Well Suited Jewelry

If business suit designers are right and men are still buying expensive suits it is because men feel these investments are very necessary. What sort of jewelry can merchandisers position as being just as necessary to further project that professional appearance through jewelry?

Hi, I have just purchased a Bulova model 98B115. It is called the Marine Star 100m. I am looking for data on this watch as the instruction book is much too general. This model has a copper body and bracelet and looks fantastic but I do not even know if it self winding or quartz. Why is Bulova so quiet about such a great looking watch?
Thanks, Douglas

I know where you can find the Bulova 96R116. Is this the one you're looking for? If so, post a reply.

looking for the special edition bulova pave diamond....96R116....help!!?? where can i find one?

Well, now you have got me curious! I just bought a 98B115 tonight, and tried to look it up both on Bulova's site, and on the internet, and this string is the only meaningful reference to it. And yet it must be a recently made watch, as the date code A9 on the back means it was made in 2009. Why are some of you referring to it as the "President's Edition"? I bought it at a regular store, and nothing with it referred to this moniker.

Hi, I don't know if this will help but my GF recently bought me the 98B115 from Bulova that you mention, it is the exact same watch as the 98B104 but with a strap like the 98B105, except of course it's pink gold instead of silver or leather. It's the nicest watch I've ever seen and very very happy to have it.

I have seen some men "update" their wedding rings. A lot of the
couples that bought those $99 titanium rings when they first
married come in to upgrade to 14k gold and diamond bands. However,
the biggest "upsell" is when the men lose their old rings!

Yes, men's pinky rings can denote certain images. . . LOL Consider
how many women are now "updating" their wedding rings with a new
mounting or an entirely new ring. This has become very good
business for many retail jewelers. Let's expand this concept to
men. How might jewelers more successfully communicate the need for
men to "update" their wedding rings and how a new wedding ring can
become part of their total "power suit" and enhance their
professional image.

Dear God, please save us from pinky rings!

I definitely agree that jeans, open button-up shirt, and a suit
jacket looks far better with men's pendants than the same with
slacks/suit pants (or dockers...). If you look at the models for
Macy's INC international concepts brand, they have that look. I
e-mailed you, Sandra! I've run into a problem where I can't find a
lot of classy men's jewelry that isn't cheap (steel) or
Rapper-style or "mature man" style (heavy YG chain, diamond cluster
YG rings, etc.).

Sorry having problems with the JCK server I think. What I meant to
say was, I've sold the "dog tag" look pendants for men, but they
wear them in more contemporary or casual settings, and not with a
full business suit.

MJB - if you want to send me an email (info@sarini.ca) I will scan
the photo I have of the Bulova President's Edition watch. On your
side-note I think that the pendant look is okay, if the rest of the
look is more contemporary - think suit jacket and shirt but great
jeans to make it less business-y looking. I've sold the "

What do people think of men wearing pendants with an open collar
dress shirt and suit/blazer? Great question MJB. Can you find any
fashion magazines that show the look you are proposing? If so,
check out their media guide and see who their targeted readership
is and how that compares with your current customer base. Keep in
mind some men will wear pendants only on the inside of shirt and
others are actively looking for pendants to wear on the outside of
shirts. Your proposed product may appeal to both fashion
approaches.

Thanks Sandra! I cannot find a picture of 98B115 anywhere online
(I've never seen a search engine show no results before), so it
very well might be a limited edition (or a test market piece?). If
so, kudos to you for selling it twice! I'd assume they'd tell you
it was an LE though and at least have it on their website, similar
to the women's "Special Edition" pave diamond one Bulova recently
was advertising (model 96R116). I've wanted a rose gold-tone watch
for awhile and haven't found one I like yet (though I have looked
at a few black/RG accent Wittnauers), and I would love to see what
the RG-tone bracelet looks like. Sidepoint: What do people think of
men wearing pendants with an open collar dress shirt and
suit/blazer? I've recently been looking at diamond pave dog tags
(military size, smaller than rapper size), and I've seen a lot of
younger men wearing military-sized dog tags as jewelry. I'm not a
fan of that tahitian pearl on a black cord thing that they tried to
sell as a dressy surfer dude icon though...or that big metal blob
that HOF was calling dreamstone or something like that.

