WristWatch

Tell Time, Not Brands - Patch.com

Watches this summer tell time on a budget with show-stopping style. 

You can save money and go big with a fashion statement wearing any of one the watches being sold in Hoboken boutiques for less than $50.

More people are being impressed by no-name, bargain watches lately than signature brand name, pricey ones. 

The allure of a watch has always been one of a status symbol.  Wearing and owning a high-priced designer watch is almost like wearing a BMW on your wrist, with some even comparable in price well into the six-figures.

Designer watches are those sought by consumers and aficionados with a discerning eye for style, unique electronic attributes, and statement pieces. For a while, high-end watches were restricted to only men.  But with years of rising quality and fashion-consciousness among women, name brands are finding an extensive market for female-driven high-end watches. 

With brands like Rolex, Breitling, TAG Heuer and Cartier dominating the industry since the late 19th century when watches reigned among military officials, target consumers know the worth of their products when forking over thousands of dollars.  Some brands don’t even profit exorbitantly from their higher-priced watches because of research and development costs, but offering such exclusive, timeless pieces keeps them in line with their brand identity, and alternately, consumers with their public persona and value awareness.

It's near impossible not to be in style while wearing a designer watch.  Even dated ones don't lose their panache and are considered as vintage/antique. The fact is, designer watches will always be in style, however, more and more, non luxury brand name wristwatches are becoming a staple trend in Hoboken.

After admiring a fellow PATH train rider's seemingly high-end watch, I learned of her style secret.

It's a drug/department store combo, Cheryl Campbell explained.  The face is from CVS and the band is from Walmart. 

"Dudes ask me all the time if it's a Breitling," said Campbell.

Her clever styling trick is also an ode to this season's mix-n-matching trend. Whether pairing opposing patterns, different brands, or in this case, interchangeable watch components, being creative is a sure way to customize your look on a budget.

The low-priced, trendy wristwatches Hobokenites are wearing around town are not luxury brand name knock-offs. Boutiques are selling watches made by independent and  inspired by current trends as well as vintage ones. 

The casual and chic sport watch, with band material including nylon, silicone, plastic, jelly and white corn resin is among one of the most popular styles of wristwatches.  The design is modern with clean lines, simplistic detail, sometimes only displaying the time with over-exaggerated numbers, and solid, but also bright, neon colors, following in the 80s theme of the season. "Geek-chic" watches, also an ode to the 80s, is another casual, rising style. They are generally made with a plastic or silicone-based band and an over-sized digital time display, and laden with solid neon colors. Because of the low-cost materials and simplistic functions, these watches are beyond reasonably priced, with some under just $20.

Cathy Raga, who works in town, raved over her $10 wristwatch made with a silicone-based bright pink band and Swarovski crystals framing the face.

"So, who got you the Michael Kors watch someone asked me," said Raga.  "I just laughed. I love it, I've had it for over a year now."

While some modern wristwatches contain elements of name brand watches, the more popular styles in towns are not intended to be exact replicas, or knock-offs. The main influence of their design is casual, unpretentious, "geek-chic", wearable fashion. 

Instead of showing off with pricey watches this season, residents are boasting over their deal-seeking skills for high-style, not high-end luxury watches.

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