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Watches: Timing is Everything
January 10, 2008
Watches and clocks convey style and pizzazz in any program
By Marc Boisclair
With the recent holidays barely put to rest, 2008's hot new products are already heating up the incentive market. From Vegas to Orlando, trade shows are humming with hip new gift items: cool art, jazzed jewelry, fancy foods and a seemingly endless supply of must-have electronics among them. That said, when the occasion calls for something trendy but backed by style and elegance, a classic timepiece can still fit the bill nicely.
Turning Time Into Art
In less than a generation, watches and clocks have evolved from simple timekeepers into fashionable accessories and works of art.
"Nowadays, people, especially young people, don't need a watch for the time—they've got cell phones, iPods and Palm Pilots to do that," says Adrienne Forrest, assistant vice president of special markets for Bulova. "Instead, they're wearing jewelry that happens to tell time."
And increasingly, people are using watches to make a statement about themselves along the way. "The best timepieces are not ubiquitous; they're unique and exclusive," says Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute in New York City. "It's not by accident that they have very complex mechanisms and movements and are beautifully designed." Pedraza voices a similar pitch for high-end clocks. "If watches have become jewelry, then clocks have become collectibles, works of art that are valued by executives receiving them as incentives," he says. "The way to go is with a designer brand or modern artist, with a style worthy of the person receiving it."
But even without a famous name behind it, though, a sharp design can provide memorable returns. At this year's annual awards luncheon for the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, special events manager Amy Beaulieu gave out engraved crystal clocks for honored board members, donors and special volunteers. "I wanted something that would fit nicely into an office environment that people would notice and remember," says Beaulieu, who chose clocks that came mounted in blue, felt-lined display boxes for all to see. "The reaction was amazing—everybody really liked them," she says. "One person was so overwhelmed that he didn't realize it was a clock at all."
A Creative Energy
That said, manufacturers are putting plenty of thought into designing products and presentations that will click with planners and clients alike. "We have a special team that designs all our watches," says Bulova's Forrest, where attention to detail is the rule right down to the dials and their hands. While some of the higher-end Swiss products can run up to $2,000 or more, Forrest emphasizes that what's hot isn't necessarily high-priced. "We work directly with incentive and recognition houses, helping them design programs. The decision-makers are very conscious of brands, and are looking for things that are hot—diamonds, crystal, fancy movements—and we have all that at different price points." To wit, Forrest cites Bulova's diamond and chronograph collections, where the prices range from $129 up to $499, depending on the enhancements.
Movado's ESQ Swiss line recently debuted its new Beacon chronograph, a sport and fashion brand that stands out for its versatility and impressive (44 mm) casing. "We saw a need in the market for larger faces and dials and more complicated movements, but something that would go with jeans and evening wear," says Joe Zanone, senior vice president for Movado Group Inc. The timepiece clicked with one pharmaceutical company, he adds, that incorporated it into an annual incentive trip this fall. "They had 100 recipients in Hawaii, men and women, who received the Beacon and ladies' Verona," says Zanone. "They had scuba, surfing, hiking and biking during the day and luaus at night, and both pieces fit in perfectly with their itinerary."
 At Fossil, most watches run $150 and below, with their popular college and pro sports designs averaging about $75. "We're trying to recapture the people we branded with in their teenage years, who are now in their 30s and 40s—what we call our 'forever younger' demographic," says Doug Smith, Fossil's VP of sales and operations for special markets. Part of that effort includes working the product that client desires into the incentive program itself, be it for players, staff and boosters at NCAA bowl games or as a pillow gift when a pharmaceutical company is rolling out a new drug. "They might have us come into their hotel with our products on display, let the attendees choose a watch, and have us fit them right on the spot," says Smith.
Indeed, Nancy Sutta Berns, now senior conference administrator with IEEE Signal Processing Society, recalls that when working a corporate incentive cruise back in 2005 Fossil came on board with watches in tow. "They must have had 50 different styles displayed for the attendees to choose from for their room amenities, either right on the spot or to be sent later to their office."
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