Hi MJB, You're right the 98B104 is the same watch only with a black
PVC strap. The President's Edition is 98B115. It isn't listed in my
new catalogue or on the website. I'm not sure if it's limited
edition or not, but I'll phone my sales rep and find out for you.

Sandra: Could you post the model number for that Bulova President's
Edition you are talking about? I cannot find anything online about
it. The only one that seems to match your description is 98B104
(rose-tone marine star chrono, black strap). 98B103 is rose-tone
too...

The use of these cards is an excellent example of creative
merchandising. Sell the idea and the product will sell itself.
Putting shelf takers (clear acrlyic with engraved or stenciled
messages also look very good next to jewelry under glass.
Merchandising managers must always be on the look out for ways to
educate shoppers and current customers. Providing visual aids that
cue the use of jewerly is a very real responsibility for
merchandising managers

Dr. Malone, I keep "Hint Hint" cards on my counters to send home
with everyone. If anyone comments on how much they love a piece, I
offer to fill out a card for them. They're lots of fun, and seem to
be non-threatening for most people. I have seen a high rate of
return on them, so far, with many men telling me how much they love
that they just have to bring in a card and have me wrap up what's
on it! It's especially great during the holiday season.

MJB - Have you seen the new Bulova President's Edition Rose Gold
watch? I've sold two in the store with the full rose gold strap as
well as the one with the PVC strap in the last month with men self
purchasing on all three occasions! In the first two sales, I didn't
even have the model on hand (they were backordered) but just had
the card advertising them in my showcase. They were all from
different age generations - A Boomer, an Echo Boomer and a Gen Y!
It's thrown a curve in what I thought I knew about men's buying
habits as it is NOT a traditional watch! We're in a very rural
location in Western Canada and all three men have very different
jobs. One wears a traditional suit, one doesn't wear one at all,
and the Gen Y guy wears very hip dress clothing. The Boomer and
Echo Boomer both wear wedding bands, but the Echo Boomer has a
really nice right hand ring band he wears on the ring finger. The
Gen Y guy hasn't purchased this expensive of a piece of jewellery
before. Interestingly enough, the Boomer came in last week and
asked if I could find a rose gold marine link chain to go with his
watch. This is making me rethink everything about men's fashion and
the jewellery that they may want to go with it! I would love to
hear any comments!

often viewed as "ostentatious" and snobby. White metals rule
supreme, especially steel in watches (with YG/RG or enamel
accents). I'd have to agree with Sandra on Bulova. Customers know
it is not the cheapest, but it has a quality brand reputation while
being solidly middle class. From what I've seen, consumer
perception is that Bulova is above Citizen and Seiko in value too,
due to the higher degree of styling (Citizen and Seiko rely more on
technology). Bulova very ingeniusly has taken the best selling
styling/features in their higher-end brands (Accutron and
Wittnauer) and transferred them into the Bulova brand (with
cost-reducing features like lighter-weight cases and bracelets,
Japanese instead of Swiss movements, or sometimes crystals intead
of diamonds). However, watches are one of the few things that guys
get to really splurge on accesory-wise...so it's really nice to
have some luxury and FLASH too, for the guy who only wears a ring
and watch. I personally have a thing for diamond-encrusted dials
(not just the markers!), which can actually not look TOO over the
top flashy with a plain steel bracelet on the watch. I've seen many
(especially younger) men turn away from plain basic metal watches
and the basic brown leather strap, and more are turning to diamond
accents for some flash.

To accompany business suits...it really is hard to say, because it
depends on the area and local or even cultural tastes as well. I
live in what is basically a conservative area. For the most part, I
find chains and bracelets are no-gos with business suits, as are
large rings or rings on any fingers except the ring finger. Tie
pins/tacks/bars are not worn by most (and especially young)
business people. Yellow gold is often viewed as "

To accompany business suits...it really is hard to say, because it
depends on the area and local or even cultural tastes as well. I
live in what is basically a conservative area. For the most part, I
find chains and bracelets are no-gos with business suits, as are
large rings or rings on any fingers except the ring finger. Tie
pins/tacks/bars are not worn by most (and especially young)
business people. Yellow gold is often viewed as "

