Men Flaunt Fine Accessories Bu cd eat) etaiclg (NAPSA)—“Savvy men have always counted on small boxes for big impact, but now theyare keeping more of the precious contents for themselves,” says Elizabeth Florence, executive director of the Jewelry Information Center, a nonprofit trade association. Men are now wearing accessories made with precious materials as fashion and status statements. With investment banks such as Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns and corporations such as Morgan Stanley reverting back to a dressier code of attire, the fashion world has brought back French cuff shirts, dapper suits, and their accoutrements, starting with handsome timepieces. Today, men collect watches to complement their multi-faceted personalities and changing lifestyle roles. A banker by day who wears a midnight blue-faced Monaco watch by TAG Heuer with leather strap, (seen on Ben Affleck in the film Boiler Room), may trade in his weekday timepiece for a weekend warrior Ironman Fitness system watch by Timex, which can monitor heart beat using digital FM technology. The first pocket watch dates back to 1511, when a watch said to “go on for forty hours,” was hung on a chain or placed in the pocket. New large-faced pocket watch variations at Tourneau like a brushed silver pop-up Mondaine Pocket Alarm or a Swiss Army watch with brown leather case seem less formal. Jet-setters may delight in David Yurman’s Cable cuff links, available in solid 18 karat yellow gold with double bar detailing. James Bond wanna-bes may yearn for the Robin Rotenier mar- Men of all ages and personalities are making fashion and status statements with fine accessories including watches and jewelry. tini glass cuff links in sterlingsilver or 18 karat cool white gold, which feature peridot gemstones as olives. Bond’s choice of watch is the Omega Seamaster Limited Edition 007 Chronograph, celebrating its 40th year as the secret agent’s favorite accessory. “With strong influences from music and fashion designers like Tom Ford, men are not only wearing necklaces, bracelets and rings, they are stacking and layering a couple of each piece,” declares Gentleman’s Quarterly accessories editor Bozhena Orekova. “Men are also collecting watches for the same reasons they collect cars; they appreciate an item with functionality and beauty.” The first step in selecting any piece of fine jewelry or watch is to shop at a reputable professional jeweler. Look for a jeweler who is a memberof a professional trade association, such as Jewelers of America, which requires high eth- ical standards of members and provides them with ongoing education. For more information, visit the Jewelry Information Center at www.jewelryinfo.org.
