Timeless Appeal

At one time, many pundits were predicting that the growing ubiquity of the smartphone—which many consumers use as their primary means of telling time these days—would mean the demise of the wristwatch.

But a flurry of deals over the last year or so shows that traditional watches remain a robust area for licensing:

• Fashion brand Filson moved into the watch category for the first time in partnership with Shinola, with the products distributed through Shinola and Filson retail outlets.
• Tory Burch launched its first watch collection, with Fossil Group, this fall. The initial line includes nine models. (Fossil is also the licensee for Michael Kors—the partnership represents both one of Kors’ top categories and one of Fossil’s best-sellers—and renewed its deal with Emporio Armani in August for another 10 years.)
• Quiksilver licensed E. Gluck for watches tied to its flagship brand, as well as its Roxy and DC labels.
• Reebok licensed Kronos America for its latest watch collection for men and women, consisting of 56 watches in 15 different styles, sold mostly in department stores.
• Coach and licensee Movado Group reconfigured the Coach watch line, lowering prices, doubling the number of offerings to 200, and increasing the roster of stores where the timepieces are sold. WWD estimates annual retail sales for Coach watches at approximately $100 million.
• FC Barcelona and Swiss watchmaker Maurice Lacroix launched a three-year partnership for watches sold through FC Barcelona boutiques and retailers of Maurice Lacroix products. Three levels of quality and price will include an entry-level fan’s watch, an executive model, and a player’s watch.
• Big Tent partnered with Pebble Technology—marking the latter’s first licensing deal—for a line of Domo watch faces featuring interactivity and animation.

On the horizon: the smartwatch. The sector has seen a few licensing deals already starting to emerge in recent weeks. Yet it seems as if traditional wristwatches will remain an area of interest for consumers and for the licensing community.