Watches become relics of days gone past

Wristwatches might be running on borrowed time.

Like the record player, the watch one day could become a relic from an era when virtually no one had a cell phone and the time didn't blink from computer desktops.

Since 2006, watch companies have reported sales declines of 8 percent to 15 percent, according to the California based Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council, which tracks the watch industry.

From Timex to Fossil, popular producers that aren't in the Rolex echelon are phasing out watches in favor of better selling accessories such as sunglasses. Higher end producers remain committed to wristwatches and their sales appear to be constant.

But in general, "The business seems to be dying out," said Derek Molnor, owner of Derek Molnor Vintage Watches in New Kensington. "Twenty years ago, there were a lot more watches around and a lot more interest in it. People are moving on."

Grim tidings lie ahead for the watch industry, said Tom Buschek, president of the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors' Pittsburgh chapter.

"You can't make enough on watches to stay alive," said Buschek, of Canonsburg. "It's not enough to keep a business going.

"Yes, you're going to see the disappearance of wristwatches."

With them might go the watch repairmen. In the 1930s and '40s, the number of watch repairmen entering the industry every year from Pittsburgh schools hovered around 2,100. Today, about 20 repairmen are trained every year in all of Pennsylvania, according to the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors and other watch experts.

Though no definitive data are kept on the number of wristwatch repairmen in the area, there are fewer than half today than at the turn of the millennium, Buschek said.

Marlene Denk, 64, of Brentwood, a watch connoisseur and collector, estimates their ranks at fewer than 10.

Repairmen these days, like Simon Allalunis of Brentwood, have grown to be antiques.

For nearly 75 years, Allalunis has sat stooped at his desk, tinkering with wheels and springs to the gentle music of hundreds of clocks around him.

"We're all getting old," said Allalunis, 91, who owns Iron City Clock Hospital on Brownsville Road. "The new people don't get into the trade no more. . Why should anyone spend money for repairs?"

Allalunis' cluttered shop seems better fit for the time of Woodrow Wilson and top hats than that of iPhones and BlackBerries.

Allalunis said that when he's gone, no one will take his place. He only recently accepted the possible extinction of his craft.

Like so many changes in modern society, the abandonment of the wristwatch might be generational, said Rob Callender, spokesman for Teen Research Unlimited, an Illinois research organization that tracks consumer trends by age group.

"Wristwatches feel outdated to the newer generations," he said. "They don't feel like they need them. It's just another thing to put on and take off."

From fall 2005 to fall 2006, the number of teenagers who wore watches declined from 18 percent to 11 percent, according to international investment firm Piper Jaffray, which compiles a semiannual study on teen preferences. Nearly 90 percent of teenagers use cell phones to check the time, Teen Research Unlimited reports.

This can pose problems. At Abercrombie and Fitch in The Waterfront, employees aren't allowed to carry cell phones, and few wear watches. They rely on supervisors' monitoring the time to know when they can punch out or take a break, a manager said.

"Every time I've had a watch, it needed fixing," said Jake Genes, 22, of Oakland, while shopping recently at Shoppes at Northway in Ross. "I say I'll fix it, but I never do. And with my cell phone, why would I need a watch?"

But watch associations say the timepieces still boast two characteristics that'll keep them ticking: durability and style.

Rolex isn't going anywhere. Neither is Patek Philippe, producer of Swiss watches. The percentage of people who buy watches when looking for fine jewelry has remained constant at 15 percent since 2006, according to monthly surveys by the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council.

"I've seen fewer people wearing watches," said Dan Piganell, a sales associate at the Dakota Watch Company in Robinson Mall. "But now more than ever people are into watches as jewelry more than a timepiece."

Denk views the decline of wristwatches with nostalgia. But all things must pass, she said.

"It's very depressing and sad," she said. "It's like so many other trades there just isn't any business for them anymore. It's a sign of the times."

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.Watches become relics of days gone past

Wristwatches might be running on borrowed time.

Like the record player, the watch one day could become a relic from an era when virtually no one had a cell phone and the time didn't blink from computer desktops.

Since 2006, watch companies have reported sales declines of 8 percent to 15 percent, according to the California based Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council, which tracks the watch industry.

From Timex to Fossil, popular producers that aren't in the Rolex echelon are phasing out watches in favor of better selling accessories such as sunglasses. Higher end producers remain committed to wristwatches and their sales appear to be constant.

But in general, "The business seems to be dying out," said Derek Molnor, owner of Derek Molnor Vintage Watches in New Kensington. "Twenty years ago, there were a lot more watches around and a lot more interest in it. People are moving on."

Grim tidings lie ahead for the watch industry, said Tom Buschek, president of the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors' Pittsburgh chapter.

"You can't make enough on watches to stay alive," said Buschek, of Canonsburg. "It's not enough to keep a business going.

"Yes, you're going to see the disappearance of wristwatches."

With them might go the watch repairmen. In the 1930s and '40s, the number of watch repairmen entering the industry every year from Pittsburgh schools hovered around 2,100. Today, about 20 repairmen are trained every year in all of Pennsylvania, according to the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors and other watch experts.

Though no definitive data are kept on the number of wristwatch repairmen in the area, there are fewer than half today than at the turn of the millennium, Buschek said.

Marlene Denk, 64, of Brentwood, a watch connoisseur and collector, estimates their ranks at fewer than 10.

Repairmen these days, like Simon Allalunis of Brentwood, have grown to be antiques.

For nearly 75 years, Allalunis has sat stooped at his desk, tinkering with wheels and springs to the gentle music of hundreds of clocks around him.

"We're all getting old," said Allalunis, 91, who owns Iron City Clock Hospital on Brownsville Road. "The new people don't get into the trade no more. . Why should anyone spend money for repairs?"

