- Business Insider asked style experts about the most popular watch brands worn by technology titans.
- They say a watch has become more than a status symbol — it’s a tool for personal branding.
- Old-school brands like Casio are hot, and luxury brands like Omega and Cartier are on the rise.
Unlike professionals in finance who have long seen the value of “a statement,” those in the tech industry have been characterized — and even mocked — for their fixation on utility and simplicity. (Think: the old tech bro uniform of jeans and a hoodie.)
But some tech titans are moving toward fancier fashion choices of their own, and since the pandemic, that increasingly involves a watch, according to experts.
Paul Altieri, CEO and founder of online watch resale marketplace Bob’s Watches, told Business Insider that there are two kinds of Silicon Valley elite. “Some, like Bill Gates, go for the $50 model, and some are wearing Omega, Richard Mille, or Rolex,” he said.
Plus, there are those like Apple CEO Tim Cook and 23andMe cofounder Anne Wojcicki who prefer the convenience of a smartwatch.
Most executives are looking for “the genius factor” or something unique about their timepiece, Victoria Hitchcock, a fashion lifestylist and personal brander in the San Francisco Bay area, told BI.
And as they have more public-facing roles, they’re looking to up their style and status as potential fashion icons, Hitchcock said.
What you have on your wrist, it seems, has become yet another tool of personal branding. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at the watches trending in Silicon Valley.
