Salvatore Ferragamo Watches Review – Beauty and Build
If you’re a fan if fine fashion, you’re probably familiar with the name Salvatore Ferragamo. The Italian company, founded in the 1920s, has been a fixture in fashion circles for decades and is best know for its iconic shoes for women. The company’s namesake is long deceased, but the company continues to do well today and has expanded its product line to include luxury watches in addition to clothing.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that the company is a fashion producer; Salvatore Ferragamo watches are surprisingly well made and offer styling that is truly unique. If you’re looking for something that will work as a fashion accessory as well as a beautiful timepiece, you’ll definitely want to give Salvatore Ferragamo watches a look.
Read on for the full Ferragamo watches review.
Build Quality
Movements
Innovation
Styling and Features
Care and Maintenance
Warranty
Prices
Where to Buy
Summary
Salvatore Ferragamo Watches Build Quality
The build quality is quite good. They use stainless steel for their cases, leather and stainless steel for their straps and rock-hard sapphire crystal, which is unusually scratch-resistant, to protect the watch face. Water resistance is quite good, with a number of models rated at 100 meter or more. We seldom see this kind of water resistance from fashion companies, so this came as a bit of a surprise. These are well-made timepieces that should run well for years to come with proper care.
As Salvatore Ferragamo watches are fashion pieces more than timepieces, you won’t find any surprises when it comes to the movements in these watches. All of their current models use highly-accurate and reliable Swiss-made quartz movements. True, many watches in their price range often have automatic movements, but fashion companies usually go with quartz instead, as it minimizes maintenance hassles and keeps costs down.
Technical innovation? No, you’re not going to find cutting-edge features or elaborate complications here. These are fashion accessories, and while the watches are well-made, they’re not particularly innovative, at least from a technical perspective. On the other hand, they are rather interesting from a design point of view, and that’s the strong suit of the brand.
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The styling is rather interesting, much more so in the women’s models than in the men’s. Men’s models are mostly chronographs, with silver, black or gold cases and faces. In that regard, they’re not particularly unusual. The women’s models, on the other hand, offer nice choices of color, diamonds, interesting face designs, and a few unusual case designs, as well, particularly their “buckle” series of watches, which rather resemble a belt buckle.
Salvatore Ferragamo watches do include a few models with date complications (in men’s) and chronograph features (in both men’s and women’s) so they’re not entirely free of features. The women’s models, on the whole, are quite striking and really don’t look much like any other brand we’ve seen. If you want something eye-catching and different, this brand might be a good choice for you.
The care and maintenance is relatively simple; these are powered by quartz movements and will need to have the batteries replaced every two years or so. Aside from this, you should store your watch in a cool, dry place and keep them away from strong magnetic fields and extremes of temperature. With proper care, you’ll find that these watches will run well for many years.
Salvatore Ferragamo Watches Warranty
The warranty is fairly typical; the company offers a warranty of two years from the date of purchase against defects in materials and craftsmanship. This is the industry standard; probably 90% of all watchmakers offer a two year warranty.
Defects are relatively rare, as the timepieces are tested thoroughly at the factory prior to shipping.
As luxury timepieces go, you’ll find prices to be moderately expensive. Models typically range from about $1000 on the low end to about $4000 on the high end, at least for their regular product line. It appears that there are occasional limited edition models that sell for more, but we’ve only seen a few priced in the $5000-$10,000 range.
We haven’t seen a lot of collector interest in the brand, but they do seem to hold their value well on the collector market. We’re not suggesting that you buy them for potential appreciation value, but it’s possible that, in time, they could become more collectible.
You can find the brand for sale in a number of brick and mortar locations, particularly high end department stores. You’ll likely find them for sale at any store that also carries their shoes, handbags or other fashion items.
A few jewelry stores carry the brand, as well. Unofficially, you can also find them for sale over the Internet, and this would probably represent your best opportunity to buy at a discount. Like many retailers, the company has their pricing strictly controlled by the company in order to keep prices and demand high, but these unofficial online retailers are not bound by such pricing agreements, making it possible to find a bargain if you’re willing to shop around a bit.
Salvatore Ferragamo Watches Summary
Fashion watches aren’t going to be for everyone; if you’re a fan of watches with multiple complications or elaborate mechanical movements, you’re probably not going to find this brand to be to your liking. On the other hand, they do make some stunningly attractive watches for women, and they’re quite well made and not horribly expensive, at least as far as luxury watches go. They do offer more for women than men, though their men’s watches are certainly attractive and functional, as well. If you’re looking for something well made, beautiful and slightly off the beaten path as luxury watches go, you ought to give Salvatore Ferragamo watches a look.
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