popular now.'
Outside of style, price remains the biggest consideration. For those more tuned to reality, retailers like 25 Hours and City Chain offer pocket-friendly timepieces priced from slightly under $100.
At 25 Hours' soon-to-be-opened store at Orchard Central, for instance, 'subtle and fuss-free' timepieces will be the staple, says its general manager Elaine Yue.
'Our direction has always been to create watches of distinctive styles at affordable prices, regardless of the economic conditions.'
JUST WATCH OUT The Bencoolen: If that name does not ring a bell, you are not alone.
This is about the best place for watch deals, yet even an industry expert, who we invited along for this assignment, was unaware of the pink granite building in Bencoolen Street next to Albert Complex.
It is not hard to spot the watch vendors - just look for the crowd.
There is a comfortable mix of luxury watch vendors carrying second-hand Rolex and Bulgari watches and commercial ones selling Seiko and Kenneth Cole.
We spotted some limited-edition buys which were going at prices 20 per cent lower than those at boutiques. These included the collector's coloured Omega Speedmaster range and the Swiss-made Corum Bubble GMT with its coloured dial.
The industry insider, who asked to remain anonymous as part of his job entails dealing with high-end watch labels, says brands offload their off-season models to the vendors here.
'The brands know that these watches are selling at low prices,' he notes. 'As long as the vendors do not go overboard, the brands will close one eye.'
For those who would rather toy with the Japanese quartz-movement pieces, there are at least five stores that sell Casios.
Urban spotted a leather-strapped MTF 303 going for $49. The same model cost twice as much at a department store counter we cross-checked at.
Urban got Francis Kan, editor of The Peak and The Peak Selections Timepieces, and Sylvester Ng, lifestyle editor of annual watch guide Icon Moments, to give their tips on buying time.
- Try it on
'Buying a watch is like buying a suit, you have to try it on,' says Kan. Just because big watches are in does not mean everyone looks good in them. Adds Ng: 'Wear it on your wrist, feel the weight, look at the size of the dial, colour and design.'
- Be practical
Not everyone needs a dual-function watch, unless they are jetsetters. The same goes for the chronograph, which suits the adrenaline junkie better as he would need a watch to measure his sky diving fall, for example, to the micro-second.
- Understand value
Expensive does not mean better. As Ng puts it: 'A $50 digital watch might not be less accurate than a $50,000 mechanical watch.' Shop around for the best rates, says Kan.
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.
