81-Year-Old's Book Tells About Her Time in the Watch Business

For one thing, she just published her first book, and for another, she is one high-energy individual.

Blonde and tanned, she golfs and plays tennis, keeps up with her children and grandchildren, and is also hashing out an intense strategy to sell her book.

The book is a little unusual. Part personal memoir, part business advisor, it's called "Ya Wanna Watch? I'll Let Ya!" and tells the tale of how Renette made her way through the male-dominated world of watch and jewelry sales, ultimately to found her own very successful watch business.

Torres, a resident of Hollister, California, for 20 years, said she began writing the book because "I needed something besides golf." She also needed a project after her husband, Dan, died two years ago.

"I sat down at the computer, and it just flowed," said Torres, who has instant recall of all the names and places from decades ago, and can spin stories for hours about her experiences. "People ask me, 'How could you remember all that?' But it's like it happened yesterday."

Torres self-published her book earlier this year and is now working vigorously to get it into area bookstores and gift shops. At her book signings, she has been giving a free watch to anyone who buys a book.

That's entirely appropros, since watches have been this woman's life for a very long time. Her company, It's Time, was responsible for many novelty and themed watches that have been mainstays of local tourist establishments and businesses.

She came up with the idea for watches with company logos, for instance, that businesses could hand out to loyal employees or customers. She also originated holographic watches that shifted colors and pictures, as well as the cable car watches sold at tourist spots in San Francisco.

You wouldn't think that selling watches would be such interesting work, but Torres brings a certain irrestistible joie de vivre to it. And the book has some valuable lessons for anyone who wants to be a salesperson, or who would like to open a business.

She got into selling jewelry and watches while still a young mother, at a time when it was more unusual for moms to have careers. But her husband supported her decision, and Torres soon found she had a knack for it.

"I found I was working in a man's world," Torres recalls. "Some of these companies had never hired a woman before."

She worked for several different companies, including Besco and Kay Jewelers, before coming up with the spark that prompted her to strike out on her own.

Torres' big break came when she designed an LED clock (when such things had just hit the market) in the shape of a little slot machine. Casinos went nuts for them. Torres founded It's Time in 1981 and has had to learn how to build her business from the ground up, which involved dealing with a manufacturer in Hong Kong and keeping all her customers happy.

In the midst of her greatest success, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and chose to have a double mastectomy. She has now been a cancer survivor for many years, and at no point did she let it slow her down.

By anyone's standards, Torres is an amazing person. At age 81, she still has her watch business and her own website, renettetorres.com, where the book can be purchased.

And as you might expect, Torres is now applying her sales know-how to selling her book.

"After all," she said, "who can sell me better than me?"

Sources:

Interview with Renette Torres, May 2010