Great ideas to promote a “smoker” for men Sandra . . .
and the “hint hint” card are a creative spin on the
wish list. If we approach our product as first being fashion then
accessories and then jewelry; where would cuff links fall? I wonder
if more cuff links are sold as accessories as opposed to jewelry.
If that is the case then jewelers are limited to watches and
bracelets. Bracelets seem to have some appeal to men who wear them
predominately on their right hand with their watch worn on their
left hand. I have seen some men wear a bracelet on the left hand
with a watch, but I must admit I see more women doing that than
men. If you watch movies from the 1930's and 1940's you will see
lots of men wearing rings on their small finger on their right
hand. This seemed to have peaked in the 1970's, but there are still
some men who prefer to wear a ring on their small finger on their
right hand. What can jewelers do to project to men that jewelry in
addition to watches help project a more professional appearance?
What about a push to bring back the tie clasp and the tie pin? I
noticed several businessmen in Asia wearing large solitaire diamond
stick pins on their ties. While tie clasps and tie pins are offered
as accessories it would seem that jewelers would have a real
advantage selling diamond solitaire tie pins as the mounting would
be easy to sell along with a loose stone sale. In this economy
don't just rely on core customrs . . . Be proactive and find buyers
willing to pay for luxury products.

Great ideas to promote a “smoker” for men Sandra . . .
and the “hint hint” card are a creative spin on the
wish list. If we approach our product as first being fashion then
accessories and then jewelry; where would cuff links fall? I wonder
if more cuff links are sold as accessories as opposed to jewelry.
If that is the case then jewelers are limited to watches and
bracelets. Bracelets seem to have some appeal to men who wear them
predominately on their right hand with their watch worn on their
left hand. I have seen some men wear a bracelet on the left hand
with a watch, but I must admit I see more women doing that than
men. If you watch movies from the 1930's and 1940's you will see
lots of men wearing rings on their small finger on their right
hand. This seemed to have peaked in the 1970's, but there are still
some men who prefer to wear a ring on their small finger on their
right hand. What can jewelers do to project to men that jewelry in
addition to watches help project a more professional appearance?
What about a push to bring back the tie clasp and the tie pin? I
noticed several businessmen in Asia wearing large solitaire diamond
stick pins on their ties. While tie clasps and tie pins are offered
as accessories it would seem that jewelers would have a real
advantage selling diamond solitaire tie pins as the mounting would
be easy to sell along with a loose stone sale. In this economy
don't just rely on core customrs . . . Be proactive and find buyers
willing to pay for luxury products.

With "Hint Hint" cards to give to their wives or significant
others.

The thing about buying an expensive suit, is that generally
speaking that suit will last for many years if taken care of
properly. My husband views his suits as investments and buys
excellent quality as the fabric hangs better, stitching last
longer, and the suit simply lasts longer. As he is in finance, he
needs his suits to help present a polished image To accessorize, he
changes up the suits by wearing french cuff shirts and cufflinks
one day, and a regular cuffed shirt and one of his many watches the
next. Watches can be an excellent way for a man to express
individuality and style and for my store are always very strong
sellers. My husband is a watch aficionado, and he's always
commenting on new and exciting watch brands and styles finding
watches an easy way to express individuality while finishing off a
professional appearance! To come into line with economy concerns
there are some really excellent brands that offer high quality, and
stylish watches at lower price points which appeal to shoppers (can
I say that Bulova is a favorite of mine for precisely that kind of
appeal?). Those brands also offer many high end feel products.
Consider the many mens watches now being seen in rose gold or have
other high end finishes (diamond on the face or bezel or in the
band, for example). Cufflinks are also a great way for a man to
express individuality, and I've seen many great examples - from a
set that were computer mircrochips, to a vintage pair of French
cufflinks that were beautifully carved lion's heads. Having a mens
night (Cigars and scotch tasting and shopping!) to showcase what's
available for men is a great way to get them through your door. You
can ask different suppliers to come and present trunk shows of
their merchandise. Usually one or two amongst the group of
suppliers can offer you a giveaway to hand out at the end of the
night. In the draws for giveaways I've had, men and just as excited
to enter a draw as women are. Then at the end of the night send the
men home with "