Do you struggle to tell a dive watch from a driving watch? A field from a tank watch? Or even a dress watch from more casual models?
The importance and role of watches has changed. In these smartphone days, many don’t bother with a watch at all.
A watch to tell quality rather than time
However, with a little attention, a man’s watch can be an elegant indicator of success and a valuable signal of competence.
Remember, when you studied marketing? The reason that City law firms and accountants have plush offices hung with expensive art is that they are selling a service. You can’t try before you buy, therefore you rely on signals to decide whether you are buying real expertise.
We all do it, all the time. In a study a few years ago, researchers found that volunteers wearing Tommy Hilfiger or Lacoste polo shirts were deemed more successful than those wearing unbranded or Slazenger tops:
In summary, the researchers found that volunteers who wore a polo shirt with a Tommy Hilfiger or Lacoste logo (i.e. recognised premium brands) were rated as wealthier and of higher status than those wearing no logo or a Slazenger logo (i.e. a recognised non-luxury brand). Similarly, they were more likely to persuade passers-by to partake in surveys, more likely to be offered a job and raised more money when collecting for charity.
Forgive the self-reference, but I blogged about that research, here. Anyhow, back to watches.
The sovereign professional has a unique challenge: how to fit in with the client’s team, while also signalling that you are the premium product the client is paying for.
Some big consulting firms take the view that consultants on-site should be indistinguishable from the client’s own team. That might work if you have a heavyweight consulting logo behind you, I’m not sure. But, the independent, sovereign professional needs some signals subtle enough to avoid alienating temporary team-mates.
The watch as credibility signal
An elegant, understated watch can signal credibility. However, the world of watches becomes esoteric quite quickly. Here are five useful resources:
- How to choose a watch – a fantastic primer on styles and history from the Art of Manliness blog.
- 11 rules of the watch – another great guide to watch-wearing from Gentleman’s Gazette. This blog is a rich source of information on watches and watch-buying.
- Dezeen – The fantastic Dezeen.com used to have an online store of design-led watches. Sadly, the store is no more, but they do have a list of the (mostly small) brands that they used to stock.
- Grey Fox – the Grey Fox blog (“A mature search for style.”) has regular features on watches for men.
- Omologato – “The world of motorsport inspired timepieces”. This one’s a bit different. I came across the brand a few months ago and was just struck by the owner’s passion both for motorsport and for watch design.
Main Photo by Eric Didier on Unsplash
