Emporio Armani is just one of the many sub-brands under the umbrella brand of Giorgio Armani.
Emporio Armani, as a brand, is known for its ready-to-wear and runway collections. It focuses on current trends and modern traits.
It boasts of collections that are designed by Giorgio Armani himself and has a spotlight at Milan Fashion Week every year. Only one other brand is given this privilege, Giorgio Armani.
Undoubtedly, the brand has already established its name in the fashion industry and even attracted high-profile names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Victoria & David Beckham, Meghan Fox and Rihanna.
Emporio Armani watches are equally high-end, along with other fashion accessories that the brand produced.
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History Of Emporio Armani Watches
Emporio Armani was founded early in the 1980s by none other than Giorgio Armani, one of the most influential Italian fashion designers.
The Life of Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani was born in Piacenza, Italy on July 11, 1934.
Initially, he decided to pursue a career in medicine. Three years after, he resolved to discontinue his medical path and joined the army instead. Because of his medical background, he was transferred to an infirmary unit later on. Still, he did not stay in the military service for long.
In 1964, he started his career as a window dresser in a Milan department store. He then became a designer for Hitman, a men’s clothing company, because of his in-depth knowledge of fabric and design. He then became a designer of clothing for Nino Cerruti and then worked as a freelancer in the mid-1960s.
The Founding of Giorgio Armani
We can’t really proceed to the history of Emporio Armani without knowing first the history of its umbrella brand – Giorgio Armani.
In 1975, Giorgio Armani finally founded his own namesake company with his friend, Sergio Galeotti. By October of the said year, the company had already released his first collection of men’s ready-to-wear clothes for spring. By summer the following year, they released their women’s collection.
The Giorgio Armani, as a whole, aims to provide:
“quality, sophistication, and style-timeless values with global appeal.”
The Launch of Emporio Armani
Seeing the considerable success of the Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani was launched in the early 1980s. In addition to ready-to-wear and runway fashion collections, Emporio Underwear, Swimwear and Accessories were included in the brand by 1982.
Emporio Armani is the sub-brand from the Armani line that targets the young adult market, particularly individuals in their 20s and 30s. It is also considerably cheaper than the other Armani sub-brands.
*References: Watch Shop, Wikipedia and Mainline Men’s Wear.
Where Are Emporio Armani Watches Made?
Since Emporio Armani, or the Armani line in general, does not have much expertise in watchmaking, they merely oversee the designs of their watches.
As such, the Fossil Group is the one responsible for the production and distribution of Emporio Armani watches. They are manufactured in southern China.
To further expand its portfolio for Swiss-made products, the Fossil Group has also moved to Switzerland. It now has Swiss movement-assembly, case-making, design, and prototyping facilities. It also has a building in Basel that houses the headquarters for all its European operations.
In addition to the Emporio Armani, Fossil also manufactures licensed accessories for other brands, including but not limited to, Skechers, Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, DKNY, Diesel, and Kate Spade New York.
The Fossil Group then distributes the watches directly to the respective brands or through its distribution centers worldwide.
Emporio Armani Watch Reputation
First of all, let’s point out that Emporio Armani watches are “fashion watches”.
It would be a grave mistake to expect high-quality craftsmanship from these watches or compare them to luxury watch brands that have a long history of watchmaking. Also, since watches are not the company’s primary products, there’s not much talk about their watches among watch aficionados or collectors.
Emporio Armani watches are usually compared to Boss and Gucci or less expensive fashion watch brands like Guess, Diesel, Michael Kors and other such brands you’d see in department stores.
Nevertheless, owners of Emporio Armani watches, based on reviews and comments, seem satisfied since most are primarily buying the watches for their love of the brand and the status that its logo holds. As far as quality goes, compared with other fashion watch brands, Emporio Armani is considerably at par.
For example, the reviews on Amazon on this Emporio Armani Dress Stainless Steel Watch are overall very positive. Buyers comment on how classy and stylish it looks and how it made an elegant gift.
Most buyers are buying the brand for that reason- it’s a good looking watch from a brand that has huge recognition and is world renown for fashion. Armani buyers, in general, are not necessarily concerned with the movement or the gears inside the watch like a watch collector would be with an Omega, Rolex or Tag Huer.
Many people consider Emporio Armani watches quite overpriced especially considering that they don’t offer anything exceptional from other fashion quartz brands. Some would say that you are actually just paying for the brand.
However, this argument could be used with most fashion watches, the markup on the inexpensive mechanisms is because of the brand’s reputation and ability to charge a premium for any product that carries their logo.
Serious watch buyers will point out that you can find Seiko or Citizen watches in the same price range- or even less- yet those brands have a long history of watchmaking and their watches are known to last. Others would point you to watch brands such as Bulova or upgrade to a Movado watch as a much better investment that is also elegant and fashionable.
With regards to the brand in general, Emporio Armani is highly respected in the fashion industry.
Are Emporio Armani Watches Good Quality?
As we’ve discussed above, the question of quality is very relative and depends on your priorities.
While a serious watch collector would never even consider these as “good watches”, someone looking for style over watchmaking reputation may be quite happy with the quality considering the brand recognition and stylish aesthetic that Armani delivers.
The fact that Emporio Armani watches are produced by Fossil gives you an idea of their quality.
Emporio Armani watches are made with quartz movement, which is the one used in almost 80% of Emporio Armani watches. These watches are often unappreciated by watch enthusiasts since it does not have intricate watchmaking craftsmanship. Nevertheless, they cannot deny the fact that quartz is accurate, even more than mechanical watches.
Emporio Armani watches are also the kind that would impress your friends and others in your social circle. You don’t have to say much because the brand will speak for itself.
Therefore, if you’re looking for a watch that can tell time accurately and really want a watch from a high-end fashion brand that can make you look good, then you can say that Emporio Armani watches are of good quality.
Where To Buy Emporio Armani Watches
Here is the Watch Section of the Armani website
Click here to Shop Armani watches on Amazon
Find Emporio Armani Watches on eBay.
If you are in the UK or EU check out the Watchshop.com for deals.
Check Nordstrom Rack for Armani on Clearance.
Emporio Armani has many boutiques around the world. Click here to find the Armani Store Locator.
You can buy its watches in Oslo, Frankfurt, Amman, Bahrain, Jeddah, Bogota, Miami, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Madrid, Chicago, Paris, London, Glasgow, Los Angeles, Houston, Mexico City, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Milan, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Dubai, Lima, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, New York, Zurich, Cape Paulo, Vienna, New Delhi, and in many other cities more.
Emporio Armani Smartwatches
Before ending this review on Emporio Armani, let us take a look at their smartwatches. Yes, you read that right. Emporio Armani also markets smartwatches.
In line with its goal to reach young adults, Emporio Armani offers not only trendy watches but also techy ones. To some, this may be a surprise but to those who know better, it is somehow expected. Besides, Emporio Armani is still a fashion brand that strives to always be trendy.
As such, the brand offers hybrid smartwatches and touchscreen smartwatches for you to choose from.
Click here to see our list of Best Hybrid Smartwatches
To give you a gist about their smartwatches, we’ve included here a quick review of their latest smartwatch.
The Emporio Armani Connected
For a start, Connected is a great-looking, well-built device that offers good performance. The first version of the Connected smartwatch was released toward the end of 2017. The new and improved version, on the other hand, was made available in the market by June 2018.
Check Price on Amazon / See on Armani.com
Design and Build
Both Emporio Armani Connected versions are beauties. If there’s one thing that makes this smartwatch stand out from all others, it is this – elegantly beautiful design. They are stylish, slim, with a black dial and a real stealth machine.
The stainless steel case comes in silver, gold, gray or black, with either a mono link bracelet, a Milanese loop or a leather strap. Whichever you choose, it is definitely sleek and elegant.
It has a 1.19 inches AMOLED touchscreen display that is highly legible. Even when outdoors or under direct sunlight, you will have no problem seeing what’s displayed. You may also set it at always-on, meaning the time is always shown on the screen. You don’t need to tap it, press a button or flick your wrist.
Aside from tapping and swiping the display, the Connected smartwatch may also be controlled using a pair of side buttons. These are positioned at two and four o’clock positions. It also has a crown at three o’clock which you can use to scroll through that watch interface.
At the back, you’ll see the heart rate monitor, which was absent in the 2017 version. It also comes with a case that is water-resistant to 3ATM. Meaning, you can wear it even while swimming but you must not take it with you while diving.
Specs, Features, and Interface
The watch’s interface uses Google Wear 2.0 OS, and with it, you can also access other Google apps such as Google Assistant and Google Fit.
The downside, however, it the aging chipset. Because of this, the watch features tend to stutter and lag for some time.
Anyway, it does offer quite a wide range of unique watch faces for you to choose from so you can make it look unique.
To scroll through your notifications or list of installed apps, you can use the rotating crown for easier navigation. Although, you can still swipe at the screen if you wish.
Fitness
This smartwatch may also be considered not just an ordinary fashion watch because it has also been packed with fitness-focused features. Another reason why you would love it.
Partnered with Google Fit, the heart rate monitor takes multiple readings throughout the day and plots them on a chart. You can view this on your watch or through your smartphone. When exercising, it takes a constant reading.
Other features are the move minutes and heart points. These are two rings that represent your daily goals. The move minutes records your general movement such as steps while the heart points monitor your heart rate and encourage you to raise it.
The Google Fit feature, in general, aims to reward an overall healthy lifestyle; instead of just rewarding new distance records. To do this, the watch records exercises automatically, but you may also set it right before you start your activity.
The watch also has a built-in GPS so it can easily detect your location. With this feature, you may leave your phone at home while you jog and you can still have the accurate data log of where you’ve run or walked.
If you are thinking if it can track your sleep, it can. However, you need to install a third-party app that will do so. The watch does not do so automatically.
Battery life
Similar to other smartwatches, or connected gadgets in general, the battery life of Connected smartwatch largely depends on how you use it. The manufacturer claims that a full charge will last for one to two days. Two days is possible when you only do the bare minimum, calls, and texts, and cut back the notifications. Using various apps, and the GPS may already require you to recharge after a day.
Nevertheless, we’d recommend a nightly recharge. to avoid it suddenly turning off in the middle of the day. So, it’s better to plug it along with your smartphone at the end of the day.
If you are considering an Emporio Armani Connected, you might want to watch this video:
Emporio Armani Warranty Policy
Since Emporio Armani watches are produced by the Fossil Group, they also handle the warranty.
Each Emporio Armani watch comes with a 2-year warranty from Fossil Group, Inc. from the date of purchase. It covers materials and manufacturing defects. You just have to present a proof of purchase – either a copy of the receipt or dealer stamp in the warranty booklet.
In particular, the only components covered by the warranty are the hands, dial, and the watch movement. Said component will be repaired free of labor charges or the watch may be replaced if necessary. The warranty for the replacement watch is another 2 years from the date the replacement watch is received.
On the other hand, the warranty does not cover any defect in materials and workmanship of battery, case, crystal, strap, including plating on the case and/or bracelet. For more details see more details here.
Conclusion
Overall, Emporio Armani evidently strives to maintain its high status in the fashion industry. Aside from analog watches, it also offers smartwatches to reach the techy market.
It may not produce watches of superior quality but they are still worth considering, especially if you value fashion trends and brand name recognition on the products you buy.
Whichever Emporio Armani timepiece you choose, it will surely go along with your fab outfit as they excel at style.
