According to a recent article the difference between being rich and acting rich is huge. Millionaires do not necessarily sport the expected brand names. Apparently more millionaires wear Seiko watches than Rolex, and drive Toyota’s rather than BMW’s.

A study which was conducted at the University of Georgia by Thomas Stanley (author of several books about the social behaviour of the rich) illustrated this point perfectly distinguishing between the habits of the super rich and the ordinary man on the street. Buying expensive brands was not found to be a trait common in the rich…but rather those who aspire to appear to be rich and therefore spend over their means.

The study concluded that ultimate happiness has little to do with what we eat, wear and own and that in fact affluent people tend to derive pleasure from more simple things like entertaining their friends and watching their grandchildren play!

There are lots of watch manufacturers in the market. Some, like Seiko Watches have a reputation for designing and making reliable and accurate timepieces.

According to a recent article, others it would seem are obsessed with the recreating fantasy watches like the new watch-phone launched recently and reminiscent of those seen in sci-fi comic pages. The latest example, a watch-phone made by Kempler and Strauss, was being demonstrated at the Las Vegas 2010 Consumer Electronics Show.

The general feeling is that whilst the watch caused quite a stir amongst photographers and journalists attending the show it was unlikely to be successful. The mobile phone industry has developed so much in recent years and young people have got accustomed to having phones in their pockets which do multiple jobs – telling the time, taking photos, recording video as well as communicating.

A wrist watch is an entirely different thing – it’s a fashion accessory, a status symbol, a style choice, a precious gift - but it really doesn’t need to be a mobile phone too. Whist a watch-phone is novel and fun, is there any point?

Seiko Watches Arctura range represents a very masculine style and exudes natural strength. According the Seiko’s own website it stands for “strong, solid build quality and aerodynamic design”. It was inspired by the arc shapes which are found in the natural world like rainbows and the curve of the earth.

Unsurprisingly, because it fits with the ethos of natural strength, the whole range is powered by the movement of the body relying on kinetic power.