Women very much consider their watch as a fashion accessory

Style certainly doesn’t come at the cost of substance either in the Omega Ladymatic, which discount watches has had an injection of colour for 2013. The 34mm polished stainless steel cased watch retains the Omega co-axial 8520 calibre movement but is now available in purple, grey and pink or blue mother-of-pearl.

While brands such as Omega are revisiting and updating models, some brands, such as Jorg Gray are making their first serious move into women’s watches having recognised the level of demand, confirmed by focus groups. “Women very much consider their watch as a fashion accessory and are influenced by fashion trends, hence accessorising one’s wardrobe using a watch is definitely increasing and the research showed that this group of buyers wanted to own more than one watch, if possible,” says Steven Kluk, chief executive of Jorg Gray Europe.

For other brands the current remit is about providing women with more serious options. At BaselWorld 2013, Citizen introduced its Ladies’ World Timer A-T, as part of a further push into the women’s sports watches market in response to demand from women for more serious timepieces. The watch has the same technology as the men’s models, featuring radio-controlled atomic timekeeping and Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology.

When it comes to product development, some brands are creating something entirely new for women. Rado makes for an interesting case having recently presented its Rado Esenza Ceramic Touch.

When a fingertip influences an electrode through the Rado watches for women ceramic insulator case, it acts as a stray capacitator, modifying the frequency of an oscillating circuit. Moving the fingertip in a certain way on the case instructs a chip in the quartz movement to allow the motor to move the hands so that the wearer sets the time through touch.

The sleek-looking monobloc watch for women features advanced technology to create a ceramic touch case control. It’s certainly a different type of technology but it was the marketing message that said the watch poses no danger of ruining a manicure that has raised eyebrows.

Regardless of whether or not they choose a timepiece based on the risk posed to their nails, women are making more informed choices. “The women coming into the shops are more discerning, asking more questions and being more careful about their purchase,” says Peter Jackson, managing director of five-store retailer Peter Jackson the Jeweller, something that can only be good news for brands recognising, and branching out into more serious watches for women.