Acrylic Glass
The cheapest glass is actually a plastic. Acrylic plastic is tough, flexible and transparent. It is not likely to shatter as it is very light. The downside is that it may scratch easily. The scratches can be removed, it is advisable to consult a jeweller about the best way to proceed. Childrens’ watches often have an acrylic glass as they are unlikely to be able to break it even if they are not as careful as they could be! 

Mineral Glass
The most common form of glass is mineral glass. This is made by using heat or chemicals to treat ordinary glass in order to make it more scratch resistant. If the glass does become too scratched it will need to be replaced.  Unfortunately this also has the affect of making the glass more likely to shatter. Occasionally when a watch glass shatters small shards of glass can lodge themselves into the workings. If this happens then the cost of repair is likely to exceed the value of the watch. Most watches, however, do not end their life in this way; so there is no need to be unduly worried. But it is worth being careful if your watch glass does shatter in order to prevent this from happening.

Sapphire Crystal
The most desirable watch glasses are made out of either synthetic or genuine sapphire. Commonly synthetic sapphire is used. This is made out of crystalised aluminum oxide, it has the same physical properties as the natural gem frequently used in jewellery but without the colouring. It is the most expensive way to create a watch glass but the advantage is that the glass is incredibly durable. Sapphire rates 9 on the Moh scale, (that is the scale that measures the relative hardness of all materials) and is just behind diamond which measures 10. Of all the glasses it is the least likely to shatter or be scratched. If anything you should be more concerned that your watch may scratch another surface! Sapphire crystal is one of the features that pushes up the price of high end watches. This is due to the value of sapphire and partly because expensive tools that use diamonds to cut and shape the sapphire have to be used to make them. Premier brands such as Seiko and Citizen watches often use sapphire glass for their watches.

 It is important to remember that unless a watch is a specified professional divers watch it is probably unsuitable for prolonged use in the water.  Watches are tested for water resistance in static laboratory conditions for short periods.  The result of this is that a 10m rating does not necessarily mean that the watch will endure being taken to that depth, it is merely indicative of the pressure the watch can withstand in still conditions.   

Water Resistance Ratings 

Some watches have only minimal water resistance, they will be marked simply ‘water resistant’.  If this is the case then the watch will be splash proof but nothing more, meaning that it should not be worn whilst washing up or showering. If you need a watch that can be used for these everyday tasks it would be better to go with a watch with a water resistance rating of at least 30m.  Watches within this category are not suitable for swimming.   

The next common rating of water resistance is 50m or 5 atmosphere. These watches are suitable for swimming but not for diving as the pressure at the moment of impact with the water would exceed 5 atmosphere. If you want to do more than just swim you need a watch with a 100m rating. A watch within this classification is appropriate for everyday swimming, watersports and diving, but must not be used for high board or scuba diving.

 A watch within the 200m water resistant class can be used for most water sports. If you are searching specifically for a divers watch, it is imperative that you check that the watch complies with international standards for divers watches.  Generally the word ‘divers’ will be imprinted on the case back of the watch.  There are higher classifications of water resistance, 300m or more. In principle the higher the water resistance rating the more durable the watch will be, although this is dependant on the quality of manufacture. 

Tips for Maintaining Water Resistance

Water resistance can be compromised if the buttons and stem are not screwed down or pressed in correctly.   It is also advisable to have your watch pressure tested after the battery is changed, in order to be assured the water resistance has been maintained.  The most common way to do this is to return your watch to the manufacturer for the battery change.

Do not immediately worry if your watch has traces of condensation underneath the glass.  This can occur during a dramatic temperature change, for example diving in to cold water.  Normally the condensation will disperse without any intervention after a number of hours.  If it does not I would advise returning your watch to the manufacturer to be examined.

Ethical Traders

The clothing industry has suffered in recent years due to exposes of horrific sweat shops. But you can be assured that this will never happen to Karen Millen. They hold progressive ethical principles at the very heart of their business. They guarantee that they will uphold international labour standards to the best of their ability. Additionally they strife to achieve that dignity is always upheld and that all employees are treated with respect and fairness. In order to maintain these admirable ideals they have employed a number of internal ethical auditors and ethical trading specialists. So you can buy Karen Millen without any ethical qualms! 

Style

Their innovative and modern ethical business plan is the perfect accompaniment to their style. Karen Millen clothes bring designer looks to the high-street. They prize classic looks whilst valuing ingenuity and innovation.  Their aim is to create beautiful, well designed modern products that are feminine, fun and above all flattering. Karen Millen produce seasonal collections of clothes as well as ranges of bags and accessories.

Watches

In autumn of last year Karen Millen launched a stunning range of watches; quite unlike anything else on offer at the moment. The eye-catching styles take the traditional watch in a new fashion-conscious direction. Karen Millen have achieved this by taking simple and classic designs and adding a contemporary twist by using crystals, animal prints or oversized bracelets. This attention to detail and the beautiful finish make them must-have items. Plus animal prints and patent leather are tipped to be making appearances on the catwalk Spring 2009.

The History

Sekonda used to import Soviet watches for sale in the Western markets. They are associated with the original production of both digital and quartz watches. Firstly sourcing Russian mechanical watches and then moving their production to Hong Kong as quartz technology became the highly desired watch mechanism. This flair for utilising innovations has been a crucial element of their success. In the 1980’s a host of fashion houses such as DKNY, Gucci and Guess began producing their own fashion watches. This marked the beginning of a new era of competition within the watch industry and questions began to be raised about how to combat the new influx of competitors; the main problem was that the size of the market had not increased at the same rate as those after market share.

Sekonda’s Solution

The key values that have driven Sekonda’s success are price, quality and service. RRP’s are chosen before product development is complete. This places the emphasis on the buyers to reduce material costs, rather than on the retailers to sell at a higher price. The core lines retail between £20 and £80, eminently more affordable than their fashion house counterparts. Strict quality controls have remained firmly in place since the start. Each watch is checked by hand for any faults which has resulted in a return rate of less than 1%, even though they sell in excess of 1.6 million watches a year. Admirable. Additionally both end customers and retailers continually express their satisfaction with the sales process and the after sales care.

Brand Revolution

Sekonda have managed to retain their market status not only by providing a high quality of product and service but by constantly evolving to satisfy the desires of their key target market, 25-35 year olds. In the last twenty years this has meant a change of strategy as fashion now dictates that style must be fast and disposable. The notion of impulse buying has become not just a bonus for the retailer but a staple diet. Sekonda decided to develop ranges that fed into this market and, in 2004 and 2005 respectively, the Seksy and One ranges were born.

These two identities now account for 20% of Sekonda’s overall sales. Both ranges consist of watches that are individually named, most famously the Seksy Eclipse, which both emulates high fashion’s penchant for naming items and creates a tag that is significantly more likely to lodge in the mind of the consumer than just an image or traditional product code. Image conscious women and men were suddenly provided with high fashion style for high street prices from a reliable brand. This sales strategy has been one of the most successful of recent years. Essentially the model that they have created is eminently effective marketing actually backed up by a good quality product at a good price. They are ticking all the boxes and this constantly creates a substantial amount of work but allows for continual reassessment and innovation.

Practical Management

One of the essential elements of a fashion brand is a quick turn around on products. The lead time for a new Sekonda watch is only 3 months, so their ‘cool hunters’ can capitalise on a trend within a relatively short time. They also have product launches every six months to facilitate this. This is a logistic nightmare. But thanks to a precise stock system, based upon perceptive use of market research and advertising strategies Sekonda have one of the lower waiting times for delivery in the watch sector. This has come to be essential in a market based upon rapidly changing fashions. At any time they have approximately 1 million watches in stock, yet aim to sell 600,000-700,000 of this stock within a short period. In addition to this they will also label products for individual retailers based on their systems rather than Sekonda’s. This further enables a speedy transition to the shop shelf.

Brand Management

The most visible and therefore the most important element of their sales is brand representation. In 2006 they had a marketing budget of £1.6 million, this increased to £1.9 million in 2007. A significant outlay which has yielded impressive results. This budget is in part spent on traditional magazine advertising including features in Heat, OK, Closer, Nuts and Zoo. But they have embraced new advertising realms. Noting the prevalence of media celebrity culture they have aligned their brand with a number of high profile celebrities; most recently Girls Aloud, Take That and Jack Osbourne. They have also sponsored television shows with anticipated high viewing figures such as the 2008 X-Factor. One of the most notable forms this has taken is the distinctive idents placed in advertising breaks, which include a number to text for your nearest Sekonda retailer. During the program “An Audience with Take That’ they received 1500 texts, the highest number ever recorded for this type of advertising. Putting aside for one moment the valuable brand exposure the ads provide, Sekonda have managed to turn TV advertising into actual sales. The effect of their campaign has filtered down right through the sales network. It is rarely that a customer asks for a specific watch that they have encountered through any advertising campaign. The retailer that I work for has received unprecedented numbers of enquiries about Seksy and One watches solely based on the effects of the TV campaigns.

The Future

Sekonda have entered into the travel retail market which as well as direct sales opportunities has the added benefit of brand exposure. Customers with enough capital to travel are a captive audience for the duration of flights. They are highly likely to browse the in-flight magazine the products are featured in even if they do not purchase anything. Other businesses have been keen to capitalize on Sekonda’s success. Virgin flights had Sekonda advertising running on the back cover of the summer edition of their magazine. Sekonda now sell their watches on a number of airlines, have flagship stores at major airports and are completing a number of deals to place shops in popular U.K. tourist destinations and in ex-pat communities located in Dubai, Spain, Sharm el Sheikh and South Africa. At present U.K. consumers account for approximately half of all Sekonda’s sales.