Wristwatches for Fashion (and Function)

Yesterday's post considered innovations in high-tech smartwatches. Today, a look at trends in wristwatches. Not 21st-century digital watches for Dick Tracy, but watches that actually show the minute and hour. Here, consumers are looking for more than functionality.

At the high end of the market, luxury watches serve as status symbols. "It’s a great, timeless way to show your wealth, but also an investment in a stable market which has hardly shifted in decades," says one expert.

In fact, the vintage trend includes the purchase of expensive "pre-owned" luxury watches, with new marketing channels popping up to accommodate buyers and sellers.

Popularly-priced watches are fashion statements and functional gadgets for the rest of us. Remember Swatch, the affordable fashion watch that revolutionized the industry 30 years ago? It's still going strong--not only profitable but also extending its product mix to include high-end brands like Harry Winston. Many fashion brands have their own watch product lines, and a range of prices as well. A watch for every wrist, a watch for every occasion or outfit, fitting today's diverse consumer attitudes and behavior.