Promotional image for Hermès Apple Watch

Global searches for the top 50 watchmakers increased by 56 percent in 2015, per a report by jewelry retailer Karus Chains.

Using Google's Keyword Planner tool, Karus Chains set out to determine which watch brands consumers have the most interest in and where those searches are being conducted. A number of watchmakers have expressed excitement rather than fear of the Apple Watch, as smartwatches have brought consumer attention back to the wrist.

Karus began with a group of 114 watchmakers, narrowing that down to the top 50. The research is based on 312 million searches over a two-year period, 2014-2015.

Searching for time Karus found that Apple Watch received 60 million searches in 2015. While this number may seem high, given the disruptive nature of the Apple Watch, many consumers were interested in learning more about the smartwatch, but sales have said otherwise (see story).

The most popular traditional watch brand was Rolex, although Apple Watch beat out the watchmaker by 42 million search prompts. But, Rolex had more than twice as many searches as the third place brand, Tag Heuer.

Coming in at number six, U.S. fashion label Michael Kors was the only non-watchmaker to place within the top 50 brands considered by Karus. Michael Kors saw 5.4 million searches in 2015 with 55 percent of searches originating from the United States.

Michael Kors' Watch Hunger Stop watches

Other brands seen in the top 10 included Omega, Swatch, Tissot, Breitling, Patek Philippe and Hublot.

When Apple Watch was taken out of the mix, Karus found a 12 percent increase in the number of searches for the remaining 49 brands in 2015. While increased interest does not necessarily translate to sales, it does present watchmakers with an opportunity for educational outreach.

Karus Chains' full report can be found here.

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