{"id":41523,"date":"2018-05-08T10:06:53","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T09:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/?p=41523"},"modified":"2018-05-08T10:06:53","modified_gmt":"2018-05-08T09:06:53","slug":"gender-fluidity-goes-mainstream-swiss-watchmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/gender-fluidity-goes-mainstream-swiss-watchmakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender fluidity goes mainstream for Swiss watchmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new trend in luxury watches is emerging: non-gender specificity, argues\u00a0Reginald Brack, Executive Director, Industry Analyst<\/a>, for NPD Group, an American retail analyst. Historically watches have been labeled \u201cmen\u2019s\u201d and \u201cwomen\u2019s\u201d, but several factors are changing this dynamic, resulting in a merchandising opportunity for retailers, he adds in a blog posting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Women have been gravitating towards men\u2019s watches, both in size and style.\u00a0In the second half of 2017 the men\u2019s segment was up 7% in the United States compared to the prior year, and the women\u2019s segment was down 4%. Rolex has been one player in the growth category for men\u2019s, but a decliner in the women\u2019s category.\u00a0 Women have not stopped buying Rolex, they are now buying the brand\u2019s 36mm and larger pieces, including sport models, generally labeled men\u2019s for Rolex and other brands.<\/p>\n

Brands have been embracing gender neutrality: Gucci, Chanel, Tudor, Montblanc, Zenith to name a few.\u00a0 And, top names in the industry are talking about it\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the Calibre 3, we have fully embraced gender fluidity.\u201d
\n<\/i>\u2013 Nicolas Beau, Chanel\u2019s global head of watches and fine jewelry business development<\/p>\n

\u201cI think today we should not talk about women\u2019s watches, or men\u2019s watches.\u201d<\/i>
\n\u2013 Julien Tornare, CEO of Zenith<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are two sizes. I don\u2019t necessarily believe in a woman\u2019s watch and a man\u2019s watch. A Cartier Tank is a Cartier Tank, and you buy it in different sizes. An Herm\u00e8s Arceau is an Herm\u00e8s Arceau, and you buy it in different sizes. Maybe it\u2019s a different strap.\u201d<\/i>
\n\u2013 Tom Ford<\/p>\n

Gender-neutral watches also present a value proposition for consumers \u2013 couples sharing watches.\u00a0Brands are designing models now with the end user in mind, with easy change\/adjust straps and bracelets, eliminating the need to visit a watchmaker to size the bracelet or change a strap, enabling couples to change back and forth creating a two-for-one value.<\/p>\n

Just as fast fashion retailers are promoting inclusivity by avoiding gender stereotypes, luxury brands and retailers will enjoy a more fluid customer experience and ultimately attract a larger customer base by promoting gender neutrality in their merchandising strategy moving forward, and making it easier for the consumer to find the watch they want, in the size they seek.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Reginald Brack joined The NPD Group in January 2018 as the watch and luxury industry analyst. Reg has over 20 years of experience in the watch industry. This experience, combined with his entrepreneurial nature and business development skills gives him a comprehensive perspective on the industry\u00a0and what is necessary to thrive in it. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new trend in luxury watches is emerging: non-gender specificity, argues\u00a0Reginald Brack, Executive Director, Industry Analyst, for NPD Group, an American retail analyst. Historically watches have been labeled \u201cmen\u2019s\u201d and \u201cwomen\u2019s\u201d, but several factors are changing this dynamic, resulting in a merchandising opportunity for retailers, he adds in a blog posting. Women have been gravitating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":41525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false},"categories":[7039,4,2],"tags":[6547,8615,2077],"newspack_lstngs_evt":[],"newspack_lstngs_gen":[],"newspack_lstngs_mkt":[],"newspack_lstngs_plc":[],"acf":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"WATCHPRO","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41523"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41523"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_lstngs_evt","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_lstngs_evt?post=41523"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_lstngs_gen","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_lstngs_gen?post=41523"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_lstngs_mkt","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_lstngs_mkt?post=41523"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_lstngs_plc","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.watchpro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_lstngs_plc?post=41523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}