The wristwatch is undoubtedly the mainstay men's fashion accessories. While women worldwide gush over an endless assortment of adornment - men are historically more conservative when it comes to jewellery for themselves.
John Rose, director, Storm Australia says most of today's men own at least three watches: "A man will have an expensive watch they wear for special occasions, a fashion watch they wear when they go out and one to wear to work."
Elton Ledger, national luxury brands category manager, Fossil Australia agrees, adding, "Men are purchasing an affordable watch for everyday or work wear, and splurging on a more expensive model to wear out."
And price is not a consideration here, he continues: "Men are looking for comfortable, stylish watches that differ from the run-of-the-mill. A watch is generally the only piece of functional jewellery that men wear, so it needs to reflect their personality and individualism."
Indeed, one of the first things men usually decide upon when shopping for a watch is whether to opt for a higher-end, mechanical style or a battery-powered timepiece; simplifying the matter considerably has been a push by the major watch companies to offer dual modes of movement to lure the customer.
Fossil's Twist watch features both an automatic movement and a quartz movement, according to Ledger: "The quartz movement runs the watch component, while the automatic movement is exposed on the dial to show the movement working," he says.
Stuart Smith, group marketing manager, Seiko Australia, says the group's Kinetic Direct Drive model also uses dual-movement "emotional technology" to create a direct interaction between the wearer and the watch. As in all existing kinetic calibres, the wearer automatically generates the electrical energy by wrist movement. The Kinetic Direct Drive also allows the wearer to generate energy by winding the crown, increasing its power reserve. "Some people like to have some sort of interactivity with their watch; for it to feel a part of them and for them to be in control of it," Smith says.
Paul Madziar, director of Edox supplier Mahler Trading, says mechanical watches are now also opting for some of the functions of battery-powered watches. "The higher-end mechanical watches are now starting to feature such complications as the day, month and year," Madziar says, "in addition to the hours, minutes and seconds, which are already electronically available and not as expensive. In mechanical watches, it takes 110 components just to tell the hours and minutes, and 450 to reveal the date as well!"
In general, chronograph watches are proving popular across most brands. As well, other new functionalities include two-dial or dual-time features - in which wearers can simultaneously gauge the time of a location they are in and that of a friend or family member interstate or overseas - and moon-phase indicators.
Niche markets are pertinent to men's watches, with many styles aimed at aviation, automobile, diving and golf enthusiasts.
Justin Veil, the brand director of supplier Designa Accessories, which looks after Timex, Industrie, Ecko, Nautica, Guess and Maxum, says major trends for his brands include the use of black ion plating (often mixed with rose gold) and a bent towards the sporty look.
Popular and sporty add-ons for Designa brands included tide and heart-rate monitor functions - particularly popular in the Australian professional tide watch series Maxum Waverider. The series boasts 200m water resistance, a heated bezel, and tide functions including tide range, position and height.
When it comes to digging deep, Veil says: "Today's men are willing to spend more, but not on one watch. Instead, they may buy a sport-specific watch, with a tide or heart-rate monitor, and a dress or fashion watch each year."
Nicholas Hooper, national sales manager, SA Desco Australia, says Swiss brand Breitling appeals to aviation and racing-car lovers. A strong seller is Breitling's Emergency Mission chronograph with its distress transmitter that broadcasts on aircraft emergency frequencies. Following a crash or a forced landing, the watch can broadcast a signal for 48 hours over a range of 160 kilometres merely by unscrewing a protective cap and extending an antenna.
Seiko's Special Edition F1 Honda Racing Team Alarm chronograph includes split-second timing, heightened legibility - thanks to non-reflective sapphire glass and a jet black dial - and a urethane strap.
A newer entrant into sports watches, Storm has scored a hole-in-one with its specially-designed watch for golf lovers: the Fairway has a counter display that can show the score for each hole, the hole number and an accumulated score.
Storm gets extra mileage from its association with celebrities, such as singer Justin Timberlake, rapper Kanye West and sprinter Michael Johnson. "If people who are influential in the fashion and social worlds are seen to be wearing a Storm watch, it becomes the in thing and fashion is, after all, about now," Rose says.
But not all agree with celebrity associations, like Nils Rasmussen, managing director of Alfex and Skagen supplier Jarass. "It's not a part of the philosophy of Alfex and Skagen because the consumer pays the fees for these celebrities," Rasmussen says. "We believe people respond instead to the classic quality and design of our brands - without the need for celebrity endorsement."