The YOT toy watches look cool with their bright colors and sporty design. But we didn’t really know how fun they could be until Mario Graziano, the brand’s Brazilian general manager, demonstrated how to mix and match the watch parts.
With a basic YOT kit that comes with five straps, one can come up with over “600 combinations,” he said.
YOT (pronounced by the letters) stands for Your Own Time, a brand of “interchangeable” watches from Brazil. According to Graziano, it is such a hit that 4.5 million units of the classic style has been sold in Brazil. The brand has been around since 1990, and is also sold in Mexico, Italy, Portugal and Venezuela.
The 25-year-old charmer was recently in Manila for the opening of the first YOT kiosk in TriNoma—the first in Asia. The event was attended by endorsers Daniel Padilla, Robi Domingo, Rayver Cruz, Enrique Gil, Julia Montes and Kathryn Bernardo.
These popular young actors are visible in dramas and have a strong social-media following. YOT clearly knows its Philippine market—kids and young adults.
“YOT is popular among the 18-35 year old crowd in Brazil,” Graziano said. “In the Philippines, it is gaining fans among the younger ones.”
Ease, affordability
A YOT unit comes with four interchangeable parts: straps, case, bezel and the “watch.”
To change colors, just pop the round “watch” part off and place on another case. The bezels, cases and straps may be interchanged.
“Wearing it is very democratic,” Graziano said, laughing, during a recent interview in Kabila restaurant in Makati. “You can have one strap in white, the other in red. You can change the bezel anytime.”
Affordability is another of YOT’s strengths. The basic kit with black, white, blue, red and yellow straps is sold at P3,999. These straps are made of flexible plastic in shiny finish. It’s like paying for five watches for the price of one.
YOT watches are equipped with Citizen movement and is water-resistant up to a depth of 100 meters. All models come with a two-year warranty.
Animal and floral prints
Pink and pastel watches have been the bestsellers since YOT became available in November last year, said Cheska Garcia, senior marketing associate of Techno Time Retailers Corp., the local distributor of YOT.
The watches also come in dainty floral and animal prints, and in stainless-steel and leather straps.
YOT will be opening 20 kiosks this year in major malls, including those in Cebu and Davao. And with an endorser like Padilla who has over a million followers on Twitter, these watches might just be a major trend soon.
Visit www.facebook.com/YourOwnTimePH. Follow @YourOwnTimePH on Twitter.