为什么CEO们喜欢戴便宜的斯沃琪

    权贵们戴塑料表并不是新鲜事。即使在“大衰退”让低调行事成为一种必然选择之前，天美时铁人系列手表(Timex Ironman)已经成为领导者们的主流选择，这些领导要么没有虚荣心，要么特别自命不凡，想以此彰显其个性。例如，比尔•克林顿曾戴过铁人系列腕表。高盛公司此前三任CEO也戴这种手表。高盛公司历史记录者威廉•科汉说，汉克•保尔森戴的那块铁人系列手表是史蒂芬•弗莱德曼送的。不少人都知道，乔恩•科尔辛也佩戴这款手表——目前这款表在塔吉特百货（Target）打折，40美元一块。

    为什么选择塑料材质？抛开电池的便捷性不谈，人们不选择电子表的原因有很多。手表是男性的终极饰品。在这个几乎千篇一律的深色西服和低调鞋履的世界中，手腕真有可能是社会准许男性炫耀个性的唯一一块小天地（可能还有领带）。在今年早些时候结束的钟表界盛会巴塞尔钟表展中，参展手表的作用可不仅仅只是显示时间。想要一眼就能了解12个不同时区的时间吗？没问题。想要一款能记住十几位朋友生日的手表吗？即将为您奉上。那么手工打造的玫瑰金表壳手表呢？只需花费您51.09万美元。

    然而，极简主义开始大行其道。即便是在巴塞尔钟表展，那些经典款式也呈现东山再起之势。收藏家也变得更加关注可靠性而不是排场。舒适性也日渐成为一个优先考虑的特质。看看如今的流行服饰：“软着装”、“懒人装”和“运动休闲”。华美的劳力士手表(Rolex)似乎难以在如今时尚领域的时髦术语中找到自己的一席之地。随着奢华家居服饰的爆炸性增长，Gap时装公司在瑜伽裤上的投入又增加了一倍。在今年时装周T台上展演运动裤的设计师还不止一位。

    然而，真正能让高管们购买斯沃琪手表的原因并不在于其变化多样的款式，也不是简单的反势利心态。在一家大银行，与一块镶钻的百达翡丽一样，一块塑料表同样令人生畏。它代表的是对功能的追求，对形式的轻视。高盛公司员工向来以着装低调而著称。一块塑料材质手表足以彰显该公司厌恶花哨，行事谦卑的个性，在某种程度上，它也能体现出金融从业者那种极端敬业的职业伦理。

    这是因为，不同于江诗丹顿(VacheronConstantins)之类的奢侈品牌，斯沃琪非常实用。你可以锻炼的时候戴着它。你也可以戴着它参加铁人运动。（贝兰克梵爱好游泳，塑料材质的斯沃琪表很容易晾干。）此外，与其他机械表不同的是，大多数便宜表走时的误差几乎是微不可察的。

    还有没有比手表更为实用的产品呢？可能就是手机了。但即使贵为智能手机行业领头羊的苹果公司(Apple)也显然看到了腕表的优点。关于iWatch的传言已甚嚣尘上多年，但它的种种功能仍不为人所知。让斯沃琪感到欣慰的是，一些人买手表，仍然只是为了看一下时间。（财富中文网）

    译者：翔

    Plastic watches aren’t new in the halls of power. Even before the Great Recession made modesty a must, Timex Ironman watches had become a mainstay for leaders who either lack pretension, or have enough pretense to want to appear that way. Bill Clinton, for example, has worn an Ironman. The previous three Goldman chiefs also wore them. Hank Paulson’s was a gift from Stephen Friedman, says Goldman chronicler William Cohan. Jon Corzine, too, has been known to sport the look—which is on offer for about $40 at Target.

    Why plastic? Putting aside the convenience of battery power, there are plenty of reasons not to go digital. The watch is the ultimate male accessory. In a world of subtle variations of dark suits and understated shoes, the wrist may very well be the one area in which is it socially permissible for a man to be sartorially dazzling (okay, yes, perhaps the tie as well). At the Baselworld tradeshow, the horological spectacle that wrapped up earlier this year, the watches on display did much more than tell time. Want to look at 12 different time zones in a single glance? No problem. One that tracks a dozen of your friend’s birthdays? Coming right up. How about a hand-finished model encased in rose gold? Only $510,900.

    Increasingly, though, minimalism is in. Even at Baselworld, classic watches were resurgent. Collectors have become less concerned with ostentation than with authenticity. Comfort is also a growing priority. Pick your trend: “soft dressing,” “slobcore,” “athleisure”—today’s buzzwords speak to a fashion landscape that doesn’t have room for flashy Rolexes. The Gap is doubling down on yoga pants as the luxury loungewear category explodes. And more than one designer put sweatpants on the runway at this year’s Fashion Week.

    Yet it’s more than the vagaries of style, or even simple reverse-snobbery, that has prodded executives to buy Swatches. At a big bank, a plastic watch is as intimidating in its own way as a diamond-studded PatekPhillipe. It signifies a passion for function and disdain for form. Goldman has long been known for its understatement when it comes to dress. A plastic watch exudes that characteristic aversion to flashiness, commitment to modesty, and, in a way, the maniacal work ethic endemic to finance.

    That’s because Swatches—unlike, say, VacheronConstantins—are extremely practical. You can work out in them. You can do an Ironman. (Blankfein is a swimmer, and the plastic Swatch dries easily.) Plus, unlike their mechanical counterparts, most cheap watches keep nearly perfect time.

    The only thing more practical? Maybe a phone. But even Apple, which has played a leading role in the watch’s wardrobe displacement, clearly sees the merits of a wearable clock. The iWatch has been rumored for years, and we can only speculate about the myriad features it will offer. Luckily for Swatch, some people still just want to know the time.