Wristwatches Tick Along on Social Media Marketing

Wristwatches are decidedly old-fashioned--yet their fashion appeal lives on into the 21st century, despite the many substitutes (like the mobile devices everyone totes around, or the smartwatches made by Apple and others).

Retro, antique, and high fashion watches are ticking along on social media marketing. Just days ago, a New York Times article reported on how upscale vintage wristwatches, posted on Instagram, are drawing the interest of collectors and beyond. In fact, expensive vintage watches are selling well despite the many digital substitutes. 

As shown at top, Gucci is using Instagram for an artistic approach to marketing its stylish watches. And it's not the only brand leveraging social media. Swatch has nearly 5 million Facebook fans, for instance, and 771k Instagram followers.

Swatch--which revolutionized the watch market decades ago--is actually doing very well with its fashion watches, even in this digital era. Swatch's CEO says: "In July, our factories are at maximum capacity because the demand coming from our own brands is so strong." Swatch maintains handsome stores in airports and through carefully-selected retail stores.

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.