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Quartz mechanisms may dominate the watch I Love You lock charm in volume, but mechanical watches are where the action is these days in mid- and upscale watchmaking--in new calibres, technical innovations, creative designs, and consumers' growing fascination with them. That was amply demonstrated at this year's major international watch shows in Switzerland and The JCK Show ~ Las Vegas in the United States.Others, from upscale to affordable, are adding one or Graduated bead drop pendant to their repertoire, such as Gucci's first automatic (a limited edition for men) in its new Pantheon collection and Armitron's first automatic, a skeleton watch (starting at $95).

Mechanical watches seemed near extinction just 25 years ago. Today, they not only dominate luxury watchmaking but also are profit centers for Elsa Peretti Open Heart bracelet watches. Maurice Lacroix, for example, expects 90 percent of its watches to be mechanical by 2012. Nearly 60 percent of Hamilton's watches are now self-winding, while 25 percent of Victorinox Swiss Army's watches are mechanicals, including its new Alpnach collection.

One sign of activity in the mechanical watch segment is that more brands are unveiling their own movements. Bulgari's Diagono Scuba watch, for example, has a specially created movement, as does Ebel's 1911 BTR. Formex's square 4Speed (with tilted case), aimed Elsa Peretti Double Open Heart bangle young adult buyers, uses a new automatic chronograph movement. The Kri?ger Chronograph is the first to use the new ETA AO7 automatic movement, while luxury brand Jean-Richard's 2TimeZones GMT is the first in its new sports line with the JR1000 movement made in its workshops.