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Reader Asks: Where Are All The Watches For Children?

by Elizabeth Doerr

At Quill & Pad we are often contacted by readers. Most are requests for information, but some lead to an exchange of opinions. A recent message from Thomas raises a good point – one that we rarely think about but which is important to the future existence of the watch industry: where are the watches for children?

Thomas writes:

The longer I enjoy the world of watches, and the more people I meet here and the more collectors I talk to, the more I ask myself, “Why don’t we include children, children’s watches, and more attention to this group of potential collectors and customers right now to ensure the future?”

I know it’s a bit boring, but I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard the “I started my watch collection when I was six” story.

I think there might be tons of child collectors on our planet. What makes me so sure? Every collector tells the same story about his past and about his first contact with watches.

“It started in my early childhood. I got a clock/a pocket watch/a diver’s watch from my father/grandfather/grandmother when I was six years old. And from this magic moment onward I was infected with the watch virus.”

Aha. Interesting to hear. If this is so, why do we only rarely (if ever) hear about the effect of children in the media or at fairs?

Why is there no “children’s watch” category at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève?

Children’s watches need to be small. Children’s watches need to be colorful. Children’s watches need to be easy to read and to operate. Children’s watches need to be less expensive. Children’s watches need good design.

Fair enough, all aspects stated above are nothing new. Why does nobody feel the need to give at least a little bit of attention to the world of watches for kids? Try something new, be open, take some risks, maybe it works.

Lower your prices at events and entrance fees for children at the fairs and see what happens the following year. And don’t just rely on the attraction of things like bonbon watches by Richard Mille (ultra-creative, but expensive).

You might even find your own past in early collections of must haves: the candy watch, the cut-out-paper watch, and the evergreen drawn-on watch.

Children are the future collectors; children are the generation set to carry on our passion for mechanical watches; children are future customers for the watchmaking industry. Will it really make us happy if the next generations jump to smartwatches, leaving craftsmanship, art, and passion aside?

Children certainly play some role right now, and it might be nice if we pay more attention to them.

Ever forward-thinking, A. Lange & Söhne pays attention to this group by supporting a children’s fund called Children Action, even auctioning one of the most spectacular watches of 2018, the Homage to Walter Lange, to the benefit of the charity in May of 2018.

As far as I see, that might be the beginning: a single step in a very heartwarming direction. Let us all be more human.

You may also enjoy:

17-Year-Old Watch Collector Already Has Incredibly Serious Timepiece Collection Including Urwerk and MB&F

Hands On With The Unique Piece A. Lange & Söhne Homage To Walter Lange In Stainless Steel: Tribute Through Charity

Richard Mille’s Delicious Bonbon Collection: Real Craftsmanship And Colorfully Dosed Daring Make Up The Main Ingredients

12 replies
  1. Bob
    Bob says:
    February 4, 2020 at 3:02 am

    soooo are there children’s watches? besides swatch?

    Reply
    • Tam o' Banter
      Tam o' Banter says:
      February 7, 2020 at 8:47 pm

      You betray your ignorance and snobbery with such a comment. It is beneath this site.

      Reply
      • Tam o' Banter
        Tam o' Banter says:
        February 7, 2020 at 8:51 pm

        After reading Richard’s comment, I wonder whether you in fact meant, Swatch’s range of children’s watches. If this is the case, I apologise.

        Reply
  2. Max
    Max says:
    February 4, 2020 at 5:11 am

    Great article — good kids watches are almost impossible to find. Recommendations please!

    Reply
  3. Thomas 37 Grad
    Thomas 37 Grad says:
    February 4, 2020 at 8:19 am

    Dear Elizabeth, dear Quill and Pad team, thanks a ton for supporting my a-bit-fancy idea. It is such a joy and such an honour to see this published here. Huge smile.
    From today onwards the mission starts: childrens watches for the next GPHG : )))

    p.s.: only because of the questions – PARPCUTS WATCH, Lacoste, Flic-Flac, Swatch, Cander, Scout, Hilfiger, Ice, … certain Timex, Shinola, Festina, Hamilton, … and many more, only to begin with.
    Your favourite brand is missing? Please consider why …

    Reply
  4. Polerouter
    Polerouter says:
    February 4, 2020 at 9:47 am

    Honestly, in Switzerland, but also in France where I was raised, Flik-Flak is such the obvious choice that I am not sure people really know what else there is. One has to admit, though, that they are nice.

    Reply
  5. Richard
    Richard says:
    February 5, 2020 at 12:42 pm

    Flik-flaks.

    Reply
  6. Tam o' Banter
    Tam o' Banter says:
    February 7, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    I see many children with “watches”. They are all smartwatches which allow them to talk to their parents. And they are all enormous on those tiny wrists. I shudder to think what the average display cabinet might look like in fifteen years if these people decided to keep the proportions of their youth- 52mm will become a “dress watch”.

    Reply
    • Thomas 37 Grad
      Thomas 37 Grad says:
      February 9, 2020 at 9:16 am

      The idea for sending my article to Q & P was straightforward and simple. It is my appeal: do hypercomplications, tripletourbillons, multibeats, quadruplesplits, fantastogems, … for us adulds, for seniors and the advanced collectors. But also do simultaniously nice, funky, practical and affordable watches for the (very) young generation to keep our passion burning. Do not argue about brands so much. Be curious and find watches suitable for kids. It only needs a bit more attention. To some extent I am afraid that otherwise smart-items will take over too much.

      Reply
  7. CÉSAR BORATYN
    CÉSAR BORATYN says:
    February 10, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Hello,
    I agree in part with Elizabeth, it is an item not highly valued in general by the watch industry, in my designs I have tried to venture into the subject, without success, on my page you will see a couple of examples. I think a child who receives a watch is a potential watch lover, that was my case.

    Reply
  8. Colin
    Colin says:
    October 12, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    When I were a lad, a child’s first watch was a real watch, albeit reduced in size to the sub-30mm mark. I’ve still got mine, and my brother’s was a black dial Military style Timex which is still in production today.
    Are we perhaps mistaken in assuming that children want something that looks like it was designed by Alain Silberstein? It’s a bit like a restaurant that offers a kids menu of turkey twizzlers and fries while the grown ups eat real food. If I was seven I would want a reduced size Vacheron Constantin overseas, not something that looks like it came free with a Happy Meal.

    Reply
    • Thomas 37 Grad
      Thomas 37 Grad says:
      October 28, 2020 at 1:55 pm

      This is a very important point, yes. Agreed Colin. Thank you. When I wrote my letter I began to consider about the separation line between a child- and teenager-watch. I see colourful fancy watches up to the age of 5 or 6 – they might look like the pictures above. For the young(er) generation (6 up to 16, 18, … I do not know) I thought about ‘real’ adult looking watches for a reasonable price. This might be pieces like Timex, Hamilton, Shinola, Paulin, and some others more. My experience is that the younger generation likes watches that look like real watches (in admiration of the pieces of their role models). They obviously hate nothing more than being perceived as a child. btw – pursuing ambitious goals is not a bad habit – did you finally snap your Overseas?

      Reply

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