爲什麼CEO們喜歡戴便宜的斯沃琪

According to Google auto-fill, one of the most searched terms relating to Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein is, “What watch does Lloyd Blankfein wear?”

谷歌搜索(Google)的自動填充選項顯示，對於高盛公司(Goldman Sachs)CEO勞埃德o貝蘭克梵，人們最想知道的問題之一是，“勞埃德o貝蘭克梵戴什麼表？”

We have the answer: It’s a Swatch, a simple plastic timepiece that retails in the ballpark of $100. In fact, the executive has several of them—including a black one for formal events.

答案是：斯沃琪(Swatch)，一款簡單的塑料材質腕錶，零售價大約爲100美元。實際上，這位高管還擁有多塊斯沃琪表——其中包括一塊在正式場合佩戴的黑色款。

If you work on Wall Street, you’ve probably seen the look before: good suit, unremarkable shoes, digital watch. Witness Steve Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone. Schwarzman not only owns multiple Swatches, he wears them in funky colors and designs. One particularly bright-colored edition bears the landmarks of his vacation home in St. Tropez.

如果你在華爾街工作，你可能對以下打扮並不陌生：體面的西服、普通的鞋履和電子錶。比如，黑石集團（Blackstone）CEO史蒂夫o施瓦茨曼就擁有好幾塊斯沃琪表，他尤其熱衷顏色鮮豔，設計前衛的款式。一款顏色尤爲鮮亮的手錶上繪製着其度假地聖特魯佩斯的地標圖案。

Public-facing figures like Schwarzman and Blankfein may be expected to dress without excessive bling. And yet, as Google attests, it’s curious to see a plastic bangle on some of American business’s most powerful men. The list of power players who sport Swatches goes on: Tony Blair has one, as does French president Francois Hollande. U.K. hedge fund trader Chris Hohn has had a black one for years. AllianceBernstein CEO Peter Kraus is a fan of the brand. Even the boss of luxury watch maker PatekPhillipe reportedly wears one while skiing.

人們可能認爲施瓦茨曼和貝蘭克梵這類公衆人物的着裝打扮肯定不會過分高調，但正如谷歌的搜索結果所示，一些美國商業大腕喜歡佩戴塑料表，這種打扮也讓人們感到費解。對斯沃琪青睞有加的權力人物還包括託尼o布萊爾和法國總統弗朗索瓦o奧朗德。英國對衝基金交易員克里斯o赫恩多年前就已經有了一塊黑色的斯沃琪。聯博基金(AllianceBernstein)CEO皮特o克勞斯也是該品牌的粉絲。據稱，即便是奢侈表製造商百達翡麗(PatekPhillipe)的老闆在滑雪時也佩戴一塊斯沃琪。

In a statement to Fortune, Switzerland’s Swatch Group didn’t have much to say about why politicians and executives might want to wear the budget accessory. The company’s Swiss roots and artistic designs may play a role, a spokeswoman said. When the Swatch was introduced as an alternative to Asian mass production in the 1980s, it was credited with helping to save the Swiss watchmaking industry. Ultimately, though, the watch brand’s patronage among the high and mighty is a bit of a mystery. “We assume that politicians have their reasons for wearing our watches,” the spokeswoman wrote, “but we don’t know what those reasons are.”

在向《財富》雜誌《Fortune》提供的聲明中，瑞士斯沃琪集團(Swatch Group)並沒有詳細解釋爲什麼如此多政客和高管青睞這款廉價配飾。一位女發言人表示，該公司的瑞士血統和藝術設計可能是部分原因。上世紀80年代，斯沃琪以亞洲大規模生產的替代品身份出現在人們視野中，隨後獲得了瑞士製表業拯救者的美名。但權貴們爲什麼如此鍾情於該品牌依然是一個謎。這位女發言人寫道，“我們認爲政治家戴斯沃琪有他們自己的原因，但我們並不知道這些原因是什麼。”

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.

權貴們戴塑料表並不是新鮮事。即使在“大衰退”讓低調行事成爲一種必然選擇之前，天美時鐵人系列手錶(Timex Ironman)已經成爲領導者們的主流選擇，這些領導要麼沒有虛榮心，要麼特別自命不凡，想以此彰顯其個性。例如，比爾o克林頓曾戴過鐵人系列腕錶。高盛公司此前三任CEO也戴這種手錶。高盛公司歷史記錄者威廉o科漢說，漢克o保爾森戴的那塊鐵人系列手錶是史蒂芬o弗萊德曼送的。不少人都知道，喬恩o科爾辛也佩戴這款手錶——目前這款表在塔吉特百貨（Target）打折，40美元一塊。

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.

爲什麼選擇塑料材質？拋開電池的便捷性不談，人們不選擇電子錶的原因有很多。手錶是男性的終極飾品。在這個幾乎千篇一律的深色西服和低調鞋履的世界中，手腕真有可能是社會准許男性炫耀個性的唯一一塊小天地（可能還有領帶）。在今年早些時候結束的鐘表界盛會巴塞爾鐘錶展中，參展手錶的作用可不僅僅只是顯示時間。想要一眼就能瞭解12個不同時區的時間嗎？沒問題。想要一款能記住十幾位朋友生日的手錶嗎？即將爲您奉上。那麼手工打造的玫瑰金錶殼手錶呢？只需花費您51.09萬美元。

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.

然而，極簡主義開始大行其道。即便是在巴塞爾鐘錶展，那些經典款式也呈現東山再起之勢。收藏家也變得更加關注可靠性而不是排場。舒適性也日漸成爲一個優先考慮的特質。看看如今的流行服飾：“軟着裝”、“懶人裝”和“運動休閒”。華美的勞力士手錶(Rolex)似乎難以在如今時尚領域的時髦術語中找到自己的一席之地。隨着奢華家居服飾的爆炸性增長，Gap時裝公司在瑜伽褲上的投入又增加了一倍。在今年時裝週T臺上展演運動褲的設計師還不止一位。

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.

然而，真正能讓高管們購買斯沃琪手錶的原因並不在於其變化多樣的款式，也不是簡單的反勢利心態。在一家大銀行，與一塊鑲鑽的百達翡麗一樣，一塊塑料表同樣令人生畏。它代表的是對功能的追求，對形式的輕視。高盛公司員工向來以着裝低調而著稱。一塊塑料材質手錶足以彰顯該公司厭惡花哨，行事謙卑的個性，在某種程度上，它也能體現出金融從業者那種極端敬業的職業倫理。

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.

這是因爲，不同於江詩丹頓(VacheronConstantins)之類的奢侈品牌，斯沃琪非常實用。你可以鍛鍊的時候戴着它。你也可以戴着它參加鐵人運動。（貝蘭克梵愛好游泳，塑料材質的斯沃琪表很容易晾乾。）此外，與其他機械錶不同的是，大多數便宜表走時的誤差幾乎是微不可察的。

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.

還有沒有比手錶更爲實用的產品呢？可能就是手機了。但即使貴爲智能手機行業領頭羊的蘋果公司(Apple)也顯然看到了腕錶的優點。關於iWatch的傳言已甚囂塵上多年，但它的種種功能仍不爲人所知。讓斯沃琪感到欣慰的是，一些人買手錶，仍然只是爲了看一下時間。