Fashion! Turn to the left. Fashion! Turn to the right. Oooh, fashion! We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town. Beep-beep. Beep-beep. In describing the world of high fashion, the late great David Bowie #NailedIt. Particularly the beep beeps. Take that, fashion! What’s that? The song is probably about fascism? Wait, what? Really? Oh.
David Bowie performs the song “Fashion” during the 1996 VH-1 fashion awards in New York. Picture: Reuters
Anyway, fashion has an odd relationship with the watch industry. There’s a certain amount of snootiness on both sides: the watch crowd feel like the fast and loose, style-over-substance timepieces the fashion brands churn out cheapen their craft, whereas the fashion houses find the established watchmakers ponderous dinosaurs fetishising the past. I’m generalising a bit here and these sentiments really only exist at the top end but, to use a Trumpism, “believe me”, there’s a palpable tension between high fashion and high horology – especially as over the last five years the former has been much more aggressive in trying to steal market share from the latter.
Vilebrequin Dual Time
The biggest way fashion has impacted watch brands is by the huge number of companies making timepieces these days, and they are coming from the most unexpected places, such as beachwear experts Vilebrequin. The French brand’s first collection ranges from simple plastic watches to more complex dive pieces but also includes this odd-looking but distinctive Dual Time. Obviously, the key feature here is the two timezone indications so it’s aimed at the business crowd, presumably those who spend their time working from the hotel pool. It’s a large watch, measuring 46mm by 24mm, and the case is steel. Water resistance is a healthy 100 metres. Inside is a quartz movement, so the HK$3,100 (US$397) sticker price might seem a bit steep, but if you are looking for something different this might be up your alley.
