Brits call time on wrist watches

One in seven Brits no longer have any use for the humble wrist watch, thanks to devices such as mobile phones, a study has found.

The survey by market research firm Mintel found that majority (86 per cne) still owned a wrist watch, but with 91 per cent owning a mobile, British consumers are increasingly turning to multi-function gadgets to tell the time instead.

Mintel said sales of wrist watches amounted to £987 million in 2009 but that sales had been flat for some time with the majority of the market aimed at replacing old watches with low-end models.

"Many consumers have grown up with technology and are just as likely to associate the notion of checking the time with a mobile handset as with a watch," said Mintel fashion analyst Tamara Sender.

Those aged under 25 were twice as likely (28 per cent) to have replaced a watch with a digital device. Mintel pointed out that watches are still very popular overall but with a shift towards watches as fashion accessories rather than time telling devices.