Allalunis' cluttered shop seems better fit for the time of Woodrow Wilson and top hats than that of iPhones and BlackBerries.

Allalunis said that when he's gone, no one will take his place. He only recently accepted the possible extinction of his craft.

Like so many changes in modern society, the abandonment of the wristwatch might be generational, said Rob Callender, spokesman for Teen Research Unlimited, an Illinois research organization that tracks consumer trends by age group.

"Wristwatches feel outdated to the newer generations," he said. "They don't feel like they need them. It's just another thing to put on and take off."

From fall 2005 to fall 2006, the number of teenagers who wore watches declined from 18 percent to 11 percent, according to international investment firm Piper Jaffray, which compiles a semiannual study on teen preferences. Nearly 90 percent of teenagers use cell phones to check the time, Teen Research Unlimited reports.

This can pose problems. At Abercrombie and Fitch in The Waterfront, employees aren't allowed to carry cell phones, and few wear watches. They rely on supervisors' monitoring the time to know when they can punch out or take a break, a manager said.

"Every time I've had a watch, it needed fixing," said Jake Genes, 22, of Oakland, while shopping recently at Shoppes at Northway in Ross. "I say I'll fix it, but I never do. And with my cell phone, why would I need a watch?"

But watch associations say the timepieces still boast two characteristics that'll keep them ticking: durability and style.

Rolex isn't going anywhere. Neither is Patek Philippe, producer of Swiss watches. The percentage of people who buy watches when looking for fine jewelry has remained constant at 15 percent since 2006, according to monthly surveys by the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council.

"I've seen fewer people wearing watches," said Dan Piganell, a sales associate at the Dakota Watch Company in Robinson Mall. "But now more than ever people are into watches as jewelry more than a timepiece."

Denk views the decline of wristwatches with nostalgia. But all things must pass, she said.

"It's very depressing and sad," she said. "It's like so many other trades there just isn't any business for them anymore. It's a sign of the times."

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.Watches become relics of days gone past

Wristwatches might be running on borrowed time.

Like the record player, the watch one day could become a relic from an era when virtually no one had a cell phone and the time didn't blink from computer desktops.

Since 2006, watch companies have reported sales declines of 8 percent to 15 percent, according to the California based Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council, which tracks the watch industry.

From Timex to Fossil, popular producers that aren't in the Rolex echelon are phasing out watches in favor of better selling accessories such as sunglasses. Higher end producers remain committed to wristwatches and their sales appear to be constant.

But in general, "The business seems to be dying out," said Derek Molnor, owner of Derek Molnor Vintage Watches in New Kensington. "Twenty years ago, there were a lot more watches around and a lot more interest in it. People are moving on."

Grim tidings lie ahead for the watch industry, said Tom Buschek, president of the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors' Pittsburgh chapter.

"You can't make enough on watches to stay alive," said Buschek, of Canonsburg. "It's not enough to keep a business going.

"Yes, you're going to see the disappearance of wristwatches."

With them might go the watch repairmen. In the 1930s and '40s, the number of watch repairmen entering the industry every year from Pittsburgh schools hovered around 2,100. Today, about 20 repairmen are trained every year in all of Pennsylvania, according to the National Association of Clock and Watch Collectors and other watch experts.

Though no definitive data are kept on the number of wristwatch repairmen in the area, there are fewer than half today than at the turn of the millennium, Buschek said.

Marlene Denk, 64, of Brentwood, a watch connoisseur and collector, estimates their ranks at fewer than 10.

Repairmen these days, like Simon Allalunis of Brentwood, have grown to be antiques.

For nearly 75 years, Allalunis has sat stooped at his desk, tinkering with wheels and springs to the gentle music of hundreds of clocks around him.

"We're all getting old," said Allalunis, 91, who owns Iron City Clock Hospital on Brownsville Road. "The new people don't get into the trade no more. . Why should anyone spend money for repairs?"

Allalunis' cluttered shop seems better fit for the time of Woodrow Wilson and top hats than that of iPhones and BlackBerries.

Allalunis said that when he's gone, no one will take his place. He only recently accepted the possible extinction of his craft.

Like so many changes in modern society, the abandonment of the wristwatch might be generational, said Rob Callender, spokesman for Teen Research Unlimited, an Illinois research organization that tracks consumer trends by age group.

"Wristwatches feel outdated to the newer generations," he said. "They don't feel like they need them. It's just another thing to put on and take off."

From fall 2005 to fall 2006, the number of teenagers who wore watches declined from 18 percent to 11 percent, according to international investment firm Piper Jaffray, which compiles a semiannual study on teen preferences. Nearly 90 percent of teenagers use cell phones to check the time, Teen Research Unlimited reports.

This can pose problems. At Abercrombie and Fitch in The Waterfront, employees aren't allowed to carry cell phones, and few wear watches. They rely on supervisors' monitoring the time to know when they can punch out or take a break, a manager said.

"Every time I've had a watch, it needed fixing," said Jake Genes, 22, of Oakland, while shopping recently at Shoppes at Northway in Ross. "I say I'll fix it, but I never do. And with my cell phone, why would I need a watch?"

But watch associations say the timepieces still boast two characteristics that'll keep them ticking: durability and style.

Rolex isn't going anywhere. Neither is Patek Philippe, producer of Swiss watches. The percentage of people who buy watches when looking for fine jewelry has remained constant at 15 percent since 2006, according to monthly surveys by the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council.

"I've seen fewer people wearing watches," said Dan Piganell, a sales associate at the Dakota Watch Company in Robinson Mall. "But now more than ever people are into watches as jewelry more than a timepiece."

Denk views the decline of wristwatches with nostalgia. But all things must pass, she said.

"It's very depressing and sad," she said. "It's like so many other trades there just isn't any business for them anymore. It's a sign of the times."

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.