How to Become a Fashion Watch Designer ~ Start a Watch Line



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Fashion Watch Designer

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Wrist Watch Designer
How to Start a Watch Line
How to Start a Fashion Designer Watch Line

It is predicted that we will continue to see a strong demand for fashion watches. Meanwhile, the demand for mechanical watches, while not likely to disappear entirely, is expected to decline. A huge factor in future watch design is the availability of nanotechnology, “the ability to build components molecule by molecule.”

This is the dream you probably had in mind when you first picked up this book: starting your own distinctive line of fashion watches and watching it soar through the roof. If you ever had fantasies of your name riding around on the wrists of hundreds of thousands of people, of your very name becoming synonymous with fashion, of it being the reason people want the watches it describes—then this is the scenario you want to get into.

It’s not so far-fetched a goal—at least, creating your own line of designer watches isn’t, anyway. A lot of the fame you might be hoping for, you’ll just have to let take care of itself. Meanwhile, you’ll take care of the watches. Depending on how you want to do that, it can be relatively inexpensive, especially if you’re mainly concerned with new designs for the exterior of the watch. Many companies in the United States and overseas sell ready-made, interchangeable components that simply need to be assembled inside the case that you design, costing you very little indeed.

Ready-made movements, which can be customized, can cost anywhere between $25 and $75, depending on make, model, and size. There is also the option of importing mass-produced components from places like China and Hong Kong, if you’re going to be working on a large enough scale. On the other hand, not everyone wants to do things that way.

Some would argue that overseas outsourcing is in fact contributing to the demise of the industry and putting honest craftsmen out of business. So you may prefer to manufacture and assemble everything within the confines of your own business. That will be a bit more expensive for you, but it will result in watches that you can proudly sell at a higher-end price. The choice is yours.

Briefly, one other outsourcing option you have is that of contract manufacturing and private labeling, wherein you contract another company to manufacture your goods for you. Private labeling tends to imply ready-made generic components ready to be packaged and branded under your label, though some customization is negotiable; while contract manufacturing connotes a deeper level of customization, up to and including building the entire product from scratch according to your specifications.

But the two terms are often used interchangeably in many industries. Many of the large watch companies perform this service for smaller designers; as some watchmakers did with existing designer lines, they might work with a designer to create a new line of fashion watches, and then will manufacturing and distribution the watch as part of your, the licensee’s, line.

Also, by having "Made in Swiss" stamp, you can increase your mark-up by 300%. With a bit of creativity, by having approximately 50% of the components bought elsewhere, such as from China or Hong Kong, you may be able to use "Made in Swiss" stamp legally and ethically. (How you can do it is included in this eGuide. This is a trade secret that we cover in this publication.)

Good news for a watchmaker and designer.

A bill was introduced to the U. S. House of Representatives on March 30, 2006, which, should it pass, will provide, for the first time, copyright protection for fashion design—which the fashion industry has been seeking since the 1920s.

We should thank the Council of Fashion Designers of America for this proposed amendment to Chapter 13 of the Copyright Act, which currently only protects the industrial design of vessel hulls, such as luxury racing sailboats and the like. Should H.R. 5055, a.k.a. “the Design Piracy Prohibition Act,” pass, the Copyright Act will be amended to protect "the appearance as a whole of an article of apparel, including its ornamentation" for three years from the date on which the design in question was published or made available to the public.

("Apparel" is defined to include "an article of men’s, women’s, or children’s clothing, including undergarments, outerwear, gloves, accessories --including wrist waches--, footwear, and headgear; handbags, purses and tote bags; belts; and eyeglass frames.")

Now if you're wondering whether you can start this business and make a decent living out of it, the answer is definitely yes. Now consider these possibilities in making and/or selling:

Ladies' watches
Men's watches
Teenagers' watches
Kids' watches
Sports watches
Dress watches
Casual watches
Diamond and gemstone watches
Quartz technology
Mechanical technology
Nanotechnology
Teslar technology

State of the Industry

The value of Swiss watch exports reached 10 billion dollars in 2005, which this report tells us is the best result in Switzerland’s history.
Those figures include 24.3 million finished watches, which represents a slight (3.3%) decrease over 2004. Finished watch exports grew in value, however, by 12%.
More than one watch in two of those were steel, though the strongest percentage increase was in 18-carat gold watches. Mechanical watches saw a value increase of 16.7% while electronic watches only grew in value by 5.1%. In terms of units, however, mechanical watches saw an 8.8% increase while electronics saw a dip of 5%.
Of the total Swiss exports, 42.9% went to Asia, 33% to Europe, and 22% to America. The report lists the United States as the Swiss watch industry’s leading market, and it enjoyed strong growth in both 2004 and 2005.
Just for comparison, Hong Kong exported or re-exported horological goods worth 6 billion dollars (an increase of just 1%), mostly to the United States, China, Japan, and Switzerland. China’s exports were 2 billion dollars (down by 4%). Japan saw the biggest decline in exports: a 9% decline to a 951 million dollar value.

Now, how much money can you make?

With all the above choices, your income potential is literally unlimited. Anywhere from $35,000 to millions of dollars annually is attainable, depending on various factors. More than ever before, a watch is more than a time keeping instrument, it is an important fashion statement that people change all the time.

Need we say more?
This eGuide provides insightful information, advices and tips for anyone who is contemplating to start a watch line or design firm. Numerous hard-to-find resources are included to help you locate pertinent information.

Do you know?

Watchmaking is a rare trade skill, which many large corporations are seeking desparately. (Being a watchmaker is probably one of the professions that are highly sought after without much competition.)
Rolex has contributed $1 million to a university with a watchmaking major (full scholarships are provided to students accepted in this program). (Which colleges offer such scholarship opportunities are included in this publication.)
It's easier than ever to get a job in watch making and designing.
Many watches "Made in Swiss" have approximately 50% inexpensive non-Swiss components, but this special label justifies the 300% mark-up.

Editor-in-Chief Jennie S. Bev, co-author Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little have talked to watch designers and line owners to provide you with the best and the most comprehensive self-study guidebook filled with insider information, tips and advice for breaking into and succeeding in this lucrative but lesser-known business.

About the Authors

Jennie S. Bev is THE fashion, image and fun careers expert, whose reputation has been acknowledged by prestigious media internationally. She has been profiled and mentioned in Entrepreneur, Teen People, Canadian Business, Home Business, Dong (France), San Francisco Chronicle, The Independent, Daily Southtown, The Arizona Republic, Femina (Asia) and Dewi (Asia).

Editor-in-Chief Jennie S. Bev was named 2003 EPPIE Award finalist in Non-Fiction How To category for excellence in electronic publishing. She has published over 40 books and 900 articles in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Southeast Asia. She is also a college professor based in San Francisco Bay Area.

Co-author Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little is an accomplished author, freelance writer, and web designer from the New Orleans area. She graduated from Metairie Park Country Day School and went from there to the University of Washington to pursue B.A. in English.

Her fiction and essays have been published in a diverse handful of literary and New Age magazines, including PanGaia. An aspiring novelist, she has been an annual participant in National Novel-Writing Month since 2002. She now resides in Colorado.

This 55-page instantly downloadable StyleCareer.com eGuide Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Fashion Watch Designer brings you valuable insider tips, advice and suggestions not available elsewhere to help you embark on this highly lucrative career path.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Myths, the Realities, and the Basics
I’m not a watchmaker—I don’t have the trade skills.
I’m not very creative and I’m not a household name fashion designer.
I don’t own a manufacturing plant for watch.
I like fashion and style, but I am not familiar with industrial design.
I’m not familiar with the trainings that I need to go through to become a fashion watch designer.
I prefer to design a fashion watch line under my own brand. What’s my future?

Statistics and Trends
Luxury Goods Trends
Trends in Swiss-made and Japan-made watches
Fashion Watch Trends
Fashion Goods
Demography
Future Trends in Fashion Watch Industrial Design

Getting Ready for the Big Break
Personality Traits
Classifications of Fashion Watch
Technology
Price Range
Styles
Watch Lists
Watch Companies
Designer Lines under a Single Company
Top 10 High-End Luxury Watches

Short Courses and Trainings (including rare information on full scholarship opportunities for students majoring in watchmaking)
Top Trainings in This Field a
Basic Principles in Designing Fashion Watches
Fashion Watch Design Competitions

Starting a Career in Fashion Watch Designing
Show Me the Money
Apprentice
Getting Hired by a Reputable Design Firm
Starting Your Own Fashion Watch Design Business

Starting a Fashion Watch Line
The Ultimate Goal: Starting Your Own Line
Trademark, Branding and Positioning
Hiring Watch Designers
Outsourcing the Manufacturing (including rare information on where to outsource and how to get "Made in Swiss" without having to have 100% all Swiss-made components)

Success Profiles

This eGuide literally saves you hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent on professional workshops and training and hundreds of hours of research. It will help you break into the career of your dream faster without having to repeat the same mistakes that most newcomers do.

We have also included resources on the following:

Trade and networking associations
Trade shows and expos worldwide
Training courses worldwide
Full scholarships for student in watchmaking
Watch design competitions
Outsourcing manufacturers (accepting private labeling and contract manufacturing)

You can have this exclusive eGuide right away by instant download for only $99.95, which you will earn many times over with your first paid job. This special low discount price is reserved for today, Friday, September 05, 2008 only. (Regular price: $119.95)

Breaking Into and Succeeding
as a Fashion Watch Designer
Regular Price: $119.95
Sale Price: $99.95

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