There are some very good professional reasons for executive women to invest in an expensive status watch. Ms. Incognita will cover those in a later blog post as well as provide some suggestions as to what to consider in buying one.
But what do you do before you make that investment? And what do you do when you finally own a status watch and find it’s not always the best match (because of style, color, wristband) for your less formal or more colorful professional attire?
This can be a tricky area. Unless you have money to burn or are a real watch-aholic (like some of you shoe-aholics out there), you don’t want to spend a fortune on multiple status watches.
On the other hand, in the usual corporate setting, you don’t want to wear anything that looks too cheap, trendy or otherwise screams “bought this at the department store in the mall”. Those sorts of watches can be fun on the weekends, but in a professional setting, they can work against the impression of credibility and success you want to convey. Much better to wear no watch at all than to wear one that sends negative messages.
There ARE some good solutions to this dilemma, however. Here are some suggestions:
1. Find a few good brands that deliver quality at an inexpensive price point. My all-time favorite is Skagen, a Danish designer of watches, jewelry and sunglasses. The watches are understated, classic, and come in a wide assortment of styles, sizes, and metal or leather colors. They hold up very well—I have a 8 year old Skagen that still looks stylish and is working perfectly. And most amazing is that the price range is only $100 – 200. It’s hard to beat that!
Skagen is a good way trying out a particular classic style or a current watch trend to see if it works for you before buying an investment watch in a similar style. For example, gold or silver woven mesh wristbands are in style now, and Skagen offers a great selection of these.
A variety of watch and department stores offer Skagen, but most of us are pressed for time (pun intended) and find the hit-or-miss experience of going to a store inefficient. I prefer to see the whole collection at the Skagen website (www.skagen.com) and order my selection there. Over and done in 10 minutes, and I have my new watch in less than a week.
2. Buy an inexpensive man’s watch. I haven’t tried this approach myself, since I’m very small-boned. It looks like a man’s watch is wearing me rather than the reverse. However, several of my taller friends go this route, and I must admit they look pretty dashing—like modern versions of Katherine Hepburn. It’s a great subtle way of looking entirely professional yet signaling that you’re an original. And for some reason, it seems easier to find an inexpensive man’s watch that doesn’t look cheap than it is to find a woman’s.
3. Buy a vintage watch. This used to be a good solution, but vintage has become popular and many of these can be as expensive as new status watches. Nonetheless, there are still bargains to be found in some antique stores and in watch stores that include vintage collections. And a vintage watch can be a great conversation starter. Colleagues are often intrigued by an unusual find, so long as it’s professional.
What about you? I’m sure there are some other good suggestions on how to expand your watch wardrobe. And I also find myself wondering whether there are brands that offer good choices in the $300 – 500 range. Any and all comments welcome—just remember that we’ll be talking about investment watches in a later blog post.
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My husband was given an old Rolex watch from his father and for whatever reason he never wore it. It sat in his dresser drawer for about a year when I decided to take it to a nearby watch repair shop to have them remove a few links. I’ve been wearing it ever since and I receive numerous compliments on it everywhere I go- even my husband says he sees it in a fresh new light. There’s something very classy about a woman wearing a good classic men’s watch. I pair it with anything from tee and jeans to a professional suit and it looks great!
Thanks for this post – and am waiting for your promised one on the statement watches.
In the $1,500-$3,500 range you can get steel and leather with gold case watches from Breitling, Cartier, Omega and Rolex. I would think it better to invest in something elegant and stylish – say 2 or 3 of these – that you could wear over the years and not lose the statement effect.
In the sub $1,o00 range, you can get the Baume & Mercier, Raymond Weil etc but I was wondering if these would portray an aspirational rather than a successful look. Between these two, I would put Rado and Longines as having a more luxurious look but being priced between $900-$2,000 while having watches that the successful professional will not scorn either.
What do you all think?