The 80s: When watches became fashion accessories

The 80s marked a major turning point in the world of watches. Indeed, if the quartz watches of the Japanese watchmaker Seiko were a hit in the 70s, they were quickly overtaken in the 80s. And for good reason, new brands that would become references like Swatch, Fossil and Guess appeared. These three giants were indeed able to assert themselves while marking their territory with a shock argument: "the value of watches is now defined by their design and no longer by their technology". Focus on this crucial period in the history of watches .

The watch: the new accessory to be at the cutting edge of fashion

During the 1980s, the watch was no longer considered a keeper of time, but rather a fashion accessory in its own right. This led to a boom in sales of branded watches and subsequently changed watch marketing . Consumers now placed particular importance on the design of watches instead of focusing on their manufacturing technology.

When design steals the show from technology with the Swatch watch

The story begins in 1983 when the Swiss watchmaker ETA unveiled its very first watch, a watch like no other. A colorful dial containing a quartz mechanism with a colorful plastic case and strap sold for the modest sum of 50 CHF and named Swatch . Success was not long in coming: more than a million Swatch watches were sold during the first year of marketing. The young public, constantly looking for the latest trends, was won over. Swatch thus established itself as the forerunner of fashion watches and the watch brand continues its fine rise to this day.

Guess and Fossil also take market share

Inspired by the success of Swatch, the American brands Guess and Fossil are also launching into the marketing of fashion watches. But be careful, with well-honed techniques.

Guess preferred to sell its watches without a box, unlike Swatch, which delivers its colorful watches in plastic boxes. The American therefore offered watches with an old design with a leather strap and a metal case. But the sale price was slightly higher than that of the Swatch. And in addition, the brand also committed to releasing 5 watch collections per year, compared to only two for Swatch.

Fossil, on the other hand, has focused on the exceptional design of its watch storage box. While Swatch's was made of plastic, Fossil's was made of metal with designs representing the 50s. For the design of its watches, Fossil opted for a stainless steel dial and case with a leather strap. Consumers rushed to buy these watches . The metal box became a collector's item.

When Swatch opened its own stores, it was a real boon for Guess and Fossil. Indeed, the two American giants literally absorbed its market share in department stores.

In Europe, big names in fashion such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton unveil their first luxury watches in collaboration with watch manufacturers. The watch begins to become a jewel and no longer a simple accessory.

Major ready-to-wear brands are also getting into watchmaking

In the mid-90s, it was the turn of the big ready-to-wear brands to take the plunge and design watches. And unlike Swatch, Guess and Fossil, they opted for the easy solution. Indeed, instead of creating their own watch brand, the ready-to-wear brands decided to sign licensing agreements with the big watch brands. This strategy allowed the "fashion brands" to not spend a fortune on creating watch brands like Guess by Fossil. Several brands such as Liz Claiborne, Adidas, Ellesse, Yves St-Laurent, Stefanel Tempo, Kenneth Cole and Coach therefore released their collection of watches, timepieces with breathtaking designs.

In 1996, Calvin Klein collaborated with the Swiss watchmaker Swatch to create two watch lines, "cK watch" and " Calvin Klein ". Coach leather goods relied on the talent of watchmaker Movado to produce watches that had long been requested by its customers. In other cases, it was the watch companies that proposed collaboration projects with the brands.

While American ready-to-wear brands and watchmakers are enjoying their glory days, this is not the case for Seiko, the Japanese brand. Indeed, Japanese watchmakers have suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in losses in the space of 5 years. A huge loss that can be explained by an unfavorable yen/dollar exchange rate, competition from Citizen and Bulova in the United States and the overabundance of watches on the market.

Aware of the bright future of licensed fashion watches, some brands are getting involved in the adventure. Major luxury houses like Chanel and Gucci are creating jewelry watches to give their watches a high-end image.

The watch is becoming more democratic and is invading the global market

The 90s saw brands transform into watchmaking houses. Zippo, the American lighter manufacturer, Range Rover, the English car brand, all started designing watches. Not to mention Caterpillar, the eyewear manufacturer Oakley, Converse, Pepsi, Smith & Wesson and many others.

Currently, watch production exceeds one billion pieces each year. Fossil watchmaker even claimed in 2014 that the fashion watch market reached nearly $35 billion. But this figure has decreased in recent years due to the decline in department store customers and the arrival of smartwatches from the giant Apple. However, luxury watches continue to seduce jewelry enthusiasts. Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Gucci and Chanel have understood this well.