FINE TIME
one or two people in a company can
do the painstaking work these
watches require.
"To see the factories — all of which
are in Switzerland where these
watches come from — is to appreciate
the cost," one jeweler says. "You don't
find that dedication to quality
anywhere else."
To illustrate the luxury watches'
singularity, Genta makes only 4,000
watches per year.
As a contrast, Rolex is still
considered one of the world's
premier watches but less exclusive
since the manufacturer now mass
produces.
Given the expense of these time-
pieces, it would be reasonable to
expect that a man who buys a luxury
watch would have only the one watch
and keep it forever. Not so, say many
jewelers.
Jewelers agree that men buy these
watches to collect them. Each one is
numbered. They'll have a sport watch,
a dress watch, a business watch, and
often even more.
Douglas R. Schubot of Jules R.
Schubot Jewellers in Troy, a world-
wide dealer in exclusive timepieces
whose clients include auto industry
CEOs and movie stars, agrees. "Men
with expensive watches have dozens
of them," Mr. Schubot says, adding,
as an aside, that men who collect
watches frequently collect pens as
well. "For whatever reason, pens and
watches are what attract men as
collectors," he remarks.
Among the top lines that Schubot
carries are Cartier, Piaget, Rolex,
Genta, Ebel, Audemars Piguet, Patek
Philippe, Vacheron and Constantin,
Blancpain and Breitling.
"The man who buys a watch from
these manufacturers is one who wants
to know that things can still be
man-made, can still be intricate," Mr.
Schubot says.
Different men are attracted to
different watches for different
reasons, including quality, style and
how the piece looks on the wrist, Mr.
Schubot observes. The man's
personality also comes into play. He
says, "A Patek Philippe or a Vacheron
and Constantin, for example, are
elegant, subdued and quiet . . . for the
16 STYLE
man who cares only for himself that
he has quality.
"A Rolex, on the other hand," he
continues, "is a quality watch for the
man who cares — and wants other
people to know it."
Indeed, because of its advertising
campaign, its sporty models and the
many knockoffs of same, Rolex is
probably the best known high-end
name. The names that have the most
prestige may not even be familiar to
the general public although the
knowledgeable consumer would
know them. They advertise in Town &
Country and similar upscale
magazines.
Luxury watch companies target
specific audiences in their ad
campaigns, according to many
jewelers. For example, in its 1990
campaign, Audemars Piguet featured
what is called its "CEO Collection."
A typical Patek Philippe
model is the result of two
years of research and
development, nine months
of manufacturing and 600
hours of quality control.
All their ads showed rather
conservative-looking but rather com-
plicated watches. They were going
after the more conservative market.
In fact, Mr. Schubot adds, many of
these companies produce watches
geared for different world markets.
"Because of size and/or body style,
they will have an 'Arab' watch or a
'Japanese' watch, in the $20,000 to
$60,000 range."
And is there an "American" watch?
Of course. "Ebel has just come out
with an extra large gold watch — the
whole watch is 20 percent larger and
heavier — for the American market,"
says one jeweler. However, he cites
the Rolex "Submariner" as the
ultimate example of a "real American
watch. It's macho, it's heavy, and it
says 'boating,' a sport that has great
appeal to Americans."
Even at these rarified heights, some
watches are considered more pres-
tigious than others. The problem is,
any ranking is very subjective. Mr.
Schubot's ranking would be, in order,
Patek Philippe, Vacheron and