KEEPING TIME IN STYLE

Their faces reflect the colors of the rainbow and may be round, oval, square or heart-shaped, to name a few.

Some take the subtle approach. Others are more bold. Some are even musical. And, they are almost never home alone, that is, when home is the jewelry box.

"The days are gone of having one watch that you put on and that's it," said Laura McGinty, co-owner of C.P. McGinty Jewelers in downtown Cape Girardeau. "Women have turned to collecting watches as they would bracelets, necklaces or earrings."

Once largely utilitarian in nature, wristwatches have evolved into a popular fashion accessory for women and men.

"Watches aren't boring anymore," said Kent Zickfield of Zickfield Jewelers in downtown Cape Girardeau. As a fashion accessory, a watch sports the advantage of providing a valuable function, plus it is part of the look itself, he said.

Chris Tanksley of the Benton area thought she had about a half a dozen timepieces in her jewelry box, but was surprised when she took a closer look at her watches last week.

"I didn't know I had so many," she said with a laugh, holding 14 watches, each with its own history. "I didn't even realize I collected them until I started talking about it," she said.

Most of her watches are casual in style, several of them adaptable to everyday wear along with more dressy occasions.

She obtained several watches while shopping for a children's retail clothing business she owned. Tanksley's attentions have since turned to different pursuits, and her watch collection has followed suit.

"I don't go out and shop for a watch," she said, reflecting on the spur-of-the-moment purchases of several pieces in her collection. A watch will catch her attention, she said, "if it strikes me as something that could be fun to wear."

Tanksley said mood is the biggest determining factor in which watch she will wear on any given day.

Many watches these days can "express just what mood you're in," said Audrey Crites of Crosnoe Gold and Silver on Kingshighway. From fun-loving to sporty to occasions calling for that extra bit of flair, watches can follow suit, or even help set the tone.

There are even watches that follow tone to the extreme. Crites explained: "There's a button on the side, and the second hand goes round to the beat of the music." What is the theme song? Mickey Mouse, of course.

Mickey certainly isn't alone in helping people keep track of the time. Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Miss Piggy, just to name a few, aren't to be outdone. Then there is Bugs Bunny, the Tasmanian Devil -- and the list goes on and on, explained Betty Radetic, counter manager at Famous Barr Co. in West Park Mall.

The attraction of character watches isn't relegated to the youngish set. All that is required is to be young at heart, Radetic said. "A lot of adults wear those."

Collector's edition watches, likewise, hold a strong place in the market. Watches featuring the Flintstones and the Jetsons are good sellers, said Cathy Rvenburgh, sales associate with Famous Barr. Plus, there is a watch with a hero for most any style, including James Dean, Nolan Ryan and Superman.

No one can say a watch's only practical purpose is to tell time. There is even a watch with a map of Missouri on its face.

Colors are important, McGinty said. A convertible watch, complete with interchangeable leather straps, "allows the woman to change the look," she explained. Also, "the two-tone watches, white and yellow, have become very popular."

Zickfield attributes the rise of watches to the fashion forefront to both consumers and manufacturers. And cost continues to play an important role.

"Affordability of some of these fashion watches is what has started the woman being able to own more than one or two or three watches. You can get a great look and a quality product at a reasonable price," McGinty said.

While styles run the gamut, McGinty observed, "I have found now that people are going back a little more toward a classic look, but with a bit of a flair. It's got to be little different."

It is the unusual that grabs Tanksley's attention. She was visiting friends in a small Colorado town when she spotted a watch with a black patent-leather band and a black face sporting the phrase, "Don't worry, be happy."

"I said, 'Look at the watch, I have to have it,'" Tanksley, said, chuckling with the recollection.

Her first watch purchase remains one of her most valued. "I was 15 years old when I bought it in a little town in Switzerland," Tanksley explained. "It has a sterling silver band with a blue face," she said. "It's a wind-up watch. It keeps really good time."

Tanksley said she slips it on when she wears something that calls for a jewelry accessory.

About a year ago, she and her husband, Gary, embarked on a hobby of raising mules and draft horses. Naturally, watches following a western theme are on the rise in her collection. One of her watches -- the band resembles a western belt with a horseshoe-shaped face featuring three horses -- draws lots of comments.

Another of her favorite watches can be dressed up, or it can be casual. "It kind of looks like a gold bracelet, but it also serves a purpose," she said.

Tanksley's daughter, 5-year-old Courtney, also enjoys the new emphasis in watches. Just as with other age groups, styles abound for the younger set. Ariel, Snow White, Dalmations, Barbie are all available in watch form, often in packages containing books or cassette tapes.

Found in all price ranges, watches can reflect an individual's personality or mood. Styles run the gamut, from the understated to the bizarre.

Said McGinty: "It's all personal preference, and it's all fashion."