
Watches Are Rediscovered by the Cellphone Generation - jamesbritt
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/fashion/watches-are-rediscovered-by-the-cellphone-generation.html
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pg
The suit is back.

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robg
I read this and thought of you.

I think you've said you bought PR for Viaweb. Any guidelines you can share? In
short, what can founders do to best shape how they're covered?

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pg
I don't think most startups need to anymore.

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robg
Does YC prepare startups in any way in talking to the press? Or is that more
informal?

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pg
To some extent, case by case.

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robg
Any tips or thoughts you could share publicly?

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pclark
"Mr. Chai, 38, has been wearing a vintage Rolex, loosely dangling around his
wrist, “not as a timepiece, but as a piece of jewelry,” he said"

This is exactly what Rolex is. There is a fantastic book on the history of
Rolex, the name I forget, but the opening quote is from a Rolex designer and
it is along the lines of "do not ask me about the watch industry, Rolex is not
in the time keeping industry, Rolexes are fashion accessories."

I believe the reason why watches "are back" is because the mobile phone
industry is far more contained than it was even five years ago. Five years
ago, having a flash mobile phone was impressive - but now - everyone just has
iPhones or Blackberries. A Rolex is timelessly classic, it is subtle yet if
you happen to notice it, you know the guy has good taste - or money, and those
two are regularly conflated in fashion.

Timex are the guys that are really capitalising on this trend, if you got into
a slightly up market fashion retailer like J Crew, you are bombarded with
classic Timex watches and then you can tailor them with multi coloured nato
straps.
[http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/accessories/necessaryluxu...](http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/accessories/necessaryluxuries/PRDOVR~27460/27460.jsp)

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jamesbritt
_it is subtle yet if you happen to notice it, you know the guy has good taste
- or money, and those two are regularly conflated in fashion._

Almost. The trouble (so to speak) with something like a Rolex is that has a
known, built-in, association with "taste"; knowing nothing about taste but
wanting to impress people I could pick a Rolex and be done.

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daimyoyo
This depends on the industry you're in. When I was in a sales floor, everyone
had a nice watch. They were considered status symbols and proof of your skill
as a salesman. When I went to my first tech conference I noticed most people
had either no watch, or a digital one that didn't seem expensive. Also, now
that I'm away from sales, I either sold or stored every watch I own. When I
want to know the time, I just look at my cell phone. Atomic time is good
enough for me.

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jinushaun
Watches haven't been a major time-telling device in nearly two decades.
Watches are jewelry, just like earrings, bracelets and necklaces. That is the
main point of the article, and I agree.

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ppppqqqq
Wearing a $10K piece of bling to work is tacky.

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wizawuza
Not all $10k pieces are bling, in case that's what you're inferring.

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sliverstorm
_A watch these days may strike some people as an impractical, frivolous and
often costly way to express individual style. But that is just another way of
saying that it’s fashion._

Whether or not the rest of the article is hogwash, that's a golden quote.

