Time Will Tell.

AuthorTitze, Maria
PositionBrief Article

What does your watch say about you?

The way you choose to tell time is really quite telling.

A wristwatch can be as important to a first impression as a smile or firm handshake. And local retailers say a watch is a barometer of career achievement.

Tom McDonough, the owner of Paul-Thomas Jewelers in Salt Lake City, says young business people are attracted to watches that don't say "office."

"They tend to stick to more Swiss Army, more sporty-type watches," he says, "with all the gizmos and gadgets like timing devices and stop watches. There are even watches that give you the elevation and temperature."

But he says his biggest selling brand is Seiko "because of the price. Most are from $100 to $375."

Thirty-something executive Jamie Gull, the director of store development at Franklin Covey Co., wears a Fossil. "It's simple, clean, somewhat stylish and relatively inexpensive," he says. "But my ideal would be a Rolex."

Ron Rumfallo, manager at Masseys Jewelers in Crossroads Plaza, says a Rolex customer is rarely under age 35. And even though they know high-end watches will last for decades, they still usually own more than one.

There's a not-so-subtle snobbery about Swiss watches for which Rumfallo does not apologize. The elegant timepieces are, he says, the mark of many a businessman or woman's success. "I think it's a goal (to own one) for many people," he says, a tangible sign they've "arrived in the business world."

"It's a feeling, not just a watch," Rumfallo explains. "The feeling that you're wearing the finest watch in the world on your wrist."

Rolex watches start at $2,525 at Masseys, but it's hard to pin down a figure at the other end of the spectrum. Rumfallo points to an 18-karat gold watch with a diamond face with a price tag of $104,000.

Errol Phippen, who manages watch sales at OC Tanner, says Rolex may...

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