Entry-level sports watches

Style At this level, the buyer wants style, but also wants the function that goes with a sports watch."Style is number one, and function is number two," says Martin Cooper, President, Dakota Watches. "Our Dakota Spider series combines great features (solid stainless steel case and band construction, 10 metres water-resistance) and fashion-forward styling. The Dakota Spider series has been one of our best selling sport watches for the past 5 years. Dial colours - bright orange, red, and green - are gaining ground on the standard black and blue." The look is the most important thing. "The entry-level sports watch buyer wants and needs style over function," confirms Barry S. Cohen, President, Time Concepts (Body Glove watches). "People either like the look and want to purchase it or they don't. After that, you get into functions. The minimum water-resistance we have is 50 metres, but the majority of the line is at least 100 metres, in fact most of it is 200 metres."Tom Schwendimann, Brand Manager, Camel Active Watches, makes a distinction between ‘real’ sports watches and look alikes, and thinks the market does too. "The real sports watches are for the people performing sports almost on a professional level," he says. "Camel Active Timewear has a tradition of 21 years of watches, which is, compared to the other brands, a long time. The collection has a history and a face, and also all new ranges are developed in a way that the main values are there, hence interpreted newly: toughness, sturdiness, allowing its wearer to show that he’s a real guy, who is up to date but not a fashion